Is Social Security the next thing to be cut or taken away?

reply to post by Slan1


Said well, Stan1.

We have some young people who were raised right and think clearly. Unfortunately, we have a good many who are self-centered greedy haters out to damn everyone else for their own promotion. Sad situation.

reply to post by Rockpuck


I do work. I have a part time job working 20-25 hours per week. I am also taking online courses. My health has improved 75% since I have not worked oustide my home. I don't get as many flus. I don't go to the DR as much and rarely go to the hospital. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it is not there.
I put myself out there to be honest about who I am. I don't know how you can put anyone down for that.
You do have some good points but at the same time you have a resentment towards people who have disablities don't take it out on me.

reply to post by romanmel


Romanmel

Well, the best way for people to learn is the hard way, but, for some of them the hard way is just too late to be able to make changes and then hard ways just continues for that group ad infinitum.

It's going to die a slow lingering death.

Right now were at the point where the tax money collected for Social Security is just about what is being paid out.

I doubt that politicians will vote to increase the SS taxes so the only way to compensate would be to reduce the amounts paid out.

I'll qualify for SS in about 2 years. I hope I get out of it what I put in.

Originally posted by fixer1967

Originally posted by dreamseeker
reply to post by snowman9364

 

I only get $695 a month. It is not enough to live on. That is not even minuim wage. I have to work regardless. I work from home answering phones. There are rules set out by social security and I go by those. I am doing nothing wrong by collecting my benefits are working.

The way it works is for every $2 you make the drop $1 from your SSI check. If you do the math you will do a little beter than break even. Ok here goes.
SSI=$700 per month
Extra income=$300 per month
$300/2=$150 dropped from SSI check
SSI $700 - $150 dropped= $550 for updated SSI check
Updated SSI check =$550 plus the $300 from the extra income =$850 total
You made $300 extra but in the end out came out ahead by $150.

How do I know this? I have more than a few old friends that collect SSI and still have to work

edit on 1/27/2011 by fixer1967 because: spelling

Lets break it down the way it works for my situation.
SSDI=$645
SSI= $49
Extra Income = $300 per month
total = 995
- 49
- 160 Medicare A,B and D
Total $786
I would lose $100 in food stamps as well,
This brings down myt left over income to $686
This is less than my benefit amount so my income would go down. Right now I have a total of $795 income, I do have college loan money that I use but this is not factored into my SSI budget.
With SSI they don't count the first $90. I only make $100 per month so I get my full SSI benefit. If I go over $800 per month I lose my mediciad which pays for my medicare.
I order to break even I would have to make $400; that is if they don't give me a spend down on medicaid. With my part time job I try to make more money but it is very slow right now. Most jobs don't want to hire me to make only $100 so I try to find a job where I can make up to $1,000 which is all the extra income I can make. There are just not a lot of jobs out there hiring that will work with my disablity and pay me enough to make $1,000. It really would only be worth it for me to work more if I am able to make $500-$1000. Working from home always pays much lower. It is really complex because the medicaid spend down is something that takes you by suprise. That is if I even get to keep my medicaid. If I lose the medicaid I would have a 20% -50% co-pay for DRs and therapists.
I am going to Voc rehab in Feb so it is yet to be seen if working will pay off for me. I just have to make sure I stay away from all sick people, flurscent lighting,chemicals and perfumes.
Once I get my masters degree hopefully I can teach online courses. A teacher gets paid $1000 per each course they teach and can teach up to 3. That is my ticket out.

reply to post by DaWhiz


"Sorry, but I don't see your point, unless you drive so bad you use your insurance to the hilt, which I doubt or the insurance companies would make sure you cannot drive. Hey they have lobbysts"

Ok first off being 20 years old I have high insurance due to my age. The point of my post was this: I will NEVER see any benefit from MY money being spent. The age of a social security recipient will continue to rise and by the time I would reach that age social security will be gone. Neither will any other young person. Hell, my parents wont even see that money. So that's fine for people who have already paid to get their social security and they should but at the same time I shouldn't be required to surrender a chunk of my income for something I will never see. Also, insurance is a scheme I agree but unfortunately in the state of florida it is a requirement to drive. I accept it regardless if I like it or not. The same goes for social security, regardless of my opinion of the matter I am not in charge but from my point of view social security is not going to benefit me ever and therefore a waste of my money that I could save or use for school or whatever else I deem important.

Originally posted by Slan1
Why is it always the young in good health, working at good jobs, many who just can't see down the line to their old age and they now object to Social Security and Medicare.

Without these programs in their retirement years some of them will have become disabled, mentally ill, and just plain broke and on the streets and now they dont believe it can happen to them, But, I assure you it will and they will be the biggest whiners without safety nets they will need to survive.

They are apathic and If they don't gather together and fight for their future Social Security and Medicare, Yes by not fighting they will have no chance of getting it or probably anything else at all that they have paid into.

Then they will become the truly and completely useless eaters they and their future society has created for them.

Not all young people dislike social security for selfish reasons. Seeing as how expensive it is to get an education, move out and pay bills straight out of high school. I can certainly see things from your perspective but instead or considering different point of views many of the "older" posters have a negative outlook towards a simple opinion. Yes, people get old, sick and disabled and they deserve help and treatment. Well young people are disabled straight out of high school or even college. There are barely jobs for people who have an education let alone someone who's trying to pay for an education. If the issue is young people being selfish, explain how we have shaped the worlds current events. Last time I checked "young" people didn't make the great choice to go to the middle east without proof, wage a war still going on today and effectively destroy the economy. The bottom line is anyone who works for their money should get to make their own choice in regards to social security

Originally posted by earthdude
Social Security has alread been taken away and cut. I signed up to retire at 55, but I know it will be 75 by the time I am allowed to retire. By then my SS income won't even buy a taco a day.

Agreed, I don't get to retire. I will probably die on way to or from work.

reply to post by Helmkat


I really hope everyone can get social security who needs it. Our government messed it up and seems like they don't to be responsible and fix it. They bailed out the banks so why not bail out social security?

The question is - "Will the program that helps push people to be dependent on the government be cut or go away soon?" Yes, but only in our wildest dreams.

reply to post by ararisq


You are thinking of welfare. Social Security is not welfare. To me Social Security and SSDI are not 100% dependent programs since we work many years to pay into the system. In order to get on either program a person must be disabled or elderly. This programs needs to be there because not many employers want to make accomendations for disablities of hire the elderly. Bills are still there regardless of whether or not a person has money. A lot of companies don't offer great pension plans anymore.
The working class poor never really had a pension or good pension. I have a friend who makes $12.50 an hour works 40 hours a week yet it not offered a pension plan unless he is in the union and has been at his job for at least 5 years. He has to pay union dues of $10 per weekly paycheck. He recently got out of the union. He is depending on Social Security for when he retires.

reply to post by dreamseeker


Your Social Security comes from the IMF and NOT the federal government. The Social Security "account' the gooberment claims to have is aslush fund for the politicians. Sorry to have to expose that but it is a fact. Restore the Republic did an article on it in one of their magazines, I read it a while back and remember it was pretty sad. The IRS to is a subsidiary of the IMF and NOT a government agency.

1. The IRS is not a U.S. Government Agency. It is an Agency of the IMF
(Diversified metal Products v. IRS etal. CV-93-405E-EJE U.S.D.C.D.I.,
Public Law 94-564, Senate Report 94-1148 pg. 5967, Reorganization Plan
No. 26, Public Law 102-391.)

Sad world we live in today, more and more people are waking up and doing research.

cant wait to hear everyone start complaining when the whole house or cards fall and no one gets anything. well they still get SS but when the time comes you will get your $800 a month but a candy bar will cost you $1,000.

its coming. its mathematically impossible to pay down the debt now. 14 trillion in debt plus 100 trillion in un funded Liabilities. HAHAHA the only answer to this is hyper inflation. you best do your reading and get ready for it. Its the only answer.

Originally posted by dreamseeker
reply to post by Helmkat

 

I really hope everyone can get social security who needs it. Our government messed it up and seems like they don't to be responsible and fix it. They bailed out the banks so why not bail out social security?

The bail out your looking for will be hyper inflation of the dollar so the government can pay its liabilities. Trust me, your SS is going nowhere, it’s just going to be worthless when you get it each month

Social Security was supposed to end around the 1950s. Since it was never designed to last this long, I find it amazing that it has.

However, it needs to go. It cannot be sustained any longer. It is just creating more debt for the USA.

You see, this is the problem with beginning benefit programs like Social Security. Once you give a person this kind of assistance, they will never forgive you for repealing it. Then, you (the deficit-conscience politician that takes away Social Security) end up looking like a jerk.

That doesn't seem fair to me.

I am always willing to offer a person a hand up, but I don't like the idea of a handout.

There is a lot of conjecture on this thread about finances and government spending, which is good. Study of these & other things will help many to survive the coming bad years the world over.

I'd like to turn on everyone on this entire site to a wonderful website known as Veoh- Veoh.com. On this site everyone will find access to a free downloadable video player, and free videos to download on any or all of the topics currently aired on ATS. Get it! Be careful of how much space the videos you download take on your hard drive- it can fill some of them up fast. Keep an extra hard drive available if your GB space level is small.

I'm not trying to be off-topic- my premise is this: there are lots of videos, all free, about the state of finances world-wide & the problems facing the US over Social Security and lots of other issues, including world affairs. It's so easy to educate oneself! No BS for the most part, no flipping TV commercials- just all of the real news that you can find that definitely IS fit to print but is the kind of info that the "Powers That Be" find all too convenient to bury or have you all ignore. KNOWLEDGE is power, not despotism.

Bullies and despots think they rule for a while, but it all goes to ruin in the end. Nowadays, they think they rule over money to the point that they think that they're god-like. History proves over and over that it doesn't work. If one can see what it is they do and how they operate, one can outwit them all and SURVIVE.

There are videos on this site that can teach the truth about what is going on with Social Security, health insurance, wars, and secret societies that cause it all. Use discernment in your viewing- of course, some of the videos are not 100% accurate but the people who make them are as good as whatever info they have is at the time of production. The "Powers That Be" don't make it easy for anybody to find these things out or get them out in the open.

It's better to "Deny Ignorance" by arming oneself with the truth than continue to exist as someone with their Eyes Wide Shut. Take your first steps into a larger world!

Here's my issue with disability. You sound like someone who (IMO) deserves it.

But I can say I know a few people who have gotten it just for "mental health" reasons (i.e. depression, anxiety)...with no other basis for their benefits.

And those people go to the bar everyday and get high off some other **it.

They clearly do not deserve to have it.

I have bipolar disorder myself, which automatically increases anxiety...I was on a lot of different medications as a kid...I was even diagnosed by a certain doctor with a slight communication disorder. Guess what? I'm 27 now, and I've been working since I was 16. Never got a free dime from the government, other than when I shattered my hand and had to get temporary assistance.

FYI, you can get disability just for being an alcoholic, if you get bad enough. how messed up is that? and where do you think THAT check is going? This I have witnessed first hand as well.

I guess my point is that maybe they should put some restrictions in place, or make people submit to drug testing, or maybe just not be so lenient with it.

reply to post by camaro68ss


If I had no bills I would not care about money. If I didn't have to pay for anything then it wouldn't matter if I lose my income. The reality is I have rent, and utlities to pay. I am trying hard to be more independent just today I applied for 3 jobs in my feild.(psychology). They were all part time and more than likely will accomdate me on the flurscent lighting issue.
I am also going to start writing more science fiction stories and submitting then to different magazines. It is about time I put my writing talent to use. I have been writing since the age of 7 so I am old pro at it by now.
I know in a few years I may be ready to get off all these benefits but right now it is not happening. It is unrealistic to even dream at this point of being off of it.
I would much rather be homeless than live with my family. There are so many on disablity who struggle very hard. There are so many much worse off than me that the system can not fail until we have something better in place.
There are people out there who are devolopmentally disabled who can not understand beyond a 10 years old reasoning. There are people who are blind, in wheel chairs,missing legs etc. Through progams like Social security,skilled nursing and caregivers these people can live very independently. Without these programs they would be institutionalized or with abusive family. Some became disabled due to drug addicted parents or abuse.

reply to post by DarkATi


Social security is not a hand out. You are thinking of welfare. This program is for people who are elderly or too disabled to work. The government can't force a company to hire the elderly or disabled. A company can refuse to make accomendations. People need income somehow to live.

I don't have time to read through this whole thing because I'm actually supposed to be working. That said, I've read enough to be able to confidently say that no one on this board has the right to tell anyone else that "it's all in your head". It's really no wonder that the elite have taken over our government. I'm constantly reading on these boards, and in comments about what's happening in our political system, common people tearing other common people down. Meanwhile, the banksters and the politicians are robbing the pot. You really want to get a handle on the people who are "gaming the system"? Take a look at the 2% at the top. Sure, there are probably a few people who buy cigarettes with food stamps but have they almost completely destroyed the world economy? No. The people who think that smaller government is the way to fix the system don't seem to realize that our "representatives" who tout that ideology have exploded the government over the past 30 years. Yes, we need to get our deficits and spending under control but spending is only one side of the argument. Deficits = Revenues - Expenditures. Everyone seems to only pay attention to the expenditures. Meanwhile, our "reps" just gave the millionaires and billionaires another tax cut. Not to mention the corporations who, through loopholes, pay very little to no taxes at all. Investigate how much AT&T, Bank of America and Google paid in taxes last year. So who really is living off the backs of the rest of us?

There are plenty of areas in our budget that we can cut without immediately attacking what everyone refers to as "entitlements". I hate that term because it's been used to mean "welfare" when really it means that I am entitled to that money because it's mine. I've been socking it away for 20 years now. For anyone who wants to talk about privatizing social security, can you even imagine what would have happened to that money over the last 10 years if we allowed the Wall Streeters to gamble with it? It would be gone for good. They've been doing that at the banks and coming back for more to be bailed out when it didn't go so well. How has that worked out for us. Not well.

Oh, and do you all realize that we give foreign aid to China? The very country to whom we owe enormous amounts of money? We borrow money from them, turn around and give it back to them and you know what they do with it? They invest it in their infrastructure that then allows US companies to move over there bringing all of our jobs with them. But go ahead, keep attacking the little guy.

I am a big proponent of removing the cap on SS. Currently, the money that goes from our paychecks into SS is only based off of income under $106,000. Again, the middle class bears the brunt of paying into SS. Do this and there would be no need to increase the current percentage rate required from everybody.

Oh, and to the person who wrote that before SS, people did just fine without it, you are very wrong. Many of America's elderly were poor and destitute. We are well on our way back to that way of life and how's it looking? Not so good from here. And we still run around touting America as #1. We should be ashamed of ourselves the way we treat one another.

rant over

I forgot to make clear that, despite what Fox "News" might have you believe, Social Security does not calculate, in any way, as part of the deficit. It is completely separate. Therefore, any discussion of abolishing SS as a way to get rid of the deficit is based on a false premise.