Social Security crunch coming fast

Originally posted by getreadyalready
we would have a very large group of people near retirement that have spent a lifetime paying into the program for nothing. They would probably turn to violence as well, because they would want some resolution to their plight!

Both my parents fall into this category...and here's the rub, their generation are 'early post-war' and well rememember the lessons of my grandparents, rationing and self-sufficiency, and are my mentors in slowly adopting the same lifestyle from the life of plenty on the supermarket shelves that I once was beholden to.

My parents grew up in times of very little, enjoyed the post-war prosperity, but have the vision to see its imminent collapse and are teaching myself and grandchildren to 'dig for victory'. My grandpa who is still with us did his small part in the Jarrow march (pre-DSS/NHS)

Equally, there are many who do not have this bank of knowledge and skills to draw on who have grown dependant on shelves always being an abundant cornucopia, who are dependant through generations of support through social security, who expect the state to provide no matter what.

The un-educated, the un-interested, the un-listening, the un-prepared for lean times will be the ones to revolt at their loss of apparent liberty and choice

..not me or my family

reply to post by ChrisF231

Is their anyway I can opt out of SS?

You could start a small business. Make sure you at least take the community college business courses and accounting courses. I am not sure what the current situation is but as a small business you can put away more tax free dollars in a retirement fund as well as taking lots of business deductions.

Ever wonder why female singers wear those very tight dresses? They are tax deductions. If the dress is too tight to sit in it becomes a "uniform" and not taxable every day clothing. (skunked the IRS on that one :lol

I'm on SSDI ( which I worked for) and have it not been for it, I would have most likely been dead by now. Of course, there are no doubt many who believe those who are mentally ill, in jails and prisons, as non-productive citizens that are not worth their dimes share keeping them alive.

Having been on SSDI for over 5 years of fog, I haven't much clue as to what or where I could even do, when there are thousands with better skills that can't find work. As it is, I also have my doubts I'll be collecting my SSI in the future as well. I'd much prefer a Star Trek vision instead, if there's going to be change. I just haven't read the book and script on it yet.

The whole system needs to be scrapped.

If you opt out of paying for 'social security' why not opt out of paying for street lighting when you dont need to directly use it, road improvements where you dont usually drive, bin collections and refuse services at any other address other than yours, clean water from your own taps but no others....

Originally posted by aleon1018
Having been on SSDI for over 5 years of fog, I haven't much clue as to what or where I could even do, when there are thousands with better skills that can't find work.

All you have to do is have faith in your abilities..and we are all unique in that respect, smile, and knock on doors...one will open if you keep a positive mind

Originally posted by Taikonaut

Originally posted by aleon1018
Having been on SSDI for over 5 years of fog, I haven't much clue as to what or where I could even do, when there are thousands with better skills that can't find work.

All you have to do is have faith in your abilities..and we are all unique in that respect, smile, and knock on doors...one will open if you keep a positive mind

But I'm too old for trick or treat

[edit on 17-8-2009 by aleon1018]

Originally posted by aleon1018
But I'm too old for trick or treat

1: you're never too old to learn new skills
2: having faith means not giving up, regardless of circumstance

If I were a doctor I'd prescribe you a song...Bob Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up" to be taken aurally at least once daily

[edit on 17-8-2009 by Taikonaut]

It says the ponzi scheme was invented in 1983? Uhm, no, it was invented the day the bill was instated in 1935. We could at least privatize it and make people pay for themselves instead of "paying it forward" so to speak by mounting debt on each new generation.

[edit on 17-8-2009 by yellowcard]

Originally posted by ChrisF231
reply to post by getreadyalready

 

Correct, I believe some state and local government employees (I think in Florida and NJ) are also exempt from SS participation as they have their own systems like the RR employees as you mentioned.

Teachers in IL are exempt from paying into SS, the teachers union have their own savings plan. That's fine if you start your career as a teacher in IL and retire in IL.

If you didn't start your working career as a teacher or another field within an exempt state, then those teachers would have contributed to SS.

Those teachers never see a penny of the money they contributed to SS if they move to an exempt state and start teaching due to the teachers union having a separate savings plan for that particular state.

I wonder what happens to all that money teachers put into SS but are not eligible to withdraw when they retire.

The teachers in IL have been fighting for their SS contributions for years to no avail.

One of Social Security's big problems is the fact that it is used to support people that it was never intended to go to.

A person that has worked all their life and paid into the system and then retires at retirement age is entitled to collect SS benefits, as well as people that have worked and paid into the system and become disabled to the point that they can no longer work.

However children now receive SS disability benefits for things like ADD, ADHD, premature birth, etc. Now i cannot seem to understand why on earth a child (who is under the legal age to work) would be entitled to SS disability benefits. What are they disabled from ? Certainly not from working a job as they are too young to work. Money that is meant to go to retired and disabled adults has for quite awhile now been siphoned off to children, to ease the strain on public aide. This was an effect of welfare reform, case workers actually told their clients to go apply for SSI.

Then you have the alcoholics and drug addicts that receive SS disability benefits, for years with no restrictions that they must seek rehab, or only have a certain amount of time on the program. Then you have those that collect SSI while working under the table. There are so many scams going on with SS lately it's pathetic. In the meantime people that have worked all their lives and are truly disabled sit around and wait 2/3 or more years to receive their benefits.

It's not just the goverment using the money instead of investing it, it's also the government giving the money to those that it was never intended to go to.

Edit for spelling error

[edit on 8/18/2009 by chise61]

reply to post by skindoc


If you have ever paid in, then you are still eligible to draw. They won't be exempt from drawing, but their payout will be very low, because their contributions will have been very low.

In my case, I will have a state pension, and SS I guess. Maybe that will provide a nice retirement! Since I am 35 now, and they raise the eligible age every few years, and the Healthcare plan is going to change my end of life care, I will probably be able to draw at age 75-80, but my Healthcare will only cover painkillers at that point, so I will have a couple of good loopy years of retirement before I die!!

reply to post by cloakndagger

I would trade my situation in any day for someone who has no pain and can work.

I have no problem with people in you situation receiving help, or better yet providing you with a way to use your brain and earn money without causing you more pain. It is the Judge who took my friends' thirteen year old daughter and set her up in an apartment with an unwed mother, I am ready to hang. A 21 year old was having sex with a twelve year old and that sob of a judge states "they are in love" and takes the kid from her parents!!!!

This happened in the Peoples republic of Massachusetts.

Originally posted by Taikonaut
If you opt out of paying for 'social security' why not opt out of paying for street lighting when you dont need to directly use it, road improvements where you dont usually drive, bin collections and refuse services at any other address other than yours, clean water from your own taps but no others....

What you are basically suggesting is a return to regional government with centralised government only handling military defence.

And this is how it should be.

This is what will likely happen, but at the same time you need to ensure you have the oversight of central government to prevent them from ever becoming the monster it now is.
You need a third party, dedicated to cost-effective, small central government with a standing agreement of transparency for all member states.

I said last year that the American Social Security system was going to fail. It was obvious to anyone with an interest in economics.
What they do to try to prevent the collapse will be interesting to see.
The traditional course has been a bailout, which means even greater debt.

Seriously, why aren't your media talking about this, and why aren't your public asking the media exactly WHY they are not talking about it?

reply to post by detachedindividual


Our media talks about whatever their advertisers tell them to talk about!!

They are not going to cover hot issues unless they can get some video of a crying mother or crazy gunman! Otherwise, the news is an extended advertisement for whoever is their main bread and butter at the moment!

I agree with the rest of your assessment whole-heartedly! A small Centralized Government to provide some continuuity among the 50 individual states! That was vision of our founding fathers, not this dirty, corruptible, corporate shell of a once Powerful Republic! This is no longer the City on a Hill!

I hope Social Security is the straw that breaks this camel, and I hope to see 500,000 senior citizens marching with walkers to the Capitol! In line behind them will be another 200M citizens that refuse to let Corporate profits dictate their lives!

"The Senate voted this week to allow 'illegal' aliens access to Social Security benefits.. "

This was in an email I got for signatures to STOP this from happening. But if it has already been signed.....?

This just makes my blood boil - To Allow Illegal Aliens access to Social Security benefits!!!!!

I am 64 and my husband will turn 65 in two months - we have worked all our lives to be able to receive - actually to get back - something from the government.

WHY do illegal aliens Have Any Right to US money??

reply to post by Asktheanimals

With my luck by the time I get a hearing they will impose a moratorium on new claims.

Even if they were to do this it wouldn't effect you as your claim wouldn't be a new claim. Just make sure that you don't let them close your claim out, if they send you a denial appeal and keep appealing so your claim stays open.

My cousin's husband was a trucker for 20+ years and his back took a beating. He filed a disability claim and waited and waited and waited finally he got one those laywers that helps with SS claims . It took him a good four years before he got his benefits, but because his original claim was never closed out they had to pay him retroactive, so he got benefits from all the way back when he first filed.

There's no problem with Social Security a "good" epidemic wouldn't cure!

You know; something to kill off the young and old. That takes away the tax deductions and raises tax rates and clears out the roles of the retired.

Is there a deadly strain of H1N1 in our future?

Social security and welfare is a trap to keep people in poverty. It is not enough to live on. I got it orginally so I would only have to work part- time. If I make too much money I lose my paid health benefits. I would have too pay over $100/month for medicare. Furthermore I would have a spenddown of $200 or more. A spenddown is what you must pay before any health care benefits.
If I make more than 900 per month then I lose all benefits in a few months. The problem is most jobs recquire you to work more than 20-25 hours. I am working towards getting completely off of social secrity disablity. For me it was never meant to be a lifestyle just a supplement to my part-time income. I only make maybe $400/month and work only 20 hours a week. I get about $700/month from ss.
I want to work 30 hours a week and no more. That is what keeps me from
getting off of disablity. Together I get $1,1000 per month after taxes which is more than I could make at minuim wage working part time.
I have a Bachelor's so I am sure I could get a job making more yet they want someone who will work full time.
I would say it is the whole system that is broken. It is Social Security, Welfare, The Job MArket and the econonmy. No matter what you do you find yourself in the same trap of stress and/or poverty.

Wasn't Social Security created to pay off the massive debts to European Central Banks?


.....hmmmmmm...treason comes to mind.

reply to post by dreamseeker


OK i just want to make sure that i understand you correctly. You are not disabled, and you have a bacholor's degree, but you collect social sercurity disability and medicare because you only want to work part time, no more than 30 hours a week ?


Did you ever think about teaching, they only work about 35 hours a week, have great benefits, quite a few holidays off and summers off also.