Rep. John Shadegg's response re: SS Benefits for Mexicans

email | AZ Rep. John Shadegg

[hsmomx3]

Dear Mrs:

Thank you for contacting me with your views on social security. I appreciate the time you took to share your opinions and apologize for the delay in responding to you.

The Bush Administration is considering adding legal workers from Mexico to the United States social security system to ensure that people from one country and working in another are not taxed by both nations' social security systems. The United States has twenty existing similar pacts with other countries ranging from Canada to South Korea. Moreover, we have been negotiating social security "totalization" agreements with other governments since the late 1970s. Totalization agreements allow workers to use the sum of the years they have worked in each of the pact's signatory nations in order to meet the minimum years requirement to qualify for one nation's social security system.

I am concerned that the project will trigger 37,000 new claims from Mexicans who have worked in the United States legally and paid social security taxes but have been unable to claim their checks. The program could cost $720 million per year within five years of implementation. This especially troubling considering that in 2012 the amount of spending on the program will begin to exceed the amount being paid into the Social Security Trust Fund. At that point the trust fund will begin drawing down the balance that has accumulated to pay benefits. After 2029, Social Security benefits will exceed income from both tax revenues and the trust fund balances.

I will take your thoughts into account as I consider this proposal more fully. I look forward to hearing about issues of importance to you. In the meantime, I encourage you to visit my website at http://johnshadegg.house.gov/ where you can sign up for my email newsletter The Shadegg Source.

John Shadegg Congressman Arizona 3rd District

[Elliott Jackalope]

Here's a translation of this letter, for the bureaucratese imparied out there:

Dear citizen,

Screw you. We don't care. What are you going to do about it? I can't hear you, lalalalalala, I don't hear a thing. I don't care. Quit bugging me or I'll sic Homeland Security on you. Who do you think you are anyway, little man? Get bent. FOAD. Now run along and pay your tribute like a good little serf and quit bugging me or you'll be sorry.

Signed,
Your Feudal Lord,
Rep. Fatass, ESQ.

[88keys]

Moreover, we have been negotiating social security "totalization" agreements with other governments since the late 1970s. Totalization agreements allow workers to use the sum of the years they have worked in each of the pact's signatory nations in order to meet the minimum years requirement to qualify for one nation's social security system.

Now this is a terrible idea, unless we suddenly start sending a bunch of senior citizens to Mexico to get their "totalization" pensions there!! Or am I misunderstanding this?? Someone can work in Mexico, Canada, or France for 30 years, immigrate to the US and work there for 10 years, and then collect SS benefits from the US based on 40 years of work?!

I'm sure Rep. Shadegg would be very wise to be concerned about this, as would the restof us...

[dc27]

You can't even own real estate in Mexico.

[vharlow]

You can't get a job there, either. YOu can only go visit if you are surely returning home to work. You can't take a job from a deserving Mexican. Why don't we have the same laws here?

[RckyRaCoCo]

Reading the paper today I see there's an article that basically says Social Security is still going broke. Then across the page are the obituaries. A good 30% are folks under 60.

Looks like the Social Security problem is being solved!

But wait, I keep hearing "we're living longer"?

Or perhaps I heard that wrong, maybe they said we're just "working longer".

I'm still waiting for Robert Borks' next book, perhaps a continuation of "Slouching Toward Gomorrah" entitled "Slouching Toward A Third World Nation"

[gaspar]

George Bush has just had his "read my lips" moment.

[RckyRaCoCo]

Welcome to AMEXICO!

[uncbob]

George Bush has just had his "read my lips" moment.

Nah he had that with CFR