Social Security COLA Freeze: Obama To The Rescue? I Told You So!

RFFM.org ^ | October 18, 2009 | Daniel T. Zanoza

[Daniel T. Zanoza]

On August 24, 2009 I wrote a commentary titled, "COLA Freeze for Social Security Recipients: Part of an Obama Ruse to Keep Senior Voting Bloc?".

I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. Barack Obama has proposed Congress approve a one-time $250 payment to seniors and handicapped ...

[silverleaf]

With that extra $5 a week from the One, The SS and SSI crowd better stick up on dog food while it’s still affordable-and buy some warm socks

sarc

[Sacajaweau]

I’m on SS and Medicare. I also purchase a supplement via a GOVERMENT APPROVED HMO. I have been informed that the HMO premium will go up by 58% in January BECAUSE OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CUTS.

[Grams A]

I am sure that the Medicare premium will also go up as well as the deductible. All you are doing is pre-paying these increases but I am sure they will be more than the $250 from BO - but look at all the goodwill he is buying!

[Gaffer]

It is a feeble, selfish person whose vote can be bought for a paltry $250.

[aimhigh]

Half the wealth in the USA is owned by those over 65.

[Gaffer]

That fact just makes it all the more worse.

[silverleaf]

Make sure your Senator and Congressmen know about this.

Also copy this example of “history calling” to those compassionate bipartisan oracles of the east, Snowe and Collins.

[silverleaf]

You kidding? In my town democrat votes can be bought for a sandwich and free cigarettes. That’s why they set up lunchwagons in po’ neighborhood polling stations.

[Sacajaweau]

COLA was based on your existing payment. In other words, because this isn't a regular COLA increase, your base amount doesn't go up....which effects every year thereafter. There's already talk that there will be no COLA thru 2012....That means any gain in monthly SS payments via COLA for 2007, 2008 & 2009 will have been wiped out.

My rent alone has wiped out each COLA increase.

[Sacajaweau]

Oh yeh....My reps here in NY will be a big help.../sarc

[silverleaf]

Just shows who the evil selfish exploiters are, who took all that pie instead of sharing it with someone who needs some free pie on the way up the ladder to pie in the sky.

MEDICARE cuts and age-restricted access to life extending therapy will help address that. Death taxes can help redistribute that pie back to the needy.

[nascarnation]

It is a feeble, selfish person whose vote can be bought for a paltry $250.

Actually I'll take the $250 and vote AGAINST Democrats, LOL

[HarleyD]

LOL if the Dems think this is going to look like a rescue. First, the $250 isn't anything near the 2% pay raise seniors would have received. Second, this is a one-time shot; not a permanent increase. Seniors aren't going to be fooled by this in the least and Americans are going to be incense that we are adding MORE money to the deficit. This is simply rubbing salt into a very sore wound.

This is like say they are going to promote growth by extending unemployment benefits. All this shows is the ineptitude of this government to address fundamental problems. Nobody is going to be fooled and nobody is going to be satisfied.

[The Great RJ]

I remember Tom Daschle saying that Bush's $400 stimulus check wouldn't be enough to buy a muffler. This $250 check would hardly be enough to buy even a fan belt. Seniors have a right to be mad for such cheap patronizing.

[silverleaf]

ditto my axxholes in MD

But at least maybe they will choke-up when lying about intending to save folks money, and they cannot say they were blind to the true effects of their legislative malfeasance

[WellyP]

He STILL can’t buy my vote!

[Citizen Soldier]

I was thinking about when do the congress critters vote themselves their next cost of living raise? They may well sneak it in on the tails of one of the massive 1,000 pages+ bills they pass.

[pnh102]

Good. Maybe now the senior citizens who suck away my paycheck can enjoy those “fixed incomes” that they constantly whine about.

[BBell]

Oh come on, we all know Seniors only eat dog food and cut their pills in half when republicans are in charge.

[Carley]

I am not for sale, can’t be bribed, don’t like pandering either.

He’s giving that $250 to a whole variety of people, not just social security recipients.

[Carley]

Goodwill until the first social security payment hits your checking account in January.

[kempster]

Imagine how many pulls you can get on the nickel machine for $250.00!

[Rocky]

Man, I can’t wait for my check. With my Obama-money, I’m taking my whole family on a two-week vacation to Tahiti. (/s)

[patriot08]

. Our seniors have a cost of living increase freeze for two years on SS, yet:

Obama’s 2009 Supplemental Appropriations for Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Pandemic Flu was revised and "passed by the full committee." Not sure what the next step is, but based on the summary, it gives billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to countries and entities that support Sharia law and/or harbor, hide and support those who want to destroy the U.S. and our allies.

Read the summary from David Obey’s office that was quietly released last week with nary a word from any media.

• $3.6 billion, matching the request, to expand and improve capabilities of the Afghan security forces

• $400 million, as requested, to build the counterinsurgency capabilities of the Pakistani security forces

• Afghanistan: $1.52 billion, $86 million above the request

• West Bank and Gaza: $665 million in bilateral economic, humanitarian, and security assistance for the West Bank and Gaza

• Jordan: $250 million, $250 million above the request, including $100 million for economic and $150 million for security assistance

• Egypt: $360 million, $310 million above the request, including $50 million for economic assistance, $50 million for border security, and $260 million for security assistance

• Pakistan: $1.9 billion, $591 million above the request

• Iraq: $968 million, $336 million above the request

• Oversight: $20 million, $13 million above the request, to expand oversight capacity of the State Department, USAID, and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan to review programs in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq

• Lebanon: $74 million

• International Food Assistance: $500 million, $200 million above the request, for PL 480 international food assistance to alleviate suffering during the global economic crisis

• Refugee Assistance: $343 million, $50 million above the request, …including humanitarian assistance for Gaza. Funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency programs in the West Bank and Gaza is limited to $119 million (Note: Gaza = Hamas)

• Disaster Assistance: $200 million to avert famines and provide life-saving assistance during natural disasters and for internally displaced people around the world, including Somalia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, the Middle East and South Asia

• Peacekeeping: $837 million for United Nations peacekeeping operations, including an expanded mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a new mission in Chad and the Central African Republic

• Department of Justice: $17 million, matching the request, for counter-terrorism activities and to provide training and assistance for the Iraqi criminal justice system

Cost of Copenhagen trip http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MDFmMzExYjlmZGFjMmU0NWNhOTkzODdhYzY4MzJlMTc

73 million to Zimbabwe

500 million in helicopters to the president of Afghanistan

Millions to ACORN

The mainstream media remains silent on this but the International News has now picked up the story -- and then there is Obama’s $108 billion IMF bailout scheme in addition to the Supplemental.

Where's the outrage??? .

[count-your-change]

Didn’t you read that earlier post about half the wealth in the U.S. being in the hands of people over 65? They get to buy the very best of dog food and shop at upscale Goodwill stores.

[Mike Darancette]

Donate your $250 to Palin 2012. Serve Obama right.

[Mike Darancette]

That means any gain in monthly SS payments via COLA for 2007, 2008 & 2009 will have been wiped out.

On the plus side S/S can't go down no matter how bad the economy is.

[MEG33]

No goodwill here..I am trying to figure out which conservative candidate or cause to donate my check to..It’s isn’t that I couldn’t use an extra 250 dollars..but I resent being pandered to by Zero..

I am horrified at where the Marxist president and his sheep are leading this country.
God protect our brave military from their CIC.

[Sacajaweau]

When it went from 65 to 66 or 67...it went down...An increase in Medicare Part B can totally offset any COLA..

[Grams A]

There are several conservative candidates that can use financial support. My new criteria judge: If you are supported by RNC, McCain, Graham, McConnell, Gingrich or Cornyn in his capacity of senatorial candidate selection, you are not a conservative!

Our military are sitting ducks - only God can protect them!