SS & Medicare

[beefsupreme]

Problem is, they are cutting the wrong areas, like benefits and physician reimbursement. If they cut all of the waste and abuse (i.e. people with no quality of life getting hundreds of thousdands of dollars of medical care, family keeping them alive so they can collect the SS check, nursing homes sending residents to ERs for fevers.....and the list goes on.) the system wouldn't even be that bad. Medicaid is especially bad (and part of it comes out of the federal budget as well) with people who have never done anything productive for society checking themselves and kids in for coughs they've had for 2 weeks to the ER. Cut this, and you would realize millions, if not billions of savings.

As for my future, I don't think I will be able to retire until I am in my 70's with inflation the way it is. Unfortunately, I am only 35, and I have already been in the workforce for 18 years.

[Ron & Dee]

Originally Posted by hondo122

I'll say my goodbyes and find an iceberg to float out on.

You better hurry because those are going to be gone also

Ron

[blackf3504dr]

Can anyone tell me the difference between what our elected officials have done to SS and what Bernie Madoff did to his investors ?

[Jack R]

Originally Posted by blackf3504dr

Can anyone tell me the difference between what our elected officials have done to SS and what Bernie Madoff did to his investors ?

Sure. One is legalized stealing and the other isn't.

jack

[TomTheOilMan]

Originally Posted by 4Knights

Don't do it, all you have to do once it goes through is go to local SS office and tell them you are in the country illegally and you need assistance, act like you don't understand most of what they say and then point to where it hurts! You will get a drivers license, place to stay, medical care and a check!
If your not keen on that then you can just do something illegal and go to prison, you can get an advanced degree, 3 hots and a cot, medical care to include by pass surgery if needed. Only down side is you will also get a cuddle buddy

I'm sorry to say, this is so true.We prove services to some of these people,they can be very very demanding .........but wait,these services that we provide, are coming out of my pocket.....

[JimM68]

The whole discussion is just frustrating...
I certainly cannot support leaving anyone to die in the streets, be they older folks, poor people, illegal imigrants or school children.
I have a real hard time supporting tax burden that currently adds up to over 50% of my gross income.
And I don't see our country surviving long with 1/3 of the budget going to "so-called" entitlement programs and another third covering the interest we must pay to borrow the money to pay the aaforementioned entitlements.

[Madisons]

We, too, feel the frustration that so many speak about. Frustration attributable to our feelings of powerlessness over our circumstances that the individual has absolutely no say about their fate concerning retirement income and even worse sky rocketing health care costs.
Who to talk too? Who will listen and react? Even worse who in charge cares?
We believe in AMERICA! Believe in the strength of the American people and the foundations of our Nation. Sure, we have been lulled into complacency by those entrusted to insure our best interests, not theirs. We can change this if we, all of us, have the fortitude to continue to believe in ourselves and our nation.
We can succeed. Have faith in the founding principles of our Nation and courage to see us through the morass we now face. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Madisons

[diandtom]

Al Gore's locked box idea now does not look so bad. I was watching FOX News the other day and the only realy cuts they can make is in defense and Social Security. I also read that a congressman claims that money we give other countries is only very little of the buget. Sometimes very little can make a difference, especially to countries that hate us.

[Big Bear Local]

Originally Posted by Madisons

We, too, feel the frustration that so many speak about. Frustration attributable to our feelings of powerlessness over our circumstances that the individual has absolutely no say about their fate concerning retirement income and even worse sky rocketing health care costs.
Who to talk too? Who will listen and react? Even worse who in charge cares?
We believe in AMERICA! Believe in the strength of the American people and the foundations of our Nation. Sure, we have been lulled into complacency by those entrusted to insure our best interests, not theirs. We can change this if we, all of us, have the fortitude to continue to believe in ourselves and our nation.
We can succeed. Have faith in the founding principles of our Nation and courage to see us through the morass we now face. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Madisons

Believe in what you will but you all better stock up and buy more bullets. When the American Dollar is no longer used for Global Currency and becomes worthless all this is a moot point. Our Leaders are but Puppets and the American People are not holding the strings.

[Wayne M]

Can anyone tell me how much it is costing the taxpayers for "Sanctuary States?" How much of that money could be better spent?

Google those two words.

[hondo122]

Originally Posted by laj

completely agree with JimM68.
you want to eat anything that crawls across your plate, and wash it down with liquid poison, then pay the price later. You have major medical issues, its your fault no one elses.
Moral contract???? the constitution says life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness........ Now, where does it say someone else has to pay for it. people should be made to pay their own way.
tired of getting the bill

You need to rethink who you blame for heath problems, some thing are heredity, some are environmental, and some are just bad luck. I have a pituitary adenoma had it removed in 99' the Doc screwed up I was in a coma for a week when I woke up I had a severe colon infection, underwent a colostomy 5 surgeries and a year later back together and back to work. Don't think I caused any of that. In 07' I contracted encephalitis,9 days in a coma months of rehab, don't think i cause that (mosquito bite)
So what I'm saying things happen without the victim doing anything wrong. I almost died both times but I got superior care. Should we let unlucky folks die? This doesn't count the things I'm currently being treated for.

[diandtom]

I am afraid that is what in the future is going to happen Honcho. You will get treatment if Medicare does not pay, but you will have to pay for it.

[hondo122]

I started working 2 weeks before my 18th Birthday paid into the funds all these years, I'll admit I felt invincible back then, no matter what the econmy was doing I made a living. My paying in for 45 years was a contract.
Don't care about the budget problems, I held up my side of the contract they need to hold up theirs, I personally think higher taxes are the way to go, don't give tax breaks to big business and the rich, that's not the solution

[edj]

Originally Posted by hondo122

I started working 2 weeks before my 18th Birthday paid into the funds all these years, I'll admit I felt invincible back then, no matter what the econmy was doing I made a living. My paying in for 45 years was a contract.
Don't care about the budget problems, I held up my side of the contract they need to hold up theirs, I personally think higher taxes are the way to go, don't give tax breaks to big business and the rich, that's not the solution

There was an article by AARP a few weeks ago that offered a challenge to see if the reader could close the deficit by cutting budget items. There were also options to raise various taxes that would give you a running tally of deficit. It was an interesting exercise to see how much cuts to various programs would cut the deficit. Give it a try to see how well you can balance the budget..... Most of the items touted by certain parties had very little effect on the deficit. After doing it a few times, it became clear that it was impossible to balance the budget without raising taxes of one type or another.