GOP Assault on Social Security Could be 'Death Sentence' for Nation's Disabled

www.commondreams.org...

Another republican priority....

Cutting already paltry disability benefits, she declared, would "give them a death sentence."

"Since most disability recipients receive barely $1,200 a month, a cut of nearly 20 percent could mean the difference between affording food, medicine, clothing or paying bills. It is an unspeakable option and one that we are determined to prevent."
—Senator Bernie Sanders

Could you live on $1200 a month - with extensive and likely un-covered health needs?

and it's just 'game-playing' as usual...

In fact, since most disability recipients receive barely $1,200 a month, a cut of nearly 20 percent could mean the difference between affording food, medicine, clothing or paying bills. It is an unspeakable option and one that we are determined to prevent."

What's more, the move is "a cynical attempt to divide the senior population from the disability community," charged the report.

a reply to: FyreByrd

The sky is falling. The sky is falling. God forbid anyone actually try to stamp out the fraud and waste in social programs.

a reply to: Edumakated

How come the "fraud and waste" always seems cut from social safety nets, health care and education, and not government contacts, military industrial complex, or the corrupt congress' pay and benefits?

The assault on Social Security began when Obama cut their funds to finance Obamacare.....

Im lost here, republicans and anti fraud does not compute.

a reply to: FyreByrd

I really feel sorry for you stuck in your paradigm raging about the evil Republicans.

Step back and look at the bigger reality, the D & R world you live in is an illusion designed to have you do the very thing you are.

Keep raging against those evil R's like your propaganda tells you, it is as pointless as ditto heads raging against those evil D's.

Stop being the marionette, cut the strings.

a reply to: Edumakated

Yes, because those "disabled" are just lazy slobs! Even a quadruplegic man could work as a helper in a mechanics workshop!

Better even, just get rid of the unusable disabled. This is called Euthanasia. If you want to know more, here in Germany we had a lot of practice some 70 years ago...


Yes, this was sarcasm. Because I simply cannot believe the inhumanity of some of the members on this board!
It. Makes. Me. SICK, to read that social programs are just to feed the worthless..

They are not worthless - do you even regard the disabled veterans this way?

Because I heard they are treated like s*it, and the idea of "fraud and waste in social programs" is the same line of thinking.

a reply to: stosh64

This rhetoric is all fine and dandy, but it doesn't address the real issue.

There are some that abuse the system, but it is not the majority and that is what this will do.

While this may help stomp out some of the abuse, the people that actually do need it are the ones that pay the price.

It is sad that these cuts that just need to happen always come out of our safety nets and no where else.

a reply to: FyreByrd
the US war machine is soaking the money like it is going out of fashion , but it is a big circle because the more troops they send out to fight the more injured troops will be needing help when they come home and so more money will be needed not less .
the finance whizz kids are going to bankrupt the US more sooner than later and you don't need to be a mathematical genius to see it.

I hate to agree with FyreByrd on anything, but in this case I do find it odd that we need to cut the benefits of our citizens instead of curtailing our appetite for wars. We spend billions of dollars killing people and then rebuilding the infrastructure of foreign nations, but can't take care of our own people?

Stop the these ridiculous wars and help our people here at home.

a reply to: tom.farnhill

I don't disagree, but in the same breath, funding the military is a constitutional requirement--social safet nets are not.

But I'm a fan of the "Penny Plan," where we simply cut one cent from every dollar spent on everything--a one-percent cut across the board. Nothing will truly feel that cut that can't be made up with a little effort of fraud/waster/abuse removal in the systems.

originally posted by: SlapMonkey
a reply to: tom.farnhill

I don't disagree, but in the same breath, funding the military is a constitutional requirement--social safet nets are not.

But I'm a fan of the "Penny Plan," where we simply cut one cent from every dollar spent on everything--a one-percent cut across the board. Nothing will truly feel that cut that can't be made up with a little effort of fraud/waster/abuse removal in the systems.

I like the penny plan too. I love how anytime someone says we need to cut waste and fraud from social safety nets, they ASSume that said person has no problem with military spending. We need to cut ALL spending across the board.

I am a fiscal conservative and social liberal...but let's just say that to take care of the disabled costs each of us an extra $25 per month or $1300 per year in taxes, Good God pay it.

If it comes to me and $25 bucks a month to help somebody get food and medicine, I am cool with raising taxes for that - just tell me how much and where it is going.

No lies and I am fine with it.

originally posted by: SlapMonkey
a reply to: tom.farnhill

I don't disagree, but in the same breath, funding the military is a constitutional requirement--social safet nets are not.

But I'm a fan of the "Penny Plan," where we simply cut one cent from every dollar spent on everything--a one-percent cut across the board. Nothing will truly feel that cut that can't be made up with a little effort of fraud/waster/abuse removal in the systems.

Yes it is a requirement but nowhere in the Constitution does it say we need to spend more than the next five countries combined. We could cut the welfare war machines budget by a good 60% and still defend our nation just fine. Also it doesn't say anywhere in our Constitution that we should be invading nations and fighting wars that are not ours to fight and staring wars for the benefit of corporations our military is supposed to be for the defense of OUR NATION only.

a reply to: FyreByrd

This is already well under way in the UK.

The disabled are now being attacked in the streets just because they claim benefits and are labeled 'scroungers' by government and the media.

Terminal cancer patients with a prognosis of more than 6 months are being told they have to find work and their benefits sanctioned if they don't, without any consideration of any treatments they are undergoing.

Working families with children on poverty wages are having their housing benefits cut, and they are being evicted and made homeless at the unprecedented rate of 8,000 families a day here.

People with mental health problems and disabled people are committing suicide. A diabetic man was found dead in his home, his benefits had been stopped, his electricity had been cut off, there was no food in his house, he had just a few pennies in his bank account, his fridge contained his insulin but no food, but there was no electricity to run the fridge where his insulin was supposed to be kept cool. The coroner said an autopsy found that there was no food at all in the man's stomach and he hadn't eaten in days, he'd starved to death.

Starved to death in 21st century UK. Shocking.

Meanwhile, MP's are giving themselves pay rises, taking £millions from party donors, living in luxury off the taxpayer quid, stalling criminal investigations, and destroying incriminating evidence so they can escape justice and continue shagging our kids.

Every apple in the barrel is rotten to the core and maggot-riddled, an establishment rife with vileness, corruption, and iniquity. It's obscene. With such criminal, corrupt, amoral cretins in charge, is there any wonder my country is a toilet.

Not sure how much fraud there is in the disability program. It's not easy to get on disability.

All I can sat to you is welcome to the jungle.
This has been happening in the UK for the past 9 months. Although Manfromeurope was using sarcasm it is reality in the UK where (coincidentally an American firm, Atos, has been assessing the disabled) they have threw paraplegics off disabilities because the can work. Reason, they can be fitted with a headset and work in call centres.
Not withstanding that nearly all of British call centres are based in India.
Some decisions by Atos have lead to people committing suicide because disability payments are their only source of income and they can see no other alternative.
Welcome to the corporate world, Especially America where the ethos is"if you can't earn your money you don't deserve any".

originally posted by: Edumakated
a reply to: FyreByrd

The sky is falling. The sky is falling. God forbid anyone actually try to stamp out the fraud and waste in social programs.

Social Security is not a social program. Money was paid into the Social Security System by its recipients and those who have not died before age 65 will reap the benefits - at least that's how its supposed to work. Disability (Medicare) is taken out of the monthly stipend that old age pensioners receive.

Those who are deemed unable to work and receive SS and Medicare before age 65, have still paid into the system and are taking the benefits either to help them live until such time they can return to work or until retirement age of 65. Some have to wait at a pro-rated age-mine is 66 and 1/2.

I'm not saying there are no people defrauding the government, but if the congress reduces the benefits or takes it away, I consider that stealing out of our accounts and will try to take any legal measures possible.

originally posted by: NightFlight

originally posted by: Edumakated
a reply to: FyreByrd

The sky is falling. The sky is falling. God forbid anyone actually try to stamp out the fraud and waste in social programs.

Social Security is not a social program. Money was paid into the Social Security System by its recipients and those who have not died before age 65 will reap the benefits - at least that's how its supposed to work. Disability (Medicare) is taken out of the monthly stipend that old age pensioners receive.

Those who are deemed unable to work and receive SS and Medicare before age 65, have still paid into the system and are taking the benefits either to help them live until such time they can return to work or until retirement age of 65. Some have to wait at a pro-rated age-mine is 66 and 1/2.

I'm not saying there are no people defrauding the government, but if the congress reduces the benefits or takes it away, I consider that stealing out of our accounts and will try to take any legal measures possible.

Social security is a government run Ponzi scheme. First off, the money that people pay in has already been spent. There is no "lockbox" or account with your name on it. Second, the return for the money you contributed for a lot of people is quite pathetic compared to if had you paid the same money into a real investment like a 401k. Third, people are withdrawing way more than they actually put into the system because they are living way longer than the actuaries intended when the program was first developed. It is absolutely unsustainable.

The money being withdrawn far exceeds the actual contributions and returns - Ponzi scheme. The early investors (boomers and soon to be retirees) are actually taking the money of the new investors.