Posted on 08/24/2009 1:00:01 AM PDT by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at heraldnet.com ...
“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.
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.
Regards
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.
“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.
Don’t worry I am sure the AARP will support Obama 100%
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.
Right ... Medicare was taken out
of my paychecks since its inception ..
nearly 30 years; FICA, from my first
paycheck.
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.
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.
I don’t foresee the cost of living
index going down over the next two
years.
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.
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.
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.
I = I’m
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.
ROFLMAO
I am amazed how both republicans and democrats act like the money is endless yet blame each other for deficits.
Are they proposing or predicting? I interpreted it as a prediction but I guess I could be wrong. They have to change to law to make it happen.
I’m pretty sure the dollar won’t make it to 2052 let alone 2015 at this rate. So entitlement spending might be the last thing we need to worry about.
Good attitude you have. You can tell what kind of family someone comes from by the attitude. We old white haired dole taking people appreciate you.
I try to respect my elders. Well, at least until senility sets in. : D
They paid into a socialist system of dole. I’m not sure how old you are wardaddy but Anyone who counts on the government for their future is part of that socialist system and mindset.
I have paid in for 30 years but will count on the gov for zero.
1976 Democrat Platform (Jimmy Carter won)
Older Citizens
The Democratic Party has always emphasized that adequate income and health care for senior citizens are basic federal government responsibilities. The recent failure of government to reduce unemployment and alleviate the impact of the rising costs of food, housing and energy have placed a heavy burden on those who live on fixed and limited incomes, especially the elderly. Our other platform proposals in these areas are designed to help achieve an adequate income level for the elderly.
We will not permit an erosion of social security benefits, and while our ultimate goal is a health security system ensuring comprehensive and quality care for all Americans, health costs paid by senior citizens under the present system must be reduced.
We believe that Medicare should be made available to Americans abroad who are eligible for Social Security.
Democrats strongly support employment programs and the liberalization of the allowable earnings limitation under Social Security for older Americans who wish to continue working and living as productive citizens. We will put an end to delay in implementation of nutrition programs for the elderly and give high priority to a transportation policy for senior citizens under the Older Americans Act. We pledge to enforce vigorously health and safety standards for nursing homes, and seek
To be crystal clear. The entire socialist system of medicare and social security needs to be destroyed along with the DOE and many others. Our freedom, security and liberty all stand upon the principles of our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
When we give an inch they take a mile. I moved 1800 miles to take care of the infirm parents of my wife and my recently blind mother. The government/dole system would only provide a bed and shitty food to die with.
It is our God given duty to take care of our parents. Just like when they took care of us. It is also a tremendous blessing.
“O” has 1 thing correct; CHANGE
If double-digit or hyper inflation kicks in within the next two years SS recipients are totally screwed.
I started drawing Social Security November 12, 2008. I got a 5.8% raise in January, 2009, and after the communist got inaugurated 1-20-2009, I got a bonus of $250. Whee!
“After the Millions of older people face shrinking Social Security checks next year, the first time in a generation that payments would not rise.”
Uh, how could the Federal government decide to cut social security payments? Gee, could they have just started missing my annual “contributions”?
It`s the dems way of saying thank you to the senior citizens who voted for them.
Did the total you paid out equal the benefits that you’ll receive over the next twenty or thirty years in total? If not, then you are on the dole. If you did - well, you’re in the minority.
I agree. They will leave no stone unturned to get their way on this. They need to be in jail, not riding in limousines.
“It is our God given duty to take care of our parents. Just like when they took care of us.”
To be fair, for some of us taking care of our parents in the same manner as they took care of us would engender abusing them. If you had loving, nurturing, and caring parents you are very lucky and I am very happy for you, and I applaud that you are doing the right thing in taking care of them. However, the world is a complex place, and a lot of people grow up in abusive households.
“Did the total you paid out equal the benefits that you’ll receive over the next twenty or thirty years in total? If not, then you are on the dole. If you did - well, you’re in the minority.”
I don’t anticipate ever getting social security money, although I have also had the obligatory payroll deductions for as long as I’ve been working. A couple of things I think require consideration. First, irrespective of what you think people deserve, people have to be able to count on something when they plan their futures. If the expectation is that they would receive a certain amount of money, it isn’t fair to then pull the rug out from underneath them.
Second, if these same people had been allowed all their lives to put that same money into their own investments, many would have wound up with more than they got back. Also, even though you pay into SS your whole working life, the money you paid is not really yours. For example, my parents have both worked their entire adult lives, and both paid into social security for those years. When my father died, my mother had to choose to either receive his social security payment or hers, not both. If that same money had been put instead into their personal investment account, the money my father paid in would be my mothers after he died. So, it’s not really ‘your’ money, even though it was yours when you paid it into SS.
Looks like the party that will REALLY be feeding dog food to Grandma is the Socialist Democrat Party.
“They will support, as an enthusiastic monolith, anything that continues the huge dole they receive.”
Do you believe that everyone receiving benefits from the government is a lazy person living “on the dole?”
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 ... ?
Well they did spend all of our money for their pet programs and don’t forget the cash for clunkers...differently more important then seniors (and yes I am being sarcastic).
To be fair, for some of us taking care of our parents in the same manner as they took care of us would engender abusing them. If you had loving, nurturing, and caring parents you are very lucky and I am very happy for you, and I applaud that you are doing the right thing in taking care of them. However, the world is a complex place, and a lot of people grow up in abusive households.
I for one was abandoned by my biological father at a very young age and raised by a wonderful step-dad along with my mother. Would I be reponsible for taking care of my biological father “like he did for me?”
Makes you wonder how many senior citizens placed us in the mess we are in because of the housing crisis.
I doubt many senior citizens went and took out the Barney Frank housing loans, that have destroyed the economy, although the Seniors lost most of what they saved in the stock market an will lose when the Obama inflation hits.
People where I work had their salaries cut this year by as little as 5% and as much as 35%. Excuse me if I don’t lose any sleep over lack of a social security increase.
I’ve paid in since my mid-teens thirty years ago, have twenty or more years to go, depending upon how much the retirement age is raised, and if “the system” even exists anymore at that time ... now, what were you saying again? I’ve been assuming, for the past decade at least, that it won’t be there for me, at all.
Congratulations upon being able to benefit from this, but pardon me for not being moved. You have other income. You went on the lam and threw a highly public fit to increase it.
Could not agree more with your observation. This is straight out of the Chicago play book. If you can't convince them with your silver tongue, hit em’ where it hurts so they will see the error in their ways! Sounds more like the Mafia or an extortion racket rather than the government.
SS is a ponzi scheme that makes Madoff look like an angel.
Doesn’t matter. As soon as enough SS receipients find out there will be no COLA increase, the sh!t will hit the fan. And they will direct their ire at Obama and Congress. If you thought the Town Halls this summer were ugly, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
That being said, the RIGHT thing to do is to apply the formula mandated by law. If that means no COLA, then so be it. However, my money says the spineless Pols will cave and pass an adjustment.
Year after year, election after election, the democrats always spew to the seasoned citizens how the evil republicans want to take away their SS and Medicare and make grandma eat dog food.
Now that it is actually happening, the democrats were always the ones that would take away your SS and medicare.
They even added a kicker, if you are a senior, they will also take away your life.
“It is our God given duty to take care of our parents. Just like when they took care of us. It is also a tremendous blessing.”
That is a truly beautiful sentiment. It would be a tremendous blessing indeed. However, most people who have jobs are living paycheck to paycheck. Most of them could not possibly afford to take care of aging parents the way they took care of us. The government has seen to that.
I'm sure everyone who paid into that other Ponzi scheme, the one run by Bernie Madoff, also feels they should get the returns they were promised, too. Here's what the US Supreme Court had to say on the matter:
"The fact that Social Security benefits are financed in part by taxes on an employee's wages does not in itself limit the power of Congress to fix the levels of benefits under the Act or the conditions upon which they may be paid. Nor does an expectation of public benefits confer a contractual right to receive the expected amounts," said the court in 1971.
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