Posted on 05/22/2017 8:08:31 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
"Good news" budget items the administration will tout:
The SSI you and I paid into is NOT an entitlement, we paid for it!
The Disability part, however, could be considered so. Many of the people receiving that did NOT pay into it, or pay much into it (and damn few of them are incapable of getting a job, IMHO; just because one is in a wheelchair or deaf doesn’t mean they can not contribute to society)
Social Security became an entitlement when LBJ raided the trust fund in 1968. They just haven’t admitted it.
RE: IMPLEMENT THE PENNY PLAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Alas, the Florida Congressman who proposed and fought for the Penny Plan, Connie Mack, was defeated by Bill Nelson in 2012.
SSDI is in serious need of reform. Obama’s rule changes opened the flood gates, and most anyone claiming a “disability” was approved, adding millions to the rolls—and billions to the annual bill. There are lots of able-bodied folks now on the dole; I know of one young man who was approved for a monthly disability payment for “anxiety.”
Sadly, another area that needs reform is military disability claims. While the majority are legitimate, I’ve been told that (in some units) all troops leaving the service are instructed to claim PTSD in their separation physical and to file a claim with the VA. Many are approved, even though the claim is doubtful, at best.
A former subordinate is a retired Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer (E-8). Spent first five years of his career as an operator of the insertion craft used to infiltrate/exfiltrate SEAL teams. Never saw combat. Suffered a broken leg at jump school, but fully recovered. Spent the rest of his career as a Navy recruiter. At retirement, claimed PTSD and disabilities stemming from the jump school accident. Received an 80% disability rating from the VA.
The sad part is these bogus claims clog up the system, and slow the processing/approval of legitimate claims by warriors who have suffered physical and mental wounds during their service. There is significant opportunity to reduce fraud—and improve service—by reforming the military/VA disability system
Gravy Trainers hit hard.
Agreed. What should happen is to get the government out of the student loan business. Community college with a transfer after the two-year degree is earned should be sufficient for the majority of our current college crop. And taking two courses at a time, while working, on three semesters a year is how poor students used to get through anyway. The vast majority of our college students should graduate without any debt at all.
CONTACT CONGRESS: Capitol Switchboard 1-866-220-0044
Call President Trump: Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FBI TIPS PAGE-----https://tips.fbi.gov
===============================================
EXCERPT----EPA setting aside millions for buyouts and early retirement.
Hotair ^ | 05/22/2017 | Jazz Shaw / FR Posted by SeekAndFind
EPA has set aside $12 million tax dollars to provide financial incentives to employees to leave their jobs, taking the first step necessary to fulfill a commitment from President Trump to shrink EPA.
Following guidance from the Office of Management and Budget requiring all agencies to map out civilian workforce reductions and a preliminary budget request suggesting the agency cut 3,200 jobs, EPA issued a memorandum in April announcing its plans to complete a buyout and early retirement package this year. The new memo, sent this week from acting Chief Financial Officer David Bloom to agency leadership, spelled out the funding for that initiative. Bloom said he determined the total after Congress passed the fiscal 2017 omnibus spending bill, which allocated $8 billion total to the agency.
We’re not talking about chump change here. The current plan is setting aside $12M for “incentive payments” for some of the people who will be cleaning out their desks by October of this year. These include $25K lump sum payments for workers who have only been on the job for three years in the form of “Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments.”
There are also funds for government workers who don’t even have enough time to qualify for retirement under the current system to get a large chunk of those benefits anyway through the “Voluntary Early Retirement Authority.” Here’s how that little gem is described. (Emphasis added)
Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) allows agencies that are undergoing substantial restructuring, reshaping, downsizing, transfer of function, or reorganization to temporarily lower the age and service requirements in order to increase the number of employees who are eligible for retirement. The authority encourages more voluntary separations and helps the agency complete the needed organizational change with minimal disruption to the work force. By offering these short term opportunities, an agency can make it possible for employees to receive an immediate annuity years before they would otherwise be eligible.
The casual acceptance of this as part of the cost of doing business in Washington is shocking.....all funded by the taxpayers.
Seems everyone in Washington has accepted it as an article of faith that every worker in the federal bureaucracy is entitled to a job and if it’s “taken away” from them they need to be paid off big time. In the real world, when your services are no longer required by your employer you are shown the door. Most private sectors people simply get a pink slip.
SNIP---rest at FR
If PDT did ONE thing and one thing only—BAR ILLEGALS FROM ANY TYPE OF GOVT AID including Food Stamps/WIC, housing, DEMAND the IRS STOP any and ALL “tax refunds” to anyone who is here illegally. These few things alone would save MULTI MILLIONS of $$ without impacting our own elderly and poor.
Throw anyone who is under 40 OFF all assistance unless they are disabled. Food stamps to young, able bodied people should stop immediately.
How about unfunded liabilities?
This is not business, this is politics. The other side will not take these proposed cuts and try and negotiate a lower rate. The other side will claim these cuts are Trump's real intent and will use them against him and other Republican candidates. The Democrats would probably like to see the cuts take effect so they can use every person who lost coverage or benefits as proof of the administrations lack of compassion.
You’re right it’s a Ponzi Scheme!
Ida Mae Fuller (the first Social Security recipent) paid $2475 into Social Security. Her initial monthly check was $22.54. During her lifetime she collected a total of $22,888.92 in Social Security benefits. She collected almost 10X what she paid in. (Where did that money come from? And it wasn’t from smart USG money managers!) There are & were 10s of thousands of Ida Mae Fullers. Is there any wonder the system constantly teeters on the brink of collapse.
It only works if the demographic numbers of the working generation is such that it greatly outnumbers the retired generation as it was in the 1930s. That is no longer the case! (People paying in more then people receiving, Classical definition of a Ponzi scheme!)
The money you paid into to it went to the retirees previous to your “working generation”. Several USSC decision have stated you have no property rights regarding the money you paid in. If you did you could pass it to your heirs.
The USG has basically misled (Lets be hones lied!) regarding social security for over 80 years. When FDR and his minions set it up, the financial industry warned them that it wasn’t sustainable. (If you don’t believe me look it up in the Congressional record!) It was cynically set up to make generations beholden to the FedGov - i.e. make them permanent Rat voters!
And this is the Democrats must successful government program ! They tell us that all the time!
And by the way, it’s an entitlement program!
I have been told by someone who is in a pretty good position to know that during the Obama years, if you were black, and applied for SSI, your application was rubber-stamp approved. Bureaucrats working in SS field offices were afraid to deny a claim from a “person of color” and thus draw the wrath of the White Hut.
Massive fraud within SSDI—Obama was larding the system with wastrels for eight long years.
Social security and medicare are the only entitlement programs. You paid into it so you are entitled to it. The others are handouts.
Yes and it is music to my ears.
The big change will be moving people towards employment, from receiving Government benefits to paying taxes. This is a reduction in Government costs and an increase in revenue. Any business person understands this effect!
If you have all your limbs you are fit to work. I have had back problems that started while serving on submarines and was awarded 30% VA disability - a joke since they take that amount off my Navy retirement check and since I refuse to get an annual physical it dropped to a permanent 10%! However, I never stopped working until age 62 - even heavy lifting with my back and never used it as an excuse to apply for SS disability.
Every penny contributed by you was plundered. Your SS and Medicare are funded by current tax payers.
I have no problems with you receiving what you were promised but both meet the definition of an entitlement IMO.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.