Dave Or both?

Yep, it [the title] was a poor choice of wording, but it's a COLA... a cost of living adjustment....but for many, it will end up at, or near "zero" due to the increase in Medicare, as the article suggested...

How do you increase S.S payment amounts and at the same time cut payroll taxes?

funny how inflation figures usually exclude things that people actually need to survive....Sounds like SS at least uses a slightly better method, and includes energy costs to some extent.

Social Security is going broke. Stop the increases let SS die a natural death. And yes I am on SS.

You obviously haven't been in grocery store lately. Their increases are close to 40% on most items I buy.

Seniors will continue to get screwed as long as democrats and Republicans continue to spend and print money to pay the bills.

The INFLATION TAX will do SS/Medicare dependant people in and Ron Paul is the ONLY PERSON with a plan to BALANCE the budget in 3 years WITHOUT touching SS/Medicare.

Ron Paul 2012

If you really want to know about Social Security and the COLA, visit

I'd bet 3.6% of my income that after January 1st, Mr. Obama will be campaigning at areas with high numbers of senior citizens to tell them how it was he who gave them this increase in their Social Security checks...while those villainous Republicans were chomping at his ankles trying to stop the increase from happening.

Hello Florida voters !!! Get ready for that big bus to be in town for a while !

Mr. Rogers.

Seniors will continue to get screwed as long as democrats and Republicans continue to spend and print money to pay the bills.

This seemingly independent thought followed by...

Ron Paul 2012

Because Ron Paul isnt running on the republican ticket. LOL!

Mike, you are dense. The argument was about spending and printing money, not being a democrat or republican.

Obviously Mr. Rogers believes that Ron Paul won't spend and print money into oblivion.

Two years and no COLA raise? But the politicians got their raises and know why? They vote for their own pay raises...now how stupid is that? And they raise the Medicare expense so the government can try to break even on our raises. And the committe will decide how much more we have to pay. I wonder who pays their salaries.....the government. We are screwed again no matter how you look at it. We really need that 28th amendment!

Mike unfortunately you are an uneducated fool. You obviously know nothing about the election (or selection) process. You think we and citizens would select the likes of Romney, Perry or Cain, NO the establishment does. The same corporations that are really in charge of this country, you know the ones that buy your senator and representatives votes (by way of lobbying) that then turn around and pass laws and regulations that do anything but benefit the ones they are SUPPOSED to work for. That's where this whole "for the people,by the people" comes in. Ever heard of it? Have you ever read the constitution? There is an app for it im sure. Maybe if you had then you would come to the realization that our government is so crooked and we are anything but "for the people, by the people". Dr Paul has to play this little game before he gets in office and gives us the REAL America my for-fathers died for. The media shoves these guys down our throats every night like they are the next Jesus, when in FACT they are the Antichrist. Yet Paul who has fared very well in polls gets flat out ignored, ever wonder why that is? Ill tell you because the establishment is very afraid of Dr Paul. he stands for what this country was founded on, not this nazi regime we have now. The federal government is to have LIMITED control over its citizens. Hence the sole reason why we revolted against the King of England. He wanted to tax us to death and we said hell no. The government has NO right to be in the lives of any citizen period. I suggest you take an hour or so and learn what America is really about and how we were founded, then look into the candidates again youll see Paul is the ONLY CHOICE, ONLY HOPE AND THE ONLY TRUE AMERICAN the is in this race period!!! This is NOT about republican or democrat. (that exactly what the establishment wants you to believe, you see when we are to busy fighting amongst ourselves, we dont see the whole picture, we dont pay attention to the fact they are all crooked. Think the WWE meets DC, they all hate each other in public but golf together after the cameras are off) This is about American and NOT American. And America today is 180 degrees from where we should be.

Somehow, Dave, the article isn't really clear about that. As someone who receives less than $900 a month (actual after Medicare is taken out), I'm glad for whatever.

Now they better follow that with a 3.6% increase in my VA disability since it also is CPI COLA based.

Personally, I want to know which retired person ever paid more than 13K into Social Security in a year. None. We only tax social security up to $106K, and at less than 7% taxation, none of these retired people put in 13K a year, yet they are drawing out more than they ever put in. SS is a supplement to ones retirement, but our liberal government, to attract votes have made this the biggest ever ponzi scheme in the world. There is no way that it can ever stay in the positive, especially since when created, there were over 150 workers per retired person, and now, we have less than 4 workers per retired person. And we wonder why our country is going broke, no one in Washington can do math.

@ Chris from Yucaipa

So do I. Trying to find some information on that on line today.

bIG bEAR; I paid 5% for 40 years the average retiree collects ss for 8.5 years and then there is the 3.75% that die and never collect.Several mathmeticians have done the numbers and based on average income of 17,500,the government should be holding about 900k per retiree.The fact that they have borrowed it and not paid it back is what is wrong with SS.As for the increase they will eat it up with increases to cost for seniors.This is just another ploy by both party's prior to an election

jim1814

Mike unfortunately you are an uneducated fool. You obviously know nothing about the election (or selection) process.

Two college degrees and an IQ between 120-129 by S/B criteria begs to differ.

I will go blow for intellectual blow with you any day of the week tea bagger.

ciscoet - Obama is gvining the money he didn't give Seniors the last two years to those who are lucky enough to have jobs to make the system go broke sooner. That is what is paying for the employee tax holiday.

Bigbear62

If you contribute to a 401K or belong to a Union pension fund or have any investments do you expect to get back the same amount you put in over the years? If so, then just stuff your money in your mattress. Dumb arguement, you must do Democrat math.

BTW how much do illegals and Americans on Medicaid, Welfare and Food Stamps pay into thier benefits?

I don't feel comfortable with this guy offering to blow and using teabag in the same sentence!

BarbieD,

I don't usually call people out, but that's rubbish. Either you're buying the wrong stuff, or you need to change stores. The biggest movement I have seen in food prices was a couple 3 or 4 years ago when Milk, for example, went from 1.79 to 2.29 a gallon, but thankfully it's been stuck there since. Yes, I do all our grocery shopping, as my wife is terrible at it.

Now, I will grant that fresh produce is more expensive, but social security is supposed to provide food security, not fresh Guava fruits from South America, or hand cultivated Bok Choi, from Asia. It is "security" to keep people from starving in the streets. A can of beans, a slice of bread, and a glass of milk...if you want better, plan better, or grow your own. Really, ramen is still $3 a case, comes in many flavors, and can be mixed with anything. SS is a benefit we have all been forced into, but at the same time I don't believe it was ever meant to be a standalone retirement program. It was conceived in a different time, where people were better about planning, and were willing to except survival, if it came to that. My grandparents were not wealthy (they re-used everything including mouse traps), but I never heard any of them whine about SS. Whining seems to be an invention of my parents generation. Unfortunately, it seems to be something they've passed on to many of their children. One only needs to watch MTV for 10 minutes on any given reality show to see how doomed this nation is.

If that's true, you should be intelligent enough to make your point without resorting to calling Jim1814 a vile name like teabagger. Oh, and you forgot the comma after "week", college man.

Shaking my head-2479300

Oh no no no don't be lumping Bigbear62 in with democrats. Sounds like a Michelle Bachman supporter to me. Most likely a Repub. CEO double dipping money hoarder with an off shore "retirement" account so he can evade paying taxes on all his "earnings" and will then draw Social Security also. :)

BigBear62

Personally, I want to know which retired person ever paid more than 13K into Social Security in a year. None. We only tax social security up to $106K, and at less than 7% taxation, none of these retired people put in 13K a year, yet they are drawing out more than they ever put in. SS is a supplement to ones retirement, but our liberal government, to attract votes have made this the biggest ever ponzi scheme in the world. There is no way that it can ever stay in the positive, especially since when created, there were over 150 workers per retired person, and now, we have less than 4 workers per retired person. And we wonder why our country is going broke, no one in Washington can do math.

You obviously are not self employed as I have been for 50 years where you pay both sides of the SS tax. And based on my full retirement year coming up, I will never come close to seeing what I paid in. Would have done better buying marbles

3.6% inflation is really, really bad. I lived through the 70s and it was very ugly.

I hope grandma is happy, but this will be hell for the rest of us.

So now we have no jobs, we have no economic growth, we have record setting deficits, and inflation is coming back.

I wonder if the Occupy Wall Street crowd is bright enough to know what just happened.

@MIke-680333

I lol'd.

You Paul-tards talk about the guy's participation in the primaries in a very creepy way. Kind of like an ascendent dictator plays the democracy game until they get into office and can sweep all that nonsense aside.

Lets start with Cooch,

Cooch, you said you paid 40 years worth of SS taxes, At 6%--at todays top level you would have paid $6360 per year or a whopping $254,400 over the 40 years you worked. And today's retirees get over $13,000 per year, none of which any retiree every paid in for a year. There is no way to sustain this type of payment and not go broke, unless of course you raise taxes on those of us that still work.

Shaking my head,

401K and Union Pensions are set up as investments--they are suppose to grow your money. Duh--How does the SS system grow your money? What does the federal government invest this SS cash into? Again, tax dollars come from people, there is no investment of cash into anything but government spending. The only growth in SS comes from people dying and don't get their money. But as more and more people are living longer, that will go away also.

SS should be a get out what you put into system. That way people will learn to start their own savings and provide for themselve, not dependent upon the government to take care of them. I am tired of paying for your nanny state.

Cooch - the problem with your facts, is that the american public cant understand long winded explainations about our problems.

They want slogans like 9-9-9...it's so easy, whats not to understand?

But, you're spot on...imagine if WE THE PEOPLE forced the govt to pay back to social security what it has borrowed, and THEN took a good look at how solvent that program is.

I suspect, neither party would stand for it...how else could they continue to divide and conquer us?

Mike is a closet teabagger.

Gary...

Most of what I've seen and heard from the "Occupy" crowd makes me doubt that they "know" much of anything based in reality.

BigBear,

You still don't get it, I'll type slow. Nobody collects SS for as many years as they contributed to it. Some never collect at all. If you put in $6000 for 40 years and take out $13,000 for 15 years then guess what, you still get back less than you put in. The problem with SS is the politicians raiding the funds. If the funds were replaced then I imagine the program would be much more solvent.

The SS forced contributions should have been invested at interest. If this were done properly there would not be a problem with SS until it approached 1 paying in to 1 withdrawing.

Simple solution. Take the War Budget and use it to fix the countries problems.

MIke-680333

I don't feel comfortable with this guy offering to blow and using teabag in the same sentence!

My 8 year old nephew recently chuckled at something similar to what you said. Glad to know you share his level of intelligence.

Ron Paul supporters! Make sure to write him in in 2012!

BigBear, you are an idiot.

You failed to account for 40 years of interest earned on the money that the worker has paid in. If I pay in $5000 per year in SS tax, after 40 years, I will have paid in $200,000 not counting interest. WITH interest, however, the amount increases to over $600,000 in the SS Fund just from what I contributed. If all I get back is $15k per year, I would have to live another 40 years past retirement before I am taking more out than I put in.

So no, retirees are not the problem. The problem is, Congress plundered the nearly all of the SS Fund in the 80s and 90s to pay down the deficit. Before this, the SS Fund was fully self-sustaining, precisely because of the interest it was earning from 40 years that the average worker pays in before seeing their first SS check.

You are just mad because, like me, you have been paying into it your entire adult life, and will never ever see a SS check. But, don't blame the current retirees, blame Congress who stole that money from us.

Tad.S:

Just so you know, I sit at my computer for hours writing and changing my shopping list online to stay within a certain amount. If it doesn't fit the parameters of the weekly budget, I do without. I shop at the cheapest store in our area (yes, it is unfortunate, but in real life some areas cost more than others and it is not in the budget to move out of a house that's paid for). A gallon of milk in this area is $3.29 if you buy two at a time, more if you don't. I guess that's good if you forgot to use birth control and have a few little ones to feed. Fortunately, I use much less than 1/2 gallon a month. I don't buy exotic produce, (I wouldn't even know what a guava fruit was, nor do I use hand-cultivated bok choi whatever the heck that is, and the price of bread is absolutely ridiculous) and shop at farmer's markets when produce is in season. So, if you shop at the store that starts with a W, I guess you may pay less. I refuse to go in them. However, this doesn't negate the fact that the grocery stores have ridiculous markups (even for stuff that's already on the shelves), not stock the shelves with the items their computer said are there, and while you are correct that ramen noodles are very cheap, they have uber sodium. I hope you enjoy them, and hopefully your health insurance is good enough to cover your heart surgery. So like I mentioned earlier to someone else, do you have enough acreage to bury the bodies?

My family wasn't wealthy either, nor did we ever eat exotic foods. Meat is a luxury that is unheard of. Your wife is a very smart lady - I wish I could have found a way to make my husband do grocery shopping.

BigBear if you're going to school someone on Social Security, at least make an effort to understand how it works. You have to double the contribution numbers you stated. Employers pay another 6.2%, and if someone is self-employed they pay the entire 12.4%.

Your statement suggesting that all retirees get over $13K a year is wrong. The amount you recieve is based on the 35 highest years of earnings. So if you've worked minimum wage jobs your entire life, you're not going to get nearly as much back as the person who paid in the maximum amount.

BarbieD,

Bok Choi is basically cabbage, great for stir-frying to put in the ramen with carrots, tofu, peppers and green-beans. You're right, no kids, it seems that in this country having kids is a prelude to financial disaster anymore, but that's a different discussion. I still stick with my contention that food inflated most when gas hyper-inflated back in the "W" years and has been relatively stable sense. Also, I do most of my shopping at warehouse clubs to keep cost down.

might also help to understsand that social security is solvent for the next 26 years if we do NOTHING, which won't happen. Over the next 26 years, I'm guessing a few things will change, including the relative numbers of babyboomers. Might also help to understand why Roosevelt constructed social security in the way that he did, so that Americans would THINK there was a dedicated amount waiting for them and so would blame the politicians of their day if it was not. Boy was he right.

Big Bear and others obviously don't understand Social Security or how it works.

One needs to realize that when you are employed and your employer pays a 6.2% contribution also, that is your money. It is a part of your employment cost and in reality it is a part of your wage that you don't see. You can say that your employer is making that contribution, but in reality, it is you who is really making it. It is specifically tied to your pay, not some general assessment on your employer.

Also, we need to realize that that money collected is "invested". It is invested in the US government. The collected funds go into the US Treasury and surpluses do earn interest. One could argue that they realistically should earn even higher interest, because they actually provide a mechanism to avoid, borrowing money from outside the Treasury, or the other alternative of taxing at an appropriate level to fund government spending. You could make a case that the surplus should actually be much higher than it actually is. In a practical sense, the US government's guarantee of the program, is a way in which that added value is backed up.

The link below does one of the better explainations of exactly how SS works:

www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3299

Much of the discussion today is really about going back on that government guarantee. That guarantee is actually backed by the US citizen taxpayers. When Social Security trust fund surpluses were used to fund government spending, rather than borrowing money or raising taxes, it was the US taxpayers who got the savings. In many cases, that "saved" taxpayer money has been turned into wealth growth amongst private citizens. You can easily do some math that suggests that the gains achieved on the "saved" tax dollars, amounts to well over 1000%, over the years that the government has used trust fund money for things other than Social Security.

Some will say that the Social Security funds should never be touched for any other purpose, but in reality, that wouldn't be very smart. That would be the equivalent of stuffing it in a mattress. Instead that money has been invested and has gotten some gains in the process. The problem is that today, those who have benefited from the use of that money, have no intentions of paying it back. That, in the nutshell, is what the debate is all about.

Mike 416,

Congrats! You have a child prodigy in the family! lol...

You really have to wonder about someone what takes themselves too seriously? Relax and enjoy a laugh once in awhile.

There is no such thing as a "closet Tea Bagger." To be a member of the Tea Party movement in America has always been and still is, something to be proud of. "Closet" applied, I guess, if you didn't want King George and his army to know you threw some of those Tea boxes in the Harbor. That's certainly no longer the case. But even in Rev. War times, to be a member of the Tea Party guys was something half of America was very proud of. The other half supported King George and opposed the Revolution. Any questions? Dismissed.

The GOP T-Bag Party called S.S. a coast to coast soup line and a socialism welfare, also said they want to shut it down. Vote them out in 2012. They sold their souls to the Rich, they don't care about the middle class, A vote for them is a vote to destroy Social Security. Wake up America !!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, they got 3.6 % more and the price of food, medicine, healthcare, electricity, etc went up 4.8 % more.

The corporate media obviously has a stable of hacks turning out "feel good" articles like this.

inflation is based on the varying prices of a basket of goods. not sure what is in the basket. i know if you try to eat electricity it will probably kill you.

No one has to touch Med and SS... the inflation from our debt will ruin seniors.

Ron Paul is the ONLY one with a plan to balance the budget in 3 years WITHOUT touching Medicare and SS.

Ron Paul is the best choice now for seniors.

Hello.....why those who were on welfare their whole life and then transition to ssi??? We worked our whole life, have to pay for supplemental insurance $150 a month, no food stamps, fuel assistance, etc. Yet those who never worked, stay home drinking, smoking, living in housing with their significant other(s) who shouldn't be there, or even owning homes and getting fuel assistance and they all have cars. Sure paid to work my whole life to retire.....well at least I have my dignity. Let's put some money and bounties on the frauds.

and what is that plan Mr. Rogers?..... i think Ron would have a better chance if he dropped that R and ran as an independant 3rd party...... i like some of what he says but whne he surrounds himself with the rest of the R people it makes it so much harder to trust what he says, that and he does go a lil to far with some of the things he says.

It may not be that much, but a least they are getting something...that's a big improvement over the present republican proposal of getting rid of social security altogether....

i agree What a crock.Inflation was 4.8% in 2011 so far Not to mention 2010,I think it was around 4%.they spreading lies.

Ren, where are you living where food and energy costs have skyrocketed? I've been retired since 2003 and I've seen gas prices fall and the same amount of groceries that I bought five years ago is still about the same today. The only item I see rising in cost will be my "Single man's staple" peanut butter. Are you llike some of the retired men here where I live who complain about not being able to get by and come out of a store with two six-packs of beer and a carton of cigarettes? I'm certainly not complaining about a COLA, hell, I'll put it to good use, it'll help buy gas when I take my trip to Utah in the Spring. A couple of months after I retired I took off with my two little dogs and wandered around the West, visiting National Parks and Monuments, staying in Park Service campgrounds. All on my SS benefit. The only problem I had was in learning that; "What I wanted and what I needed was not the same thing." So, lol, I learned to be low-maintenance. I did that for 13 months finally settleing here in TN, and, saved $200 in rent by not going back to live in Nashville. Oh, and, my apartment, two bedroom in a quiet apartment complex is all electric and my electric bill since I moved in, in Oct. 2007, hasn't increased. So, anyway, if your energy and food costs have skyrocketed you might want to re-evaluate some things that you must be doing.

Yeah, While the GOVT got a 19k raise in 2010 and in 2011 an8.2% increase. For WHAT? Bush gave them ALL a Raise his 1st day in office, which resulted in putting us in this Deficit. I would LOVE to know why they Deserve a Raise, They are already Millionaires, They should get a DECREASE in Pay.

This is what My Post should have read:

Yeah, While the GOVT got a 10k raise in 2010 and in 2011 an8.2% increase. For WHAT? Bush gave them ALL a Raise his 1st day in office, which resulted in putting us in this Deficit. I would LOVE to know why they Deserve a Raise, They are already Millionaires, They should get a DECREASE in Pay.

Kill Grandma! Starve em all! Kill the poor! Starve em. Untreated disease is good! They die quicker. Cut entitlements the old fashioned way. Put em our in the snow. Leave the babies in the cold. It's not as cruel. Abortion after birth!

Uh Oh. I'm dead meat.

Gwenie 1786302

That whole Democrat lie about Republicans wanting to do away with Social Security and Medicare is a lie I am getting real tired of hearing. I know you Democrats think us old folks aren't computer literate or very smart but bulliten, we are educated much better than the current generation sitting in the parks whining about thier tough life and/or supporting Obama.

We know (having researched for the truth) that the proposals put forthe by the Republicans would not touch the benefits of those on or close to being on these programs and what they are trying to do is find a way to revamp the system so it can survive. The Democrats want to continue to shove the problem down the road while stealing our Colas to pay for payroll tax breaks for working people. Then when the whole system goes broke it is the Democrats who will scrap Social Security and Medicare. That would be only Social Security because Obamacare is supposed to wipe out Medicare but the Supreme Court will no doubt rule it unconstitutional before that can happen. Thank God. Even the Obamanite crew had to admit that the "Care" part of his big plan has to be scrapped because unlike the promises it would pay for Obamacare it has been shown to be one of the many flaws or flat out lies in the plan that would break the bank.

I have been taking care of my severely handicapped brother for 8 years now, who happens to be 55.

It costs me out of pocket $12,000 a year to supplement his Social Security for just his basic needs, nothing fancy.

If I was to have put him into a Nursing Home even 3 yeas ago, he would have expired by now, because of his minimal income, he would have gotten minimal care.

Which is another reason people are treated so bad in those places, yet the Teavangelicans / GOP "treasures" life....BS!

This increase is a joke. How does it compare to the Lawmakers ( CONGRESS) adjusted cost of living increases?

Ron Paul has run on the Libertarian Ticket in the past and he still is a Libertarian at heart tho he also is a Republican.

Read: Libertarianism is advocacy of the maximization of individual liberty in thought and action. However, those who call themselves libertarians do not advocate any single or set of principles. They may be libertarian socialists, Anarchist-socialist or anarcho-capitalists, supporting or opposing property rights. Some libertarians are Christian fundamentalist. Libertarians may embrace a variety of beliefs about political structures ranging from minimization of the state to complete abolition of the state. Others also seek complete elimination of any hierarchical imposition of authority and therefore oppose capitalism and other institutions viewed as coercive. The Encyclopedia of Philosophy describes the minimal state as providing law enforcement, a judicial assembly, and armed forces, and, also describes the anarcho-capitalist view which holds that a government is unnecessary because private companies working for profit should provide the court systems, military, and police forces.

Exactly how much do you trust Corporations?

Cherokee "Exactly how much do you trust Corporations?"

thats a trick question.

our govt is controlled by WE THE PEOPLE

corporations were recently declared PEOPLE by the supreme court

therefore, WE THE PEOPLE (sic Corporations) already operate our govt (have been for a while).

but now, it's legal.

Are you insinuating something would change?

@BigBear -

You need to look at more than the employee's one-year contribution - don't forget that the employer has to kick in a matching amount, and self-employed pay the double rate. Also, don't look at a one-year contribution. Look at a lifetime contribution while working, and a lifetime withdrawal while retired. The idea is that the average account will pay-into for more years than draw-out. Work for 47 years (age 20 to 67), draw a pension for 10 or 15. This is why the federal government wants to control health care for the elderly - keep the quality of care down for the average pensioner, so they don't live too long.

And don't forget the people who contribute for many years and draw out zero - some decide to work until age 70 to get the slightly higher monthly amount, then die at 68. It's not enough to balance the books, but it makes up for some of those ornery old cranks who insist on living to 90.

cherokee: unless that libertarian in particular is speaking about women and whether they are entitled to exercise rights under the US Constitution's privacy clause. Then Mr. Paul argues the state knows better than the individual who is subjected to the whims of the government and takes rightful place as a plain old conservative Republican.

Winnie, you are not alone. Welcome to this brave new world.

ren, right. And, if we keep on electing Tea Baggers and Repugs, it's going to only get worse. To them, we are the expendable generation. The faster we die, the more they like it. The Repugs/Tea Baggers, and even the Blue Dogs are of the opinion... I got mine, you get yours.... the hell with you all.

ren, Brave New World is Steve Miller's 1969 album.Check out the lyrics to the song Space Cowboy.

And you will get somewhere near $40 or $50 a month. Woohoo, baby! But Medicare will eat that up.

Leprechaun1230,

You are STUPID beyond belief! Have you not been listening to this administration, have you not read the entire 'health care bill'? This Democratic led administration is the one who wants to kill the SS, Seniors, Medicare, etc.. etc.. Pull your head out and do some real research...

CBurroughs

Leprechaun1230,

You are STUPID beyond belief! Have you not been listening to this administration, have you not read the entire 'health care bill'? This Democratic led administration is the one who wants to kill the SS, Seniors, Medicare, etc.. etc.. Pull your head out and do some real research...

Right - because its the dem's who have called SS a ponzi scheme, attempted to privatize it and want to turn it into a voucher program.

Oops - sorry - that was the repubs.

Yes, this raise will wind up giving US a whole $18 a Month. If they don't raise our Medicare premium but a couple of $ WE might Break Even and be able to buy FOOD, instead of paying for the Premiums,which BTW, go Back to the Feds.

My brave new world line was out of Aldus Huxley.

Leprechaun 1230

You'd really like us to believe that wouldn't you? You'd probably tell your ailing grandmother she need to sign a blank check so you could go get her groceries, when you cleaned out her bank account.

Our problems got worse all the while the Democrats controlled both House and Senate, then multiplied 10 fold when people were dumb enough to put Obama in the Whitehouse.

The only thing that saved us at all was the election in 2010 that gave control of the house to the Republicans. Then at least they could put a bit NO in front of the many additional plans Obama and crew had for destroying our country completely.

The Democrats call them the party of NO. Yes, and thank God, without their No on many things we would really be screwed. They can't get things for the good done yet with Harry refusting to let things they propose even be debated much less voted on but after the 2012 election that will change to. I want them to be the party of No then also.

NO to Obamacare, repeal it if the Supreme Court hasn't taken care of it by then. No, to suing states trying to do the job the Federal government refuses to. No to killing off grannie so there is more money to support the illegals the Dems want for future votes. AND they can get some jobs back here while they are doing that.

You mean Aldous Huxley?

As one who is now forced to live on SS, this is a joke. Most of my SS check is mine, and a small part is survivors benefit from my deceased husbands SS. When there is a so called Raise, it is taken from my survivors benefit, and added to my SS. So, no raise. Just a transfer of funds!

You are suppose to be in the hole Winnie just like the Government? They call it deficit spending.The main thing is to know your limitations to keep the Sheriff from sneeking up on you!!!!!!!

As someone who is 32 years old and more than slightly worried about how i'll live on social security alone (which im not convinced will even be there when i hit retirement age)...i'd really like to hear from people who already are living on SS.

What do you think you could have done differently to put yourself in a better position in retirement so that living on SS isnt so challenging?

What does your SS check go towards? Housing, food, gas, credit debt?

Do you believe that you COULD have saved better making your retirement more comfortable, or did you save money only to watch it not last as long as you thought?

Like I said, im currently 32 - my partner and I have some credit debt we are working to pay off, we are paying additional on our mortgage so that it's paid off WELL before 30 years...and I do not have a 401k (but my partner does).

Currently, if I eliminated my credit card debt...i could live so unbelievably comfortably and build quite a nest egg..but I made a lot of bad choices in the past 10 years and now im (literally) paying for it. I own these mistakes, but frankly...im hoping to avoid other types of mistakes that I dont realize NOW will impact retirement...

Anywho...it would be great to hear from people currently on SS and share with us whether some of their challenges are self-inflicted, or if they did things right all their lives and STILL are struggling...despite living modestly then and now.

THANKS IN ADVANCE TO ANYONE WILLING TO SHARE WITH ME

Winnie, I know exactly how you feel...my Medicare costs will go up, thus reducing the actual amount of the SS increase...my meds are now over 400.00 every three months...rent is going up, food prices are going up....I hope neither Obama nor any Republican come around to shake my hand....they will get an earful of what I think of them and their PARTIES!

The "Expendable Generation" is those under 50 who will face retirement with no Social Security, Medicare, Pensions, Free Prescription Drugs or tax deferred retirement accounts. Most of those under 50 may also face retirement will also lack home ownership and savings.

You OLD PEOPLE voted to destroy this nation and your kid's futures for YOUR Social Security checks. You sold out your children for the money.

Thanks a

Or more!!

Help is on the way in 2013. Once the Republicans take control of the White House and Congress, they will work to eliminate Social Security and Medicare. You won't have to worry about any Medicare premiums. Then they will eliminate Obamacare, yahoo! and you can take control of your health insurance.

Help is on the way! Romney 2012!

I am so sick of dem vs rep on everything. From everything I have been taught and have read both parties have managed to get us where we are today.

Republicans are not heartless - in short we believe that if we work hard, we should be able to keep our hard earned money. Most are more than willing to help out the needy, but do not feel the needy should get a free pass to continuously need. We do not believe in working to support others who simply decided they didn’t feel like it.

One can hope that just cut their losses and move on.

SMS.... you are talking about those who chose welfare and handouts as a lifestyle choice, not those who worked hard, saved, did all the right things, and got hammered by Wall Street shenanigans (for which not a single one has been prosecuted) and the housing market. THOSE people need our help, especially the Seniors who find themselves in a hole through no fault of their own.

Republicans are indeed heartless, especially the Tea Baggers. Their plan is to cut Seniors lose and let them live in tents. Don/t toss the Seniors into the same pool as those on welfare all their lives. There is a big difference.

Obama 2012

Jake

Then you will have thousands of old people who are sick and cannot afford food or medical care. Where do you plan on putting the bodies? Do you live on lots of acreage?

Help is on the way in 2013. Once the Republicans take control of the White House and Congress, they will work to eliminate Social Security and Medicare

Actually, Ron Paul has a better plan than Obama for seniors. Paul's plan balances the budget in 3 years and secures SS/Med promises already to ALL Americans.

Plus, under Paul's plan, he will strengthen the dollar which will reduce inflation restoring the power of savings AND increasing the purchasing power of SS checks.

SMS1031

Republicans are not heartless - in short we believe that if we work hard, we should be able to keep our hard earned money. Most are more than willing to help out the needy, but do not feel the needy should get a free pass to continuously need. We do not believe in working to support others who simply decided they didn’t feel like it.

Your assessment that everyone who is poor is that way out of their own doings is complete garbage. Poverty isnt a hair color that you can change when you feel like it. The fact that you dont know that speaks volumes.

Right on Mr Rogers. Ron Paul 2012

This is the same Ron Paul who was going to let the injured guy in the hospital die because he didn't have insurance?

Jake Reyna ????

My gut says, most people dont do anywhere near "all the right things", and I believe this given how many people are on their 30's, 40's and 50's and mired in massive amounts of credit debt - that they incurred due to ALL THEIR OWN FAULT.

How much of the medication that seniors are taking are through no fault of their own (just the old aging process/bad genetics) are because of their lifestyle/eating habits?

I doubt we could even quantify that # because most of us dont want to own up to our participation in our bad situations.

How many people bought houses and never paid more than the minimums?

How many people bought houses and took our 2nd (or even 3rd) mortgages? Whether to deal with a life emergency, or to just "consolidate credit debt".

How many people spent most of their life having "fun" and doing what they wanted, only to end up in retirement with nothing...not because they COULDNT have ended up in retirement with something, but simply because they made a ton of other choices.

I would seriously like to hear from anyone on SS and their input on how everything in their life that put them in the spot they are in now (good or bad) was all their own doing, or none of their own doing...or somewhere in between.

Because, to be fair...our economy would tank if 1/2 this nation became responsible and saved more than they spent. Our economy is based 70% on consumer spending...you cant take 35% of that out and into savings account and not expect it to crumble in a lot of ways.

As a bleeding heart liberal, I want to believe that MOST peoples poverty is not their fault. Living in the real world, knowing real people (some in poverty) I cant help but scratch my head at that belief...everything I see around me suggests otherwise. I grew up in a working poor house (didn't know it at the time) and I watched my mom work 2-3 jobs at times just to put food on the table.

As an adult, I came to understand my parents were awful with money...spending it on booze and (yes sometimes drugs, marijuana only)...and those tiny choices several times a year, added up.

My parents were hard workers, just stupid with money.

It's no wonder that today, they are still awful with their money and struggling quite a bit...and I just dont see how they'll make it without their kids financially pitching in at some point.

It sadly, has taken me far too long to realize im heading down their path...but thankfully, seeing where they are at today...gives me a ton of motivation to change my habits, to be different...to not make the same mistakes forever...

To suggest your specific situation is not at all of your own doing, is disengenious at best...irresponsible at worst.

Hey Hampster, The demorats are not pure either. Pass the blame to ALL ALL politicians.

Hey at least you guys have S.S and medicare. Us gen-xers are out of luck. Thankfully, I don't plan on retiring anyways.

What a STUPID statement, republican's don't have parents?

We have enough trouble with legitimate discourse.

Geez, another party cheerleader bashing the other side. To bad more people don't look for solutions rather than assigning blame.

What should happen is both political parties, Democrate & Republican should be abolished and kick all polititians out of office and start over. After of course the Seniors spend their $40 SS increase which should take about 20 min.

YA, lets keep putting foreigners on SS when they come over here at 65. And look in the SS office. The majority of people are not 62 or 65 or the new 66! And tell me how people who can't speak English are collecting. It's a big give away. The poor @ssclowns who paid into it their WHOLE life gits what's left. LOL!

Washington Times has an article about some BIG FAT slob who goes on the web sites, has a blog and does woodworking collectin a SSI cherck for being a BIG BABY. Diapers and ALL! Ya can't make this stuff up. If were goin to be Commie, let's at least have the gov have factories sewing underwear or something that disabled people can do. We ARE BROKE!

You're LATE, they've Already Raised the prices.

James, the same is true for the BS unemployment numbers.

You both are correct.

Let's not forget the Immigrants that have NEVER Paid In, that are receiving the BENEFITS WE Paid For. They are the Reason the System is BROKE. IMO

I have lived in a state where there are people living in this country going from state to state collecting welfare. I know this to be true because I would hear them bragging about it.

Can someone please tell me what benefits illegals receive? And facts please, not what someone told you. Don't you need a legitimate social security number to collect? This comes up a lot, but I can't seem to get my head around how they actually get benefits.

Another group of people receiving Social Secuirty without paying into it are housewives. Even though they may have never worked and paid into the system, or perhaps stopped working once they were married, they receive 1/2 of what their husbands receive. The husband didn't pay in for his wife - you pay the same amount of SS tax whether you are married or single. I wonder how large of a group that is? I would imagine as the years go by that group will get smaller as more women have been working since the 80's. But still, yet another drain on the system.

bobr: The answer to you question is "0" Congress hasn't taken a raise in the last 2 years.

Congress voted against taking a cost of living raise in 2010 and

2011.House and Senate is $174,000

Majority Party Leader - $193,400

Minority Party Leader - $193,400

Speaker of the House - $223,500

Majority Leader - $193,400

Minority Leader - $193,400

Salary is just a small part of operating Congress, much of the cost is hidden and I doubt that anyone knows the real cost.

http://www.capitolnewsconnection.org/news/congress-operating-costs-skyrocket

I don't care that they didn't take a cost of living raise. They still make probably 10 times what the average worker makes. Assuming that the average worker has a job.

I lost my job due to a fire and have not been able to get another here in Maine thanks to the crappy economy. But those Congressmen haven't lost their jobs. And if I could find a job here in Maine it would be minimum wage at best even though I am a highly skilled and trained computer technician.

@Notforsale - that listing certainly explains drawing the line at $250K reported income for the "soak the rich" tax!

People are able to run for Congress at anytime.

verno

bobr: The answer to you question is "0" Congress hasn't taken a raise in the last 2 years.

BS, You need to do Research before Opening Your Face.2010=10K, 2011=8.2% increases

I would SO like to see any congressman go to the store and buy a month's worth of groceries on $130.

There was no Congressional pay raise in 2010 or 2011.

Sounds like you are advocating a conservative death panel .

B707, you are right. I know someone who's family has so far spent $1.4 million dollars in medical bills keeping a family member alive over several years, at home, with an illness that is incurable. This person is basically a vegetable, requiring home healthcare 24/7 or will die. Not to be insensitive, but it seems that is a waste of Medicare funds. Time to put an end to the expense.

There are other incidents I know of, but wont go into detail now, that are other wastes of Medicare money. That being said, I do agree with you. These examples, along with the Medicare cheats make the system far more costly than it needs to be.

fix it, don't just close it down.

I don't believe in sustaining my life if what I have is incurable. I have an advanced directive that I threatened my kids with twice daily hauntings if they don't follow it.

The government shouldn't pay for either of these incidents the same as we shouldn't be having our government sending foreign aid to other countries. These are charity cases and they will be paid for by rich philanthropists who feel the need to help. And I give as much as I can to the DAV and Marine Corps League when I am not being overly charged and robbed by the federal government. Let taxpayers decide who they want to give their charity monies to and hopefully they won't become as greedy as the rich in this country and keep all their money to themselves.

B707320C, why limit it to people over 80? If you're going to be callous and turn it into a money issue, then why save a baby born with a debilitating disease that will require permanent medical attention long after its parents have deceased?

Or why pay for healthcare for anyone who lives a lifestyle that is contrary to their best interests, e.g. smoking, heavily overweight, etc?

Why pay for medical care for a car accident victim if they were injured not wearing a seatbelt?

Where do you draw the line? 80 because it's far in the future for you?

Thank you Bob.

All these people posting before you should probably let each family do as they please with the money they have. It sounds like they're saying to be "self reliant" which is taboo to liberals.

Casey,

Your just ignorant. Many liberals, including myself, believe in being self reliant. Only a fool would paint everyone with the same brush!

Would you have been happier if your Dad was not treated and died younger (maybe at 80)? My father died at 89 because his doctor decided he had lived long enough. When I tried to contact the doctor, his office refused to talk to me. My father loved living and wanted to live another 5 years. He paid for a ACLF facility quite a large sum and was not a burden on society (except YOU would probably consider spending Medicare funds a waste of money) My father worked over 70 years and was a WWII Vet. Don't worry... IF medicare is still around and IF you live past 80 and you have children, they just might decide that YOU have lived long enough.

Life is an incurable disease. No one gets out of here alive so why try to save anybody? If your number comes up, accept it gracefully and check out.

what i would like to know is ,who are you prolonging their life for,them, or your selfish self.

pugface-3520663

Wow. A Doors fan? No One Here Gets Out Alive - great book! I wonder what Jim Morrison would have to say today?

Nope they want both!

Well, it is their money.

It is NOT their money. Do some research. The average working person puts in only a fraction of what they take out. It is OUR money.

SMS, It most certainly is their money----its a fully paid for insurance policy. And It most definitely is not YOUR MONEY. Come back to this discussion when you have lived long enough to apply for your benefits---you know, the ones you are paying for over a lifetime.

There is no Social Security trust fund. The money paid out through Social Security today is collected off of the backs of today's workers. In other words.....YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY TAXES are securing some else's Security.....not your own. Wealth redistribution at its finest!!!

No. It's my money. These geezers aren't working anymore. People on social security in general get alot more benifits than they pay in.

Much better to leave our seniors to die on the streets . Then we can be next in line .

Well, I do agree with you in part. It used to be 5 to1 workers sustaining a retired person now it is more like 2-3 to 1. I also agree the system is set up as a ponzi scheme. It still is their money since they have worked for probably longer then most of us.

Unfortunately, the program was not set up to be a long term retirement account. People live much longer these days. S.S needs to be adjusted to reflect this. Also they started adding in programs like disability and such that have added to the financial burden on the program.

I would be nice to these geezers. Remember we all end up at the same place and one day you will be one of those so called geezer.

Since when did retirement become a god given right in this country. I don't plan on retiring but if i do then great.

James-316346

SMS, It most certainly is their money----its a fully paid for insurance policy.

And who underwrites the insurance policy? LOL I will give you a minute to ponder that.

I wonder how many of these arguing about it's "their" money managed to get college grants? Whose money is/was that?

BTW if people would simply read reports such as the one done years ago by the Heritage Foundation, they would know that Social Security is providing a fraction of the return to those who work an entire lifetime before collecting when compared to what they could have amassed if invested privately. The downfall is that there are too many collecting benefits who have not contributed fully. There are too many flaws in the system which has allowed abuse.

SMS1031, Russell-4328040, Common Sense-1776:

Just, EXACTLY, what do you think an INSURANCE POLICY is? Everyone who receives "benefits" from an insurance policy is doing it on a combination of THEIR money invested and YOUR money you are investing for your future needs.

Everyone in the pool is betting they will get sick, die (or what ever) and need those benefits! The insurer (in this case, the GOVERNMENT) is betting that more people won't need the benefits than do!

The problem is the "caretakers" (Congress) had the information needed to make the needed corrections to the system for the long term goals of the programs. Instead they put the money in the General Fund and replaced it with, essentially, worthless IOUsl...

We have the Best Government MONEY CAN BUY! In a way we (Seniors) are responsible because we elected these fools who neglected their responsibility. They farmed the decisions (think OBAMA CARE and others) to the special interest groups who gained from the legislation they passed on their behalf, not ours...

In short, we PAID our premiums and it is our money! The problem, in the case of Medicare, is the Health Care(?) System, including Big Pharma and Big Brother! We give drug companies Grants and Tax Breaks to do R&D to produce a drug. They develop it, then patent it and RIP US OFF until the patent expires.

I could go on and on but perhaps you get the picture...

If Ron Paul breaks from the Republican party, and runs as an independent, he has my vote if Obama doesn't get off his deriere and show whos president, and gets something done!

Do any of you whiners ever look at an actuarial table? About half of the people who start paying into social security never reach retirement age, about half the people who reach the age of sixty never make it to seventy, about half those who make it to seventy never make it to eighty. After eighty the odds of you surviving to ninety are so dismal I won't depress you with the figiures.

And Social Security does have a Trust Fund. Its balance is $4.5 Trillion dollars. Do not let these a$$hole conservatives tell you there in no Trust Fund, there is. The conservatives would like to pretend that it doesn't exist so that they can discredit Social Security.

@arney-3665069

Terminate poor spelling

It's funny you rag on conservatives... wasn't it Johnson that first started raiding the S.S. coffers? And then another Democrat named Carter passed a law allowing immigrants with only 10 years of work history to claim S.S. after 65.

Pointing fingers isn't going to fix things... cleaning out lifetime policticians in DC is what it will take.

When your mother is widowed and without income why don't you pay for her care, her medical needs,and her support then!

Excuse me? I have been in the work force for over 40 years. Yes, I am still working and yes, I still pay taxes Fed, State, SS and Medicare. I worked for those benefits and will probably get less than I paid into the taxes, so it is MY MONEY.

More short term greed rearing its foolish head . This system works . Inflation makes the amounts contributed look small , however we contributed the same percentage as you . Your dollar is just weaker than ours . Deal with your weak dollar on your standard of living , not on ours . We fulfilled our part of the bargain now it's your turn . Anything else is just weakly disguised greed .

SMS... totally incorrect!!!

The alleged Greatest Generation did NOT pay for SS their entire working lives. Their children did, from the time we had part time jobs as teens till now and still counting. They are actually the first generation that DID pay for SS all their lives. The Govt. screwed over SS by taking the surplus over years and years, and putting it in the general funds to artificially reduce the federal budget. If the govt. would simply pay back the trillions of dollars they "borrowed" SS would probably be fine. SS is like an annuity. You pay into it for life and when the time comes, you draw down on what you paid.

Further, we are now experiencing a generation that does not have fat pensions from their employment. The Greatest Generation all have pensions. During their working careers, as long as you didn't steal from your employer, or shoot someone, you had a job for life. Those days are way over now. CEO's eliminated pensions, and kept downsizing people so they could save money by doubling up job responsibility, cutting head count, and at the same time avoid any retirement benefits because employees never had the chance to work at one company long enough to get a retirement fund going. Now, SS is the only real sustainable income most seniors will have. Bottom line, SS is ours, since we worked for it and paid into it our entire lives. If anything, the Greatest Generation are the ones milking the system.

Listen up, sweetie. The boomers have paid into SS and Medicare for around 40 years or more. Yet those who are making over $106,000 don't have to pay into it and will benefit from it. There are those of us who planned on working until we were 70 or more if we were lucky enough, but were forced out of the workplace due to the economy or the bank screw ups during the mortgage crisis. Rather than go on welfare, because no employer understands how someone who was making a decent salary would take a low-paying job, we were forced into applying for SS five years early and took a $500 decrease in monthly SS. Watch your retirement money you saved over 40 years disappear with the idiots who work Wall Street. Just in case you were never taught math (perhaps your teachers lost their jobs due to the economy), 3.6% over two years is 1.8%. Go to the grocery store and try to stay within your budget. I do without a lot of things because they cost too much.

Just saying.

Mike, actually in the past 45 years the rate has increased by nearly 2.5%.(not including Obamas holiday rate)

So, you most likely paid less as a percentage then workers now.

BarbieD:

Yet those who are making over $106,000 don't have to pay into it and will benefit from it.

You are a little bit off there. I suppose you make less than $106,000 per year. If so, then those making more than that are paying more dollars into SS than you. They pay the same percentage as you on the first $106,000 they earn.

Also, the 3.6% increase is for a period of three years, not two - 2010, 2011, 2012.

BTW, I agree with most of your posts.

Geeze, I love that we have become geezers and simply "THEY" - I understand the way congress works now. We are THEY to them, too - only it's everybody, not just the geezers.

Fed Up With Losers: I see your point, and agree that I was looking at it from an entirely different perspective. I wanted to reply but got caught up with Russell whatever the number is, who is very narcissistic and thinks he will be healthy forever. Hopefully he will be so he can enjoy the money he has "been savings his entire life of 39 years" and thinks that old people have a lot of guts taking SS from the government and him (of all people).

Aw com on John, it aint bad for the people collecting it. Especially since you paid into the system during your working life.

Could they not just sell a polo pony or some old unneeded family heirlooms?

You need to come down to earth John. Those people who have polo ponies are in the top 1%. I know some seniors who only get $900 a month. I personally only collect what I was making in 1980. I think you are being extremely selfish and hope you don't have parents who may need help.

BarbieD

I think (and hope) that John was being sarcastic.

I get $614 a month because I WAS a stay at home wife most of my life. I can't even imagine the thrill of getting $900.................but I'm really grateful for what I get. I just wish that anybody knew how hard it is to live on it, especially the people I've elected to represent me who seem to have forgotten it.

Yes welcome to the world of useless and phony politicians. Vote them ALL out of office in 2012.

Lion Heart... right on.

Have you ever wondered why politicians will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to get elected into an office that pays about $170k per year? Then regardless of how long they serve, they get lifetime health benefits and retirement pay? Oh, and THEIR healthcare benefits are far superior to what the citizens of the US get? I'd like to see them on the same SS and same health benefits when they retire as the rest of us get.

Ever wonder how a politician can be in the House or Senate and after several years become millionaires? Why are they called Senator, Congressman, Governor, etc. for the rest of their lives after serving a few years in office? I guess it allows them certain privileges over a lifetime. Makes no sense. Seems to be just a "Good Ole Boys" fraternity to me.

I personally hope the euthanasia is legal by the time I get that old and infirm. I have seen too many family members die tragic painful deaths. However, I would appreciate having the choice. Not everyone feels like I do.

You are a bit low. My congressman gets almost 900,000 a year from ins. and pharmacutical companies.

Hey alan, the answers to your questions are in the book Atlas Shrugged.

Then plan on dying young.

Hope you are never disabled .

Good luck with that!

Hope its as easy to do, as it was for you to say!!!...Good Luck!

You are 100% right my friend.

Ding!!

We have a winner

You do realize your taxes will go up right with his idiotic 999 plan right? Middle class? Income tax goes up. Couple that will a 9% VAT. Wow- you're worse off than you are right now. Dont hurt yourself running to the polls to vote for him.

Mike, this isn't about taxes. It's about ending socialism.

potable2 - if you think about it...really think about it, and have any common sense, you will see that Cain has no plans for anything other than 9 9 9. This plan has no meaning and would not help anyone except the rich, once again! LOL... why am I not surprised? He's a businessman who needs to stay out of politics.... can't wait to hear he debate about foreign affairs. That should be good for quite a few laughs. Looking forward to it!

Casey-2137891

Mike, this isn't about taxes. It's about ending socialism.

Not about taxes? All of a sudden its not about taxes with you people? ROFL!

So... we are disbanding our military, our schools and our police departments? All that nasty socialistic mantra has to go right?

potable2's post was sarcasm... get it?

Potable2: Who the hell do you think you are about another hand out...I paid into it and dam right I going to get it...Just because you sound like a young person and think you might not get it so you shouldn't pay for mine.....But you'll get it and when your old the youger Genration will complain that it is a hand out......Get a life and if you don't know what your talking about STFU

Potable2, quit your complaining. Social security will be there for you when you retire. Also many of these old people have not only worked their entire life to support others with nary a wimper but also many of them have served thier country. Ever hear of the draft? My brother served in Korea and I served in Vietnam. So many of you gripe about those who take social security but these same people gave a lot so you could grow up here. I sure haven't seen many of your generation step up like we did. So put down your ipad and your video game and be greatful for these older people.

Right on Maze1548920! Right on.! The younger Me, Me, Me, generation forgets that we have paid through the nose for those benefits and I too will take mine! It's MY MONEY that I am getting back.

Bet Potable2 is part of the Me, Me, Me generation! Wants instant gratification and doesn't want to earn it like we did.

Kitty, you'll get all the money you paid into SS in the first 3 years. Will you stop after that, considering that's all you've "earned"?

And you obviously didn't think ahead for retirement did you?

Again Kitty I am 39 and I am well onto my way to retiring early. How am I a ME ME ME person? Seems like people trying to grab benefits that are neither funded nor were fully paid for in the first place are the ME ME ME generation. Especially Baby Boomers....the biggest ME generation to ever walk the Earth.

Russell, you either earn a whole lot of money or you don't have parents or grandparents, or you live on a different planet than the rest of us. SS does NOT provide a living wage unless you consider $13k a year a living wage. I used to make a salary that I paid almost that much in taxes. Life has twists and turns and sometimes they aren't the way we planned. I hope you never have to live on $2k a year less than minimum wage.

My parents and grandparents were good smart people, and they raised a smart son. My father does not and will not take SS/Medicare. Is he wealthy....nope. I worked my way through college including student loans. I just have zero sympathy for people who had the same chance and blew it. YOU are responsible for YOU.

Barbie, SS was never meant to be a living wage. It was designed to be a supplemental income. If you are counting on just SS for your retirement you have utterly failed as a person.

Ah, Russell, Russell, Russell. I didn't say that I felt that SS was meant to be a living wage. However, I did point out that even though we have saved and have investments, the whims of the marketplace make it difficult to keep your money so you can have it when you become really elderly. Anyone who thinks SS is a living wage is sadly mistaken. I am just offended that younger people and our legislators don't give a rat's a$$ about elderly people. My kids know that my philosophy is NOT that they need to take care of me when I become old, I will do that. Hopefully, as you age, you won't become like my 90 year old neighbor who has a difficult time just trying to walk steadily, and you will have the medical care you need at the time you need it.

You sould like a 20 something .You been brainwashed by your party....and it ain't the LEFT

Another one of the Me, Me, Me generation!

define socialism? there is multiple terms used in today's politics and news media. socialism is for the people while the other terms are just a cover-up or blanket to hide the fact that they so called reformed communists (social democrats) or hard line communists (socialists) they refuse to acknowledge that the U.S.S.R. collapsed because of the same exact thing that is happening over here at present. it does not matter whether you are on the left or right, most people in this country have never lived under a socialism government and they are just running off with their mouths because they are not educated enough about this. from experience living in europe just after the collapse of U.S.S.R. and witnessing and living in the end results have seen and watch this evolve into what it is today. i lived with people under the communist strong hand and they will all agree with me. there are still hard liners and there are those that still want their true freedom back. hungary for example. a true socialism gives you more (health care for example) then this all hybrid stuff that is running a muck at present.

I am 39 and will be retiring on my own around 60, because I made it happen for myself and did not wait for the Government to take care of me.

You need to grow up and get real. You'll find out when you turn 62 or whatever, that life isn't the way you thought it would be.

Life is exactly what I want to be Barbie, because I control my destiny. From taking out student loans to pay for my education, to sacrificing on things to save more money for retirement. See I made a choice to take control of my life. Maybe some of you guys should have made the same choice.

I am almost 40.....think I have been around enough to figure it out. Or does the fact that someone younger than you has made the right choices in life and does not need to rely on a exterior force to take care of me. Their are 2 types of people in this world. Those who make things happen, and those who let things happen.

Russell

Don't mess with fate.You don't know what the future holds.The old saying is; here today, gone tomorrow..Stick your Destiny.Also note the retirement age is at 67..Don't croak before then..

Our current generation of OLD PEOPLE spent their lives ruining the country to get more benefits. When one counts SS, Medicare, Pensions, Free Prescription Drugs and other OLD PEOPLE programs, the US spends as much on the OLD as on the Military.

Thanks to the votes cast by current OLD PEOPLE, our nation is dying and anyone under 50 is likely to die along with it. Thanks a lot OLD PEOPLE.

SMEAD, your retirement age is 67. I plan on retiring before that, got to enjoy the fruits of my 55+ hours a week of stress! :-)

You're funny, Russell. Why do you think I didn't work 55+ hours a week, plus drive an extra 10 hours just to get there and back? In addition, I was a salaried employee who didn't get paid for that extra time. We did what we needed to so the job got done. You have a very skewed opinion of people of my generation. We weren't all hippies, plus my parents would have kicked my a$$ if I even thought about being part of the Me generation.

Actually he is a marxist.

Actually ren you have your head up your a$$.

They paid there dues??? They are getting more out of the system than they paid in taxes.....wish my house payment worked like that.....

Russel: over the years of working I and the company i worked for paid over 108000 into SS and another 56000 and medicare..So what do you think I should get 0 $

Russell, you are so out of touch with reality. Put down your crayons, stop

coloring the books mommy bought you and try reading and researching. You still have a chance to learn something....maybe

Say What? Nope Russell will not learn anything. Russell is part of the Me, Me, Me, generation. Wants it all but doesn't want to earn it. Puts the blame on everyone else, but not on himself. He will sing a different tune when he reaches retirement. He is like the Grasshopper in the story, eats, sleeps, plays and then when it come time to pay the piper he has nothing.

If I am getting zero, then everyone should get zero. Why take my taxes to fund someone who didn't prepare properly. I have been preparing for a retirement without SS my whole life.

I agree with you. However, I resent SS being called an "entitlement" since we paid into it over more decades than most of the people who are commenting on this article have lived.

I am 39 and unfortunately have been investing in this Ponzi scheme for two long. My father prepared my for what is coming, and I have been operating under the assumption that SS does not exist (or will not in my case). The benefits I would receive in SS and Medicare almost double what I put in. Does that sound right to people?!?

I see you complaining alot about younger folks while your generation has saddled your kids and grandkids with trillions in debt. Is our gratitude obligatory or do we actually have to say thanks?

Maze

over the years of working I and the company i worked for paid over 108000 into SS and another 56000 and medicare..So what do you think I should get 0 $

How much will you receive in SS and Medicare benefits?

Old folks are always complaining. Stupid Republicans, 7 months ago, America gives the Republicans some seats in congress and the first thing they do is give the old folks a raise. Thank God for Obama, he is raising the old folks Medicare part B cost by $19 per month, this will at least soften the cost of the $38 per month increase to the old folks Social Security checks.

Republicans always undo the Democrats cuts to Social Security and Medicare. President Clinton cut Social Security and Medicare to balance the budget and Redumblican President BUSH puts back the cuts and adds a whole entitlement "Part D Drug Plan" so now seniors have to pay next to nothing for their drugs.

Now President Obama has frozen the Social Security increases for the last 3 years while increasing the Part B cost by $19 per month and the first thing the Redumblicans do, after being there only 7 months, is give the old folks a raise. I am with Obama cut Social Security and Medicare. Obama is cutting a Trillion dollars from Medicare and Social Security starting after the elections if we put a Republican in the White House and give them more seats in congress they'll undo all of the Obama cuts. 4 more years, don't let the Redumblicans undo President Obama's Cuts to Social Security !!!

Mark, where do you get your facts? Seniors must pay a premium for part D coverage or they have no drug coverage. There are different options for part D. This premium helps pay the costs of drugs. Get the facts. Ben Franklin said, "it's better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."

The current retired people spent their lives voting the country into this mess. Let them face their old age with no Social Security, Medicare, Pensions or Free Prescription Drugs like their children are now doomed to do.

AARP has systematically prevented constructive reform for decades with the support of the gray hairs. Now the reform is destined to be tragic and cruel. It is now a question of just how cruel things will get.

Thanks a lot OLD PEOPLE

JEM, Us old F--Ks are the ones who created the system you hope to benefit from. We are turning the Richest and most Powerful Nation on earth over to you---I hope you start using your head and thinking for yourself because I'd hate to see all the effort and sacrifice go down the tubes! How about if we gave you Botswana instead!

Republicans, Democrates or whatever...the problem with Washington today is our Public Servants...yes that it what they are supposed to be, have instead become self servants who only want what is best for them. Their combined millions upon millions of dollar salaries and expense accounts, the fact the pay NO, social security, all of their medical bills are covered FREE, their salaries continue after they leave office, they have been known to freeze wages in the past while voting themselves a salary increase, they authorize the printing of more money to pay for their programs, (which incidently lowers the value of the dollar), they borrow money from foriegn countries they can't pay back, they tell us to learn a different language if we want to order a burger and fries, and this list could go on indefinetly. The real problem with Washington and this nation as a whole is: We and they have stopped thinking about OUR nation...whatever happened to buy American, build American, and be American? Here is a good example: The "men in black" raided an American business and closed them down putting hundreds out of work, because of wood they legally bought from a foriegn country for their business HAD to be shaped, finished and ready for use before it was shipped to America...give me a break. Washington needs to start deciding what is best for all people, and if they don't they need to be replaced. They should all have to do as every American does...work, pay social security, and have a retirement plan, " so all people are created equal".