No Social Security raises for two years (Medicare deduction to increase)

HeraldNet/AP ^ | 8-24-09 | Stephen Ohlemacher

[STARWISE]

Millions of older people face shrinking Social Security checks next year, the first time in a generation that payments would not rise.

The trustees who oversee Social Security are projecting there won’t be a cost of living adjustment (COLA) for the next two years. That hasn’t happened since automatic increases were adopted in 1975.

By law, Social Security benefits cannot go down. Nevertheless, monthly payments would drop for millions of people in the Medicare prescription drug program because the premiums, which often are deducted from Social Security payments, are scheduled to go up slightly.

[STARWISE]

What in God's name are these monsters doing? it's like a science fiction movie. Are they purposely trying to weaken and reduce the population ... ?

[STARWISE]

“Consumer prices are down from 2008 levels, giving Social Security recipients more purchasing power, even if their benefits stay the same, said Andrew Biggs, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington think tank.”

~~~

Huh? Food prices are way up in
my grocery store. Dear Lord,
I never in my wildest fears
ever thought it would get this
awful.

[lmr]

I happen to think the purpose is to motivate our seasoned citizens into supporting Government-run healthcare for all.

You see, Old people are helpless. They will support, as an enthusiastic monolith, anything that continues the huge dole they receive.

If they can be left with the impression that healthcare is going to cost them more without the plan, they can be convinced to support a plan that keeps their Social Security Checks intact.

This may work, because the ‘fixed income’ crowd just wants to do whatever will increase or rather keep the same the income that they budget to the penny with.

Obama, as John Voight recently stated is an Alinsky-ite who understands the ‘Rules for Radicals’ and uses them often and effectively to push the change he desires.

Obama isn’t necessarily a Nazi. We are dealing with a Socialist evil running this country that is still defining itself and will leave it’s own unique and infamous mark on history, as Hitler himself did.

[Rashputin]

Predictable. The old people get up in arms against the wishes of the democrat thugs and the democrat thugs who control the SS payments announce that those payments won't keep up with inflation for two years. The next predictable step is to start shilling for the deathcare bill by telling old folks that, “we could have had a COLA adjustment if you had our deathcare instead of medicare”.

Regards

[STARWISE]

[wardaddy]

They will support, as an enthusiastic monolith, anything that continues the huge dole they receive.

right genius... they have paid FICA and Medicare all their lives in taxes and yet you call it "dole"

you'll full of shite on this one sport.

[freekitty]

“You see, Old people are helpless. They will support, as an enthusiastic monolith, anything that continues the huge dole they receive.”

What kind of idiot are you? You should thank your lucky stars for these “Old people”. Without their strength; you wouldn’t be mouthing off.

[GeronL]

Don’t worry I am sure the AARP will support Obama 100%

[cajungirl]

I don’t think monsters are doing anything.

The rises in soc sec payments are automatic and adjusted for inflation.

We had a huge rise last year and the amount decided was due to increase in oil prices.

I don’t believe the option to keep payments the same is anything other than the regulations as to how the program works.

Lots of people won’t get raises every year,,of course congress does.

[STARWISE]

Right ... Medicare was taken out
of my paychecks since its inception ..
nearly 30 years; FICA, from my first
paycheck.

[cajungirl]

I hate it when the young come on discussions of this type and pop off about the old “fixed income” crowd and paint us as weary old white haired people wanting something for nothing.

And they pop off about how entitled we feel. Sort of generation warfare they embrace.

Sometimes I wonder who is the greater threat,,Obama and his minions or these unreflective adolescents.

[randomhero97]

Not only that, but the ahole congress doesn't even pay SS.

So much for respecting your elders. I really can't believe these psychos refers to themselves as progressives.

[randomhero97]

Oh yeah, and to add to that I thought we as a civilization were trying to increase life expectancy not put a cap on it.

[STARWISE]

I don’t foresee the cost of living
index going down over the next two
years.

[cajungirl]

I can’t believe the “young”,,I call them adolescents on this forum come to a conservative forum and all but call us names. Implying we are welfare recipients for having social security. Demand it be abolished and the promises our govt has made to us for fifty years be dishonored.

BTW I think if there is no increase, it is the way it works. ANd I don’t think O is to blame for this. It is the nature of the way raises are calculated.

I do remember many years when I had no raise because of economic conditions, all of us have been around for that. But the federal workers get their raise.

[cajungirl]

I am not sure what the index is for the raises. Is it cost of living or is it inflation adjusted? But it is by law. Not by fiat.

I think medicare part a premiums and B premiums were changed. One didn’t increase, the other did. And the sliding scale for med part B went up.

[randomhero97]

I still young (30) but I have two parents that are retired. They worked their asses off, paid in to that BS all their life and deserve every bit of it and then some.

[randomhero97]

I = I’m

[STARWISE]

That’s the essence of the article: the
trustees are proposing there be NO cost of
living increases for Medicare for the next
2 years.

[jedi150]

You see, Old people are helpless. They will support, as an enthusiastic monolith, anything that continues the huge dole they receive.

ROFLMAO