General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: So, just how much money are those lazy seniors getting from their Social Security? [View all]Bohunk68
(1,364 posts)$813. I own my home, but only because when my partner died, we had done the will thing and it was deeded to me. I used his life insurance to pay off the mortgage. But, I'm having a great deal of difficulty keeping up with the land and school taxes. Taxes which in NYS have a cap of 2%, which can be overridden. With only a 1.7% increase in SS and a 2% tax increase, helllllooo. I do not pay Medicare out of my SS, because of its lowness. I do qualify for Medicaid and do get it. I also qualify for Food Assistance, but do not utilize it, but do utilize our local Food Pantry. I do qualify for LIHEAP, which Obama cut last year and there are more cuts in the offing for this year. I heat with firewood and have seen the per cord cost go from $250 to $325/cord in two years. I require 4 cords per year to heat my well-insulated home. What LIHEAP provides barely covers half of the need. Ergo, I get the chainsaw and cut a lot of my own from my next door neighbor who has a lot of dying/dead ash trees.
I also serve on my countie's Senior Citizen Council as Discretionary Fund Chairperson. We have been hit in the last month with many seniors, many of whom have a much better income than mine (often twice as much), that have run out of fuel in this long cold spring. It is not easy. I have looked at reverse mortgages and have also spoken with other seniors and have been told horror stories. I am 70 and may well live another 20+ years. Mom is 87 and doing quite well. I am not happy that Obama even put on the table the CCPI, because that opened the door for it to be brought up again and again. Screw this dimensional chess crap.