Who here is collecting retirement social security??

[Dale Smith]

SS has got to be one of the most successful programs the world has ever seen.

I agree.

It's turned into a giant Ponzi scheme and those at the bottom are going to get royally screwed. USA.INC has plenty of wealth that it has accumulated from skimming off the top the last 65 years but they will plead "poverty" and claim that they are broke....tough luck, kiddo.

 

[Dale Smith]

So should the FEDS mandate that we get a living wage also?
If everyone is getting 15 bucks an hour, where does that leave us retirees?
Doesn't that move the economy past us? We didn't even get a cola this year.
Down the road this doesn't help the 65 and old crowd

Yup the price on everything is gonna go up

Price will go up, people will lose their jobs by means of automation. The root cause of our problems is the Federal Reserve central banking system and their death grip on the politicians from both sides that keep this perpetual debt slavery system in place, couple that with the fact that USA.INC is the majority stockholder in every Fortune 500 corporation and their subsidiaries (according the comprehensive annual financial reports) they encourage unfair trade agreements that move jobs overseas because it pads their bottom line at our expense.

 

[tyroneweaver]

The parallel between social security and the minimum wage doesn't hold water. You understood the rules going in, that social security was intended to supplement your retirement, not be the sole source of income.
What you're trying to do is change the rules and make the rest of us pay higher taxes to fund your lack of planning. Sorry, it doesn't work that way, but hey, you can always get the benefit of that $15 an hour by getting a job.

If the Feds raise disability pmts. Do they have to raise retirement pmts?

 

[Freewill]

So once again, those who achieve, those who work hard and those who put the most money into SS are the ones who get punished.

Punishment implies the imposition of pain. Poverty is pain. Moderate financial inconvenience is not painful. It is inconvenient. And in many cases it isn't even noticeable.

No wonder so many are dropping out and not working, why bother if you are just going to get to the same place in the end?

How does that work out? One just decides to "drop out" and not work and the same amount of income they've been generating just continues -- like magic?

NO, a system was set up with promises made.

What promise was made. Please be specific. And specify what the promise was -- not what you think it was.

If there is a problem then fix the problem. Right now the problem is that too many are going on SS disability if even that is a problem.

The suggestion was to apply a means test if and when a problem with Social Security arises. So far there is and has been no problem. Social Security has been faithfully mailing out checks for about eighty years now and has thus been able to fulfill its promise to enable seniors to evade poverty and to live out their lives in relative dignity.

The real problem is too many people are forced onto welfare or forced to take SS disability.

Who is "forced onto welfare or forced to take SS disability?" Do you mean these hypotheticals don't want the welfare or the disability payments?

If a private company sold an annuity and then when you went to collect in your old age told you sorry, you make to much to collect, they would go to jail or should. But in the world we live today I doubt everything.

Do you know of a private annuity that paid the kind of dividends Social Security does?

I've been collecting Social Security for fifteen years. So far I've collected well over quarter million dollars and my doctor says I probably will be around for awhile. I don't know how long that "awhile" will be but however long it is Social Security will keep dropping that money into my checking account. Would some private annuity do that once they pay out a fixed amount?

No!

Since I have been working SS has sent me a statement of earnings (at least the last 10 years). On this statement of earnings, it states what I will receive if I retire. It says if I work longer without collecting then I will make more per month. Which using actuary tables would mean I would receive the same amount overall. It also indicates that the more I make per pay the more I will receive when I decide to retire. It says nothing about someone else deciding that I make to much in pensions and investments and thus will be cut back.

Insurance companies and the SS have people who work actuary tables. Life spans are pretty much known. Now of course, there are those who live long past life expectancy, they are lucky, in a way. But for each of those, there are those who die early, and SS pays nothing or little in SS survivor benefits, for those people.

The annuity I have has no limit on how long I can draw. The limit is on how much I can draw out per year. If the stock market is doing well and it grows I can do more but there is a minimum promised, which I pay for that promise. Again, they use actuaries. If I were to die tomorrow they will pay out but they won't pay out nearly as much and will make out like a bandit. The only way iI make out is living long.

So what does the prudent person do? They plan. They anticipate their needs in the future and plan accordingly. If I didn't work hard and long I would not be in a position to retire. If I didn't look forward to SS benefits I would have put that same money into an investment and perhaps have come out ahead. Don't know. I was promised by the SS admin a certain amount and that amount is on what I based my plans. If a private company made such promises I would expect them to uphold their end of the deal.

 

[Moonglow]

So should the FEDS mandate that we get a living wage also?
If everyone is getting 15 bucks an hour, where does that leave us retirees?
Doesn't that move the economy past us? We didn't even get a cola this year.
Down the road this doesn't help the 65 and old crowd

I didn't get a cola but I got Dr. Pepper..

 

[Freewill]

So should the FEDS mandate that we get a living wage also?
If everyone is getting 15 bucks an hour, where does that leave us retirees?
Doesn't that move the economy past us? We didn't even get a cola this year.
Down the road this doesn't help the 65 and old crowd

Yup the price on everything is gonna go up

Price will go up, people will lose their jobs by means of automation. The root cause of our problems is the Federal Reserve central banking system and their death grip on the politicians from both sides that keep this perpetual debt slavery system in place, couple that with the fact that USA.INC is the majority stockholder in every Fortune 500 corporation and their subsidiaries (according the comprehensive annual financial reports) they encourage unfair trade agreements that move jobs overseas because it pads their bottom line at our expense.

I am no fan of the Federal Reserve but I am not sure I see the connection between the fed and the debt that congress racks up each year.

The problem with automation is that it takes away the mindless type jobs that a whole lot of folks depend upon. It would be great if everyone could go to school and become a lawyer, doctor, engineer or such. But the truth is that everyone does not have the potential. There are just a whole lot of folks without the opportunity or without the drive. Does that mean we stop automation? I don't know that answer.

 

[Wilbur Right]

That is actually a valid point. The $15 minimum devalues the purchasing power of those on a fixed income.

Then what happens when people get paid 60 dollars an hour?
Or 100 dollars an hour? Or 2 thousand dollars a day?

Man that 15 dollars an hour employe is one powerful worker. Able to effect entire economies on their 15 bucks an hour. WOW.

 

[Freewill]

So should the FEDS mandate that we get a living wage also?
If everyone is getting 15 bucks an hour, where does that leave us retirees?
Doesn't that move the economy past us? We didn't even get a cola this year.
Down the road this doesn't help the 65 and old crowd

I didn't get a cola but I got Dr. Pepper..

Yeah, I am kinda thinking you did enjoy a cola.

Welfare spending jumps 32% during Obama’s presidency

Federal spending on more than 80 low-income assistance programs reached $746 billion in 2011, and state spending on those programs brought the total to $1.03 trillion, according to figures from theCongressional Research Service and the Senate Budget Committee.

That makes welfare the single biggest chunk of federal spending — topping Social Security and basic defense spending.

 

[peach174]

SSI is 15 Trillion plus in unfunded mandates and you want to add more to that?
Real Time US National Debt Clock | USA Debt Clock.com

 

[Freewill]

SSI is 15 Trillion plus in unfunded mandates and you want to add more to that?
Real Time US National Debt Clock | USA Debt Clock.com

So there is no confusion, this is what I think you are talking about:

WHAT IS SSI?
SSI stands for Supplemental Security Income. Social Security administers this program. We pay monthly benefits to people with limited income and resources who are disabled, blind, or age 65 or older. Blind or disabled children may also get SSI.

Not SS retirement benefits which totally as of today are funded by taxes.

Understanding Supplemental Security Income (SSI)-- SSI Overview

 

[Moonglow]

So should the FEDS mandate that we get a living wage also?
If everyone is getting 15 bucks an hour, where does that leave us retirees?
Doesn't that move the economy past us? We didn't even get a cola this year.
Down the road this doesn't help the 65 and old crowd

I didn't get a cola but I got Dr. Pepper..

Yeah, I am kinda thinking you did enjoy a cola.

Welfare spending jumps 32% during Obama’s presidency

Federal spending on more than 80 low-income assistance programs reached $746 billion in 2011, and state spending on those programs brought the total to $1.03 trillion, according to figures from theCongressional Research Service and the Senate Budget Committee.

That makes welfare the single biggest chunk of federal spending — topping Social Security and basic defense spending.

So should the FEDS mandate that we get a living wage also?
If everyone is getting 15 bucks an hour, where does that leave us retirees?
Doesn't that move the economy past us? We didn't even get a cola this year.
Down the road this doesn't help the 65 and old crowd

I didn't get a cola but I got Dr. Pepper..

Yeah, I am kinda thinking you did enjoy a cola.

Welfare spending jumps 32% during Obama’s presidency

Federal spending on more than 80 low-income assistance programs reached $746 billion in 2011, and state spending on those programs brought the total to $1.03 trillion, according to figures from theCongressional Research Service and the Senate Budget Committee.

That makes welfare the single biggest chunk of federal spending — topping Social Security and basic defense spending.

My welfare just sprouted out of the ground..and will be ready to harvest in June..

 

[Freewill]

BTW, SSI is means tested.

 

[FJO]

I hope you are supporting Bernie Sanders.

Those who are supporting Bernie Sanders must know - or maybe they don't know and don't care - that to pay for his ideas all people who actually WORK at a job, would have to pay grossly and really grotesquely increased taxes on all levels. Gone would be the days when your "TAX FREEDOM DAY" came in April. It would come more like in July. Just ask Canadians.

Bernie Sanders is nothing but a daydreaming old fool, his mind affected by phony sanctimony, Marxism, love of grabbing and using someone else's money, phony claims of being an "Independent" Senator, who ALWAYS voted Democrat, and the false pride of never having produced a single, tangible and worthwhile thing is his life.

Those who support him are no better, just less competent of lying.

Of course, seeing the alternative on the Democrat side, must leave them in a desperate quandary.

 

[Freewill]

So should the FEDS mandate that we get a living wage also?
If everyone is getting 15 bucks an hour, where does that leave us retirees?
Doesn't that move the economy past us? We didn't even get a cola this year.
Down the road this doesn't help the 65 and old crowd

I didn't get a cola but I got Dr. Pepper..

Yeah, I am kinda thinking you did enjoy a cola.

Welfare spending jumps 32% during Obama’s presidency

Federal spending on more than 80 low-income assistance programs reached $746 billion in 2011, and state spending on those programs brought the total to $1.03 trillion, according to figures from theCongressional Research Service and the Senate Budget Committee.

That makes welfare the single biggest chunk of federal spending — topping Social Security and basic defense spending.

So should the FEDS mandate that we get a living wage also?
If everyone is getting 15 bucks an hour, where does that leave us retirees?
Doesn't that move the economy past us? We didn't even get a cola this year.
Down the road this doesn't help the 65 and old crowd

I didn't get a cola but I got Dr. Pepper..

Yeah, I am kinda thinking you did enjoy a cola.

Welfare spending jumps 32% during Obama’s presidency

Federal spending on more than 80 low-income assistance programs reached $746 billion in 2011, and state spending on those programs brought the total to $1.03 trillion, according to figures from theCongressional Research Service and the Senate Budget Committee.

That makes welfare the single biggest chunk of federal spending — topping Social Security and basic defense spending.

My welfare just sprouted out of the ground..and will be ready to harvest in June..

I am going to wait a bit until global warming is over to plant my welfare garden. Everything is blooming but next week it is going to freeze.

 

[Moonglow]

So should the FEDS mandate that we get a living wage also?
If everyone is getting 15 bucks an hour, where does that leave us retirees?
Doesn't that move the economy past us? We didn't even get a cola this year.
Down the road this doesn't help the 65 and old crowd

I didn't get a cola but I got Dr. Pepper..

Yeah, I am kinda thinking you did enjoy a cola.

Welfare spending jumps 32% during Obama’s presidency

Federal spending on more than 80 low-income assistance programs reached $746 billion in 2011, and state spending on those programs brought the total to $1.03 trillion, according to figures from theCongressional Research Service and the Senate Budget Committee.

That makes welfare the single biggest chunk of federal spending — topping Social Security and basic defense spending.

So should the FEDS mandate that we get a living wage also?
If everyone is getting 15 bucks an hour, where does that leave us retirees?
Doesn't that move the economy past us? We didn't even get a cola this year.
Down the road this doesn't help the 65 and old crowd

I didn't get a cola but I got Dr. Pepper..

Yeah, I am kinda thinking you did enjoy a cola.

Welfare spending jumps 32% during Obama’s presidency

Federal spending on more than 80 low-income assistance programs reached $746 billion in 2011, and state spending on those programs brought the total to $1.03 trillion, according to figures from theCongressional Research Service and the Senate Budget Committee.

That makes welfare the single biggest chunk of federal spending — topping Social Security and basic defense spending.

My welfare just sprouted out of the ground..and will be ready to harvest in June..

I am going to wait a bit until global warming is over to plant my welfare garden. Everything is blooming but next week it is going to freeze.

I got started early and have had to cover 5 times so far...

 

[Wilbur Right]

That makes welfare the single biggest chunk of federal spending — topping Social Security and basic defense spending.

Medicaid provides health care at a noticeably cheaper price than Medicare does, and both are cheaper than the cost of private-sector health insurance,” he said. “The problem is not that the programs are badly designed — it is that the entire health care system in the U.S. is much more expensive than in any other advanced country.”

Combined with several programs also directed at health care, the category made up 46 percent of total welfare spending in 2011.





Did you read that part about how health care is 46% of those costs?

The EITC, expensive.
SNAP, expensive.


So which of these do you want to take away? Food? Health care? Or the EITC?

Why haven't the republicans, now that they control Congress, take away some or all of these benefits?

 

[Dale Smith]

So should the FEDS mandate that we get a living wage also?
If everyone is getting 15 bucks an hour, where does that leave us retirees?
Doesn't that move the economy past us? We didn't even get a cola this year.
Down the road this doesn't help the 65 and old crowd

Yup the price on everything is gonna go up

Price will go up, people will lose their jobs by means of automation. The root cause of our problems is the Federal Reserve central banking system and their death grip on the politicians from both sides that keep this perpetual debt slavery system in place, couple that with the fact that USA.INC is the majority stockholder in every Fortune 500 corporation and their subsidiaries (according the comprehensive annual financial reports) they encourage unfair trade agreements that move jobs overseas because it pads their bottom line at our expense.

I am no fan of the Federal Reserve but I am not sure I see the connection between the fed and the debt that congress racks up each year.

The problem with automation is that it takes away the mindless type jobs that a whole lot of folks depend upon. It would be great if everyone could go to school and become a lawyer, doctor, engineer or such. But the truth is that everyone does not have the potential. There are just a whole lot of folks without the opportunity or without the drive. Does that mean we stop automation? I don't know that answer.

The budget includes payment on interest to the Fed for money "da gubermint' borrows which was nothing but credit created from a few strokes on a computer. USA.INC deficit spends by "borrowing" from the Fed or having some country like China to buy Treasury bonds from the Fed bankers. I would estimate that over the last 102 years that the foreign owned Federal Reserve bankers have stolen over 60 to 70 Trillion dollars and that does not include compounded interest like they charge us to use a fiat currency that is backed by nothing...it's probably a lot higher than that but I am keeping it on the low end. USA.INC has been in receivership to this oligarch of thieves for the most part since 1871 when America was incorporated...actually it was before then but was officially recognized as a corporation in 1871. Since then, there have been other events that have further killed this country. We lost Allodial rights to our land with the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy of 1933 and we went from having rights to having "privileges" that required a license from the state. We went from Common Law to Admiralty Law which was when people started seeing the American flag with gold fringes around it in the courts and federal offices.

It's a long, long story...I could write my own book on this. I have been studying this for awhile...seriously, it's some tough shit to digest but basically put, we were fucking sold out a long time ago and when most of this happened, over half of the country couldn't read or write and the banking oligarchs bought up 25 of the most influential newspapers and put in their editors to push a central bank so those that could read were being told what to think. If we were to rise up and kick the banking oligarchs out and confiscate their ill-gotten wealth, put it in a trust and return to an honest money system, people would be able to live on minimum wage. I did 34 years ago before the dollar became over-inflated...didn't have much but when I was young I didn't need much until I decided what I wanted to do with my life. Working a minimum wage job taught me a work ethic and motivated me to want to better myself. The school system in the country totally sucks and that happened when the federal "gubermint" took over control and implemented their idea of education and it has been of the poorest quality. Kids are not taught how to think but rather what to think. Public schools have become nothing but indoctrination centers.

 

[Tom Horn]

Then let me opt the hell out and stop mooching off me. Oh wait, you have to mooch off me then screw me out of my benefits to keep this mismanaged government slush fund afloat.

Imagine ME "mooching" off YOU! I earned my bennies asshole....and you'll pay and LIKE IT. Who cares if you get yours when the time comes...not me, I'm a Boomer...we're satanic!

 

[Tom Horn]

If Social Security ever falls seriously into the red that type of means test, along with some other adjustments, will kick it right into the black and no one will be seriously harmed. Because only those who are living well and really do not need a monthly check will be affected.

Agreed. Why on earth would Donald Trump or Boone Pickens or Warren Buffett (tax cheat) cash a SS check? Because they earned it...okay fine but do they need it? Of course not and should be means-tested out completely. Ross Perot returns his SS check each month to the US Treasury because it's the right thing to do.

 

[peach174]

SSI is 15 Trillion plus in unfunded mandates and you want to add more to that?
Real Time US National Debt Clock | USA Debt Clock.com

So there is no confusion, this is what I think you are talking about:

WHAT IS SSI?
SSI stands for Supplemental Security Income. Social Security administers this program. We pay monthly benefits to people with limited income and resources who are disabled, blind, or age 65 or older. Blind or disabled children may also get SSI.

Not SS retirement benefits which totally as of today are funded by taxes.

Understanding Supplemental Security Income (SSI)-- SSI Overview

The point is 15 trillion of unfunded mandates and the left wants to continue to add more.
Yea lets add 15.00 an hour wages to SSI so that it goes down quicker than 2036 when it goes into the red.