Social Security fixable; changes politically tough

Social Security fixable; changes politically tough

WASHINGTON (AP) - Despite Social Security’s long-term problems, the massive retirement and disability program could be preserved for generations to come with modest but politically difficult changes to benefits or taxes, or a combination of both.

Some options could affect people quickly, such as increasing payroll taxes or reducing annual cost-of-living adjustments for those who already get benefits. Others options, such as gradually raising the retirement age, wouldn’t be felt for years but would affect millions of younger workers.

All of the options carry political risks because they have the potential to affect nearly every U.S. family while raising the ire of powerful interest groups. But the sooner changes are made, the more subtle they can be because they can be phased in slowly. Each year lawmakers wait, Social Security’s financial problems loom larger and the need for bigger changes becomes greater, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

“Certainly, in the current environment, it would be very difficult to get changes made,” Social Security’s commissioner, Michael J. Astrue, said in an interview. “It doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try. And sometimes when you try hard things, surprising things happen.”

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Social Security fixable; changes politically tough

If you read the full story you’ll easily see that the supposed FIX for Social Security is basically increasing nothing more than increased payroll taxes, reducing annual cost-of-living adjustments , gradually raising the retirement age and most likely some other cuts in benefits as well.

You may also notice that NOWHERE in this so-called FIX is there so much as one word about Social Security FRAUD and the BILLIONS of dollars that are paid out to those not truly disabled or too sick to work for a living.

Having the ability to spit out a fresh baby every 9.5 months doesn’t qualify as a disability either.

If the U.S. government and the Social Security administration would make the effort to eliminate the fraud that runs rampant in the millions of recipients, the Social Security administration could once again enjoy a surplus of funds much as it did a few years ago.

Well, let me qualify that last part. The Social Security administration could once again enjoy a surplus of funds much as it did a few years ago, provided they could keep other under-funded and under managed agencies from RAIDING Social Security funds.

Robin Hood made a great tale in the movies and on television, Robin Hood presented a noble thought, rob from the rich and give to the poor. Sadly, it’s not that way, in real life a Robin Hood plan takes, steals actually, from ALL of us as it seeks to make us all equal.

We are NOT all equal!

Many in this nation have faked disabilities, done so to garner a steady paycheck from the government, money earned from the sweat of OUR brows, paid in taxes and then handed out to those that have worked a bare minimum of time to qualify to receive these Social Security benefits. These people are gaming the system, they are gaming you and me, gaming every hard working tax payer in America.

They limp in to the Social Security office, or have a friend push them into the office in a wheelchair; they have crooked doctors sign forms stating that so-and-so is disabled and can’t provide for themselves and their families, and the staff at Social Security set them up to get a check every month for the rest of their lives.

As soon as they leave the Social Security office they head to the nearest package store to get a bottle or 2 of MD 20-20 to celebrate their miraculous recovery as they are NOW able to walk, and in some cases, RUN into the store for their Joy-Juice.

Fraud is REAL my friends, the Social Security administration, as well as ALL State run welfare agencies could save untold MILLIONS of dollars if they would just put some effort into identifying and stopping the fraud.

One last thing; Social Security and a cost of living adjustment are words that just don’t go together in a sentence.