Social Security-My Parent's Experience

So this is strictly a rant-n-rave about 'the system' thread.

History: My father retired several years ago after working his entire life. He has been receiving a pension since then. Almost immediately after his retirement, he went back to work full time. He finally reached retirement age and has been collecting Social Security for the past several months. This past month, there was a 'mix up' in his paper work at Social Security and he has been told he will not be receiving a Social Security check for November, which will place a financial strain on my folks. The 'mix up' is theirs, not his. My mother has been on the phone with Social Security for days now getting the 'run around.' No straight answers. No resolution. Supervisor will take days to get back to her, she was told. And they're not working a full day today, so don't expect anything soon.

Frustration: Everyone seems to forget that Social Security is 'your money,' not the government's, though they do not portray it that way.

New York is huge social welfare state, where I live. If welfare checks were to be late, you wouldn't hear the end of it. Many people receiving aid have never worked a day in their lives, are pumping out kids, getting their rent paid, and they wouldn't stand for receiving their checks late! Let me say this, there are many people out there in need of supplemental monies, however, there is a significant amount of waste and fraud in the welfare system in New York.

Here's the kicker, in many regions across NY where residents are on welfare and receiving monies and benefit, voter turn out was dismally low, with the trend in voting going lower and lower. Citizens on social welfare can't even be motivated to get out and vote for the politicians that are supplying them with money and benefits. It has become a right, and not a privilege. WTH!

I can honestly say I'm not surprised when private citizens take violent actions and commit the crimes that they do, THOUGH I'M NOT CONDONING THIS!

I know this will be a polarized issued! Ok, rant over!

a reply to: Cosmic911

the most insane story I read about ny and welfare was the $1000 four bedroom apartment in new york with leaking sewage pipes and rats that was subsidized by hud in syracuse for some reason. this was back at least a decade or maybe two, but well, not many families working at the time could have afforded that kind of rent, and if even if they could, they could have found something without the rats and sewage for a far less amount of money! but, well, one thing I noticed while living in that area, alot of the politicians seems to own hud subsidized rental properties! So, the ones writing the guidelines and deciding things were also reaping the benefits on the back side of it...

I am dismayed at just how much they have reduced the benefits of the seniors and laid more of a burden on them while they let more and more able body people live far better lives than those taxpayers who were footing the bills... we just couldn't take it anymore and left the state. add to that the state gov't with their insanities....well, it was a lost cause up there.

My mother died 8 years ago on sept 28th.
Since she died before the end of the month her social security check was taken back by the goverment. That is correct and not a problem. But when it came time for my dad to have his taxes prepared in March, he was taxed on the money that was sent back. Figure that one out...
Any time the government runs something it screwed up.

a reply to: Cosmic911

Democrats are tired of fighting the never ending stupidity. Let the warhawks and conservatives have their way and the country THEY want. Go ahead and let the old go back to eating dog food and people dying of colon cancer because of no health care. When only the republicans are in charge everywhere, they wont have anyone to blame anymore for the two class system they killed for.

a reply to: dawnstar

Interesting, as I'm from Syracuse! Reading your story doesn't suprise me in the least! This whole area is plagued. Good job moving out of the State! I applaud you and your family.

a reply to: MOMof3

I blame both parties for the state we are in today. Our two party system is failing miserably. I'm a third party voter but it'll be a long time, maybe never that the system changes.

a reply to: Bluntone22

The government proves time and time again that everything they administer gets mucked up!

People love to complain that when the government does something, it does it horribly.

People love to complain that when big business and corporations do something, they trample the little guy and throw the individual under the bus in the pursuit of profit.

People are never happy with any system, and no system is ever perfect.

As long as a system isn't being run the way an individual imagines it should and ought to be -- they won't be happy with it. It's the old "the world according to me" syndrome.

a reply to: Cosmic911

IS the state running on the two party system now, because when I was there, it was being run by three men behind closed doors..... with a slush fund out the wazoo, with most of it coming from borrowed money conveniently funneled through semi-gov't agencies like the port authority that can borrow money. there was no way that if run the way it's supposed to, that the state could owe as much as it did because the state constitution demands it runs on a balanced budget!

it's not the gov't that is screwing everything up, but rather the corruption that was allowed to take over that gov't!

This proves once again that when you put the Government in control of your well-being things will not end well. The Government of the United States is a criminal organization. It didn't start that way, but now they have over stepped their Constitutional authority and operate with impunity around the world. We don't need them and never have. We need OUR money back to invest as we see fit.

I am sorry for your parents. I hope it all works out for them.

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
People love to complain that when the government does something, it does it horribly.

People love to complain that when big business and corporations do something, they trample the little guy and throw the individual under the bus in the pursuit of profit.

People are never happy with any system, and no system is ever perfect.

As long as a system isn't being run the way an individual imagines it should and ought to be -- they won't be happy with it. It's the old "the world according to me" syndrome.

We need an opt out system. One where those people that want big Government in their lives can have it and pay into their global 'protection' scheme and then one for the rest of us who don't want to live in the shadow of their failure. My plan says you and I are free to do what we want. Your plan says I have to do what the Government wants. Which is fair? I just want to be a free man and I want you to be free too.

originally posted by: Metallicus
This proves once again that when you put the Government in control of your well-being things will not end well. The Government of the United States is a criminal organization. It didn't start that way, but now they have over stepped their Constitutional authority and operate with impunity around the world. We don't need them and never have. We need OUR money back to invest as we see fit.

I am sorry for your parents. I hope it all works out for them.

This does not prove that at all. So you never had a billing mistake from a private company like Verizon? I have had tons of horror stories. This is a mistake and it is badly affecting these people. It needs to get fixed.

There are millions of other people that are happy with SSA just fine.

I had a similar experience with ssi in NYS .. what helped me the most was to call on phone a rep at the local office for ssi in utica .. got a great rep there to help me out .. it was a mess for awhile but I got all funds owed me .. dont try it online it doesnt work ..

a reply to: Metallicus

And when those that opt out are screwed because they're to irresponsible to save, then what? Do we just let them die in poverty and say, "Well you got what you deserve!"

It would happen, people over estimate their own abilities all the time.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

or when the financial sector gets greedy again and robs their investors of their lifesavings...
this is what caused the depression and made social security a necessity to begin with.
far more people became penniless while a few became very, very rich!

originally posted by: blargo

originally posted by: Metallicus
This proves once again that when you put the Government in control of your well-being things will not end well. The Government of the United States is a criminal organization. It didn't start that way, but now they have over stepped their Constitutional authority and operate with impunity around the world. We don't need them and never have. We need OUR money back to invest as we see fit.

I am sorry for your parents. I hope it all works out for them.

This does not prove that at all. So you never had a billing mistake from a private company like Verizon? I have had tons of horror stories. This is a mistake and it is badly affecting these people. It needs to get fixed.

There are millions of other people that are happy with SSA just fine.

Except that I am not forced to do business with Verizon. I wish I had that option with the U.S. Government.

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
a reply to: Metallicus

And when those that opt out are screwed because they're to irresponsible to save, then what? Do we just let them die in poverty and say, "Well you got what you deserve!"

It would happen, people over estimate their own abilities all the time.

I am happy to take my chances as a free man. If I die do to my own poor decision making then I am okay with that...at least I died free.

a reply to: Metallicus

And are you OK watching other people die in the streets of starvation and poverty because of their own choices? Can you look dying people in their eyes and say, "its your own fault, to bad"?

Let's face it: most people aren't capable of taking care of themselves without someone showing them how, or helping them. These folks still make valuable contributions to society by working the jobs they do, consuming the products they do -- ect.

the question I would ask the younger generations would be can you look your parents in the eyes and tell them oh well, too bad, you should have saved more, planned better, blah, blah? since that is who the burden will fall on without safety nets like social security. and let's face it, minimum wage jobs, or even those not so minimum wage won't cut it if you have to take care of their financial needs as well as your own! that's why social security came into being to begin with, the crash wiped out everyone's savings and the kids couldn't be expected to provide for their parents while building their own families and being the good little consumers that the economy needed them to be.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

No system is perfect. However, in the situation my parents are in, zero attempt has been made to correct the mistake to make sure they get a check for November. That's not right. Having worked in both private business and government work, I can tell you there is little to none customer service and/ or quality assurance. Why can they get away with poor service while private corporations cannot?