Old, Disabled People, and Social Security: A Study in Depression

[eridani]

http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/06/25/old-disabled-people-and-social-security-study-depression

You work your whole life. You pay your taxes – boy, do you pay your taxes. Unlike upper-middle and upper-class folks who have tax preparers and accountants to help them with their taxes and find deductions and loopholes and so forth, you get slammed every year and you can barely keep afloat…then, the worst happens.

You get old and disabled and you can’t work any more and your disability/social security isn’t really enough to live on and you never were able to get much retirement money together so the government gives you something called SSI. Between that and Social Security you still don’t have enough to live on but what can you do?

To add indignity to insult, the government tells you how much money you can have in the bank and it ain’t much, and then if you work they cut out some of the SSI so you still don’t have enough to live on.

If someone lends you money to get by you can’t repay the debt out of your Social Security or SSI because the government watches everything you do and they don’t want you to borrow money or pay it back because the bottom line is the government is afraid to be cheated. Sadly enough, they are mostly afraid of being cheated by poor people. Rich people seem to be able to get away with murder.

[Art_from_Ark]

1. I can vouch for this:

"To add indignity to insult, the government tells you how much money you can have in the bank and it ain’t much, and then if you work they cut out some of the SSI so you still don’t have enough to live on.

"If someone lends you money to get by you can’t repay the debt out of your Social Security or SSI because the government watches everything you do and they don’t want you to borrow money or pay it back because the bottom line is the government is afraid to be cheated. Sadly enough, they are mostly afraid of being cheated by poor people. Rich people seem to be able to get away with murder."

I have a family member who has to deal with just this type of situation.

[Downwinder]

4. You are allowed to have $733 a month to spend, anything

more than that they reduce your SSI.

But hey, you can also get $10 a month in food stamps and a Lifeline phone (100 minutes per month) and free meals at the Sr. Center are not charged against your SSI.

SSi also qualifies you for Medicaid. That's Medicare without the part B charge And a Medigap policy. Includes three prescription a month and one pair of glasses a year.

[Hoyt]

2. It's an ugly system. Yet, the GOP thinks it's something people aspire to. It's very difficult to

qualify for disability.

[Juicy_Bellows]

3. We got to shake this shit up - Bernie + a huge grassroots movement might do it! nt.

[Betty Karlson]

5. There are economists who argue that the 21st century asks for a basic income.

Just existing qualifies you for one. If you want more than that, try working for it.

No more social security, no more armies of fraud detectors, just a basic wage for being alive, and then you may (stress-free) find a way to earn extra money any way that is legal.

With automation and all those billions of people on the world, there just isn't enough work. And money has long ceased to express the total worth of dmoestic production anyway.

[Demeter]

6. There's plenty of work going undone...it's just unpaid

ask any mother.

[Betty Karlson]

7. Like I said: money has ceased to be the expression of domestic production

Some services / products are grossly overpriced, others are taken for granted.

If you distribute basic incomes, a lot of folks would be freed from the stress of income insecurity, leaving them relaxed and creative and finding ways to be of service to others (paid or unpaid).

As for the mothers: don't forget about the gay uncles. From 16.00 PM yesterday, I was babysitting an overexited, upset, nappy-filling, sweaty, crying, scared, and restless two-year old boy last night. He didn't eat much, but he did manage to swing a jar of apple sauce through the living room. Would not go to sleep at eight (crying), nine (crying) and at ten: children next door kept waking him with their own temper tantrums. The babyphone was nowhere to be found, so I had to leave the living room door open and be VERY quiet myself to make sure he was still sound asleep. He wasn't, and we started all over again. It was 1.38 AM before I could I could have my own dinner meal.

By the way: I love my nephew and he's usually a very sweet and co-operative child. It's just that he has been difficult all week. (My sister told me that AFTER the babysitting. Enquiering minds want to know why not before...)

[Demeter]

8. And the rest of the work is just undone

Potholes, bridge repair, recycling trash, building schools, etc. Is this a great country or what?

[Betty Karlson]

9. You know, infrastructural investments could really bolster an economy.

Not just because of the income it creates, but also because it literally lays the groundwork for a more efficient exchange of products and services.

I think there was once a US senator who made a filibuster-length speach on the floor to agree with your concerns.

[awoke_in_2003]

10. And even that

will probably be gone in 20 years when I'm 67. Probably the best outcome will be dying on the job.

[freshwest]

11. You forgot scaring people to death and causing early death. Such as the GOP is promising with a:

20% cut in SSDI - you're on it if you didn't make the golden age that the GOP set for 'honorable' retirement.

Even if you did all the things you were supposed to do and acted with honor all along, something out of left field like an accident knocks you out. Then you are 'suspect' for the rest of your days. Looked at with disdain, insulted by the media, Paul or Boehner, forever seen as a thief and criminal.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026048383#post21

House Rule Could Hurt Vulnerable Disability Beneficiaries

More worth reading at link:

http://www.offthechartsblog.org/house-rule-could-hurt-vulnerable-disability-beneficiaries/

Breaking: House GOP seek rule change that could undermine Social Security for seniors & disabled.

http://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/brown-condemns-dangerous-move-by-the-house-that-would-undermine-social-security-by-attacking-disability-insurance

This Move By Lawmakers Could Reduce Select Social Security Benefits By 19%

http://www.fool.com/retirement/general/2015/01/11/this-move-by-lawmakers-could-reduce-select-social.aspx

Or the GOP drools over their plan to reduce current SS checks by 60%, leaving 40%:

Debt Ceiling: 'Chaotic' choices on 100 million payments

Rand Paul says default can be 'framed as a reasonable idea' and Tom Coburn wants to default to face a 'managed catastrophe.'

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3820816

16 Ways Default Will Totally Screw Americans

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/10/16-ways-not-raising-debt-ceiling-will-screw-americans

Rand Paul: Tie Debt Ceiling To Raising Age For Social Security And Medicare

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014619542

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014619542

Still Standing With Rand?

August 26, 2013 by JM Ashby

Senator Rand Paul says the obligation of society to care for its less-well-off population is a form of servitude and government overreach.

“As humans, yeah, we do have an obligation to give people water, to give people food, to give people health care,” Paul allowed, “but it’s not a right because once you conscript people and say, ‘Oh, it’s a right,’ then really you’re in charge, it’s servitude, you’re in charge of me and I’m supposed to do whatever you tell me to do.”

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/08/26/2525961/rand-paul-food-health-libertarianism-hayek/

If you’re such a rugged individualist that you view humane society as a burden or form of servitude, I don’t believe you have any business serving as a member of Congress or even the city mayor. And this call to free ourselves from the chains of the SNAP and Medicaid programs comes in the form of a pitch for his medical practice which, I’m guessing, probably relies on customers receiving some form of government aide to stay in business.

If you can get over your contempt for Rand Paul for a moment, a feat I struggle with, you may realize this is somewhat amusing in that a man who may be a Republican presidential contender in the near future believes access to food and water are not a right.

I could see today’s Republican base running away with that idea, but I don’t think the party establishment will like the results at the ballot box.

Read~http://bobcesca.thedailybanter.com/blog-archives/2013/08/still-standing-with-rand-3.html

Never mind that what Rand is saying is a slap in the face of those who paid into SS all these years, and income tax to fund whatever else was needed. Being rugged individualists is pretty much out the question for the elderly and infirm, or young children. The crime is poverty and not living like Paul one's whole life, taking, never giving. Yet he blathers on as if he's a disciple of that bleeding heart liberal Jesus or an American.

Tough Love For The Frail And Sick

October 04, 2010 by digby

If the world was sane, this would be the end of the Rand Paul campaign:

A new video today catches Rand Paul repeatedly supporting a $2,000 Medicare deductible on Kentucky seniors – despite his claims just last week that such a statement was a “lie.”

Because it's important the elderly people with dozens of health problems be more responsible with their health care dollars. We certainly can't expect people like Dr Paul to
take that role. After all, they "deserve to make a comfortable living" and can't be expected to ensure that these frail old people aren't overusing the system. These "greedy geezers" need to take more responsibility for themselves and maybe a little of that Paulite "tough love" will snap them into reality.

By the way, the average social security check is $1,000 a month.

https://ixquick-proxy.com/do/spg/proxy?ep=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&epile=4q6n41784r4445784q5441774q6p38784p6q746p65513q3q&edata=fb4faecf83b2c6c22dc68761e1247da7&ek=4o6p6p4s4933744455695n414o57354q616n6s6956587038643238696130637n4r6q70585956396s&ekdata=19b77701c50fcaefd54570327f4f4c15

Note: the term 'tough love' is one coined to deal with unruly children who are told to get out and make it on their own with no help. So the frail and sick have done something wrong. Like outliving their ability to work and pay income taxes. No such thing as 'All Men Are Created Equal' per the GOP.

Yet after Obama stopped them from their default shenanigans (most likely by the condemned 'walk from the White House to the Federal Reserve or IMF' and probably getting them to call the GOP and threaten to cut them off at the knees) and his reward was the GOP victories of 2014, just as in 2010 for doing the right things.

The conservatives hate a lot of people and want them dead. They are ensconsced in the federal system now and literally scaring these people to death for no good reason.