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Posted on 01/01/2007 8:04:50 AM PST by WatchingInAmazement
WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After numerous refusals over three and a half years, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has released the first known public copy of the U.S.-Mexico Social Security Totalization Agreement. The government was forced to make the disclosure in response to lawsuits filed under the Freedom of Information Act by TREA Senior Citizens League, a 1.2 million-member nonpartisan seniors advocacy group.
The Totalization Agreement could allow millions of illegal Mexican workers to draw billions of dollars from the U.S. Social Security Trust Fund.
The agreement between the U.S. and Mexico was signed in June 2004, and is awaiting President Bush's signature. Once President Bush approves the agreement, which would be done without Congressional vote, either House of Congress would have 60 days to disapprove the agreement by voting to reject it.
"The Social Security Administration itself warns that Social Security is within decades of bankruptcy -- yet, they seem to have no problem making agreements that hasten its demise," said Ralph McCutchen, Chairman of the TREA Senior Citizens League.
The U.S. currently has 21 similar agreements in effect with other nations, which are intended to eliminate dual taxation for persons who work outside their country of origin. All of the agreements are with developed nations with economies similar to that of the U.S.
For example, a worker who turns 62 after 1990 generally needs 40 calendar quarters of coverage to receive retirement benefits. Under totalization agreements, workers are allowed to combine earnings from both countries in order to qualify for benefits. The Agreement with Mexico, like other totalization agreements, would allow workers to qualify with just six quarters, or 18 months, of U.S. coverage.
But Mexico's retirement system is radically different than that of other participating countries. For example, only 40 percent of non-government workers participate in Mexico's system, whereas 96 percent of America's non- government workers do. In addition, the U.S. system is progressive, meaning lower wage earners get back much more than they put in; in Mexico, workers get back only what they put in, plus accrued interest.
"I applaud the persistent efforts of TREA Senior Citizens League to try to get documents from the U.S. Government about the U.S.-Mexico Social Security Totalization Agreement," said Rep. Walter Jones (news, bio, voting record) (R-N.C.). "The American people are finally beginning to get some of the information regarding this Agreement that they have been seeking for so long."
According to the SSA, the Social Security Trust Fund will begin paying out more than it is taking in by 2017, and will be exhausted by the year 2040.
With 1.2 million members, TREA Senior Citizens League is one of the nation's largest nonpartisan seniors groups. Visit http://www.SeniorsLeague.org for more information or to see the Totalization Agreement documents.
SOURCE TREA Senior Citizens League
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Bump
Bump....
That's all I ever wanted. What I put in, plus accrued interest. At 12% for about the first ten years, and then 15% of my pay for the rest of my entire working life, that would be a decent retirement.
Unfortunately, what you get for voting for the lesser of two evils is still evil.
Because it is a third-world kleptocracy and hell-hole that is invading us with millions of its citizens?
We have such agreements with other contries.
This would seem to only affect LEGAL immigrants.
The illegals do not collect unless they file for green cards under the current hardship visa program AND can prove their back contributions.
This article is just hysteria based.
Is this some sort of political spin via the democrats?
You must have hit a soft spot with your question.
Interesting links. Worth repeating. Combine above with the Hegelian and other methods for manipulating the boundries of permissible debade, and you have some pretty powerful tools at the disposal of some pretty nasty folk.
Aren't you a supporter of the Medicare Prescription legislation? How could you be for that and against Social Security?
"The illegals do not collect unless they file for green cards under the current hardship visa program AND can prove their back contributions.
This article is just hysteria based.
Is this some sort of political spin via the democrats?"
I don't think that illegals who used stolen SS numbers while working and living here illegally should get Social Security benefits. If the President ever signs an agreement which gives them benefits, I will, joined by most other Freepers, let my Congressman and Senators know that I strongly disagree.
I don't know the procedure for sure on this, so I'm asking, too. But if his Secretary of State and his head of SS has signed the agreement in Mexico, isn't it "signed" by this administration? Does he actually need to "sign" it?
http://www.ssa.gov/history/2000.html
June 29, 2004 SSA Commissioner Jo Anne Barnhart signed a "totalization" agreement in Mexico City with with Dr. Santiago Levy Algazi, Director General, Mexican Social Security Institute, that will remove from U.S. citizens working for U.S. companies in Mexico the burden of paying social security taxes to both countries. It was estimated that this would result in approximately 3,000 U.S. workers and their employers sharing in tax savings of $140 million over the first five years of the agreement due to the avoidance of double-taxation. It was estimated that the agreement would also result in approximately 50,000 U.S. and Mexican workers receiving benefits after the first five years of the agreement.
Yes.
BTTT.
Baloney. As long as we maintain the fiction that the SS Trust Fund contains real assets, this is true. However, SS is a pay as you go system. The SS Trust Fund contains IOUs in the form of non-market T-Bills, which can only be redeemed by the USG. The $3.5 trillion in the SSTF is carried as part of the national debt of almost $9 trillion under the category of intragovernmental holdings. They are not assets but liabilities.
If nothing is done, after 2017 we start redeeming the SSTF IOUs with real assets through more borrowing and/or reduced spending. When this happened in 1983, we raised taxes and reduced benefits.
"That's how it began life (as a forecasting tool, when originally developed for the feds by RAND), but it has morphed into a form that is very effective for FORMING "consensus".
Check these out:
http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/1998/nov98/focus.html
http://www.exorthodoxforchrist.com/the_delphi_technique_and_rick_warren.htm
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b2e1f024e20.htm "
May 25, 2006
FEMA Recruits Ministers to Promote Martial Law to Congregations
A minister has revealed to Prison Planet a nationwide FEMA program which is training ministers and other religious representatives to teach their congregations to “obey the government” in preparation for a declaration of martial law, property and firearm seizures, and forced relocation.
In March of this year the Pastor, who we shall refer to as Pastor Revere, was invited to attend a meeting of his local FEMA chapter which circulated around preparedness for a potential bio-terrorist attack, any natural disaster or a nationally declared emergency.
The FEMA directors told the Pastors that attended that it was their job to help implement FEMA and Homeland Security directives in anticipation of any of these eventualities. The first directive was for Pastors to preach to their congregations Romans 13, the often taken out of context bible passage that was used by Hitler to hoodwink Christians into supporting him, in order to teach them to “obey the government” when martial law is declared.
It was related to the Pastors that quarantines, martial law and forced relocation were a problem for state authorities when enforcing federal mandates due to the “cowboy mentality” of citizens standing up for their property and second amendment rights as well as farmers defending their crops and livestock from seizure. It was stressed that the Pastors needed to preach subservience to the authorities ahead of time in preparation for the round-ups and to make it clear to the congregation that “this is for their own good.”
If it’s “cowboy mentality” to stand up for property and gun rights, we can only hope we still have enough “cowboys” left in America. Fortunately, only about 20% of Americans actually attend church regularly (compared to the 40% who say they do), so the FEMA statist propaganda will only reach a fifth of the population even if every minister in America preached it. Of course, Police State USA has the Mainstream Media ready, willing, and able to preach to the other 80%.–Prison Planet
http://michaelpaladin.com/blog/2006/05/25/fema-recruits-ministers-to-promote-martial-law-to-congregations/
Isn't some of this, an agreement which grants illegal aliens full SS benefits, including time earned for work prior to coming here illegally, and for time worked here even under fraudulent use of a false or stolen SS Number, part of S2611?
BTTT.
Thanks for making me sick to my stomach! (yikes!)
I posted it here, too, where it seems all-too-relevant:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1760627/posts?page=901#901
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