Fla. senior worried about Social Security: "I don't know how these politicians live with themselves"

[Bluebear]

Elizabeth Gordon says she can survive for about a month, but not much more than that. "I am worried about it. It's a little bit like playing with people's lives right now," Gordon said.

TAMPA - So what do you do when you rely solely on Social Security and now have no idea if the check is coming?

"I don't know what we'd do, because that's our income. We don't have pensions or anything," said Nina Vallee, a Dunedin resident who has been closely watching the debacle in D.C.

With no deal in sight to end the debt ceiling crisis, many are worried. Vallee is one of millions who get social security benefits. Roughly 28 million Americans are expecting their social security benefits on August the 3rd. Another 27 million, get their checks, later in the month.

The President has already said he can't guarantee checks will go out on time. Vallee says she is more than frustrated.

"I think it's terrible. Something needs to be done about these politicians. They need to think about others than just themselves. This is America. They keep taking money from Social Security to pay other things, and I don't understand it. I don't know how they live with themselves," Vallee said.

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/consumer/fear-grows-over-social-security-checks-07292011

[dkf]

1. I wonder if they really know what happened to that money.

[girl gone mad]

6. All they need to know is..

our government is always capable of paying its debt obligations.

[dkf]

8. Then she doesn't have to worry right?

[girl gone mad]

12. Not about the government's ability to pay.

But absolutely about the idiocy of the politicians in charge.

[dkf]

13. So if they choose not to use your method for this problem

What makes you think they will use it for other problems? If they never use it then the advantage of ones own currency is moot.

[girl gone mad]

15. Ask Wall Street bankers if it's moot.

Our government was willing to create trillions to save their asses.

Social Security bondholders should demand no less than payment on time and in full.

[dkf]

16. Well they aren't going to.

Of all the methods, that is one of the lesser mentioned.

[Politicalboi]

2. My mom gets her checks usually on the 3rd of the month

I checked her bank account, and she had an electronic deposit from SSI for $96.00 on July 27th. She usually gets $1300. I posted this a couple of times here tonight. I'm just wondering if this is happening to others. My mom is 84, and I haven't told her yet. I am still hoping things will be ok on August 2nd.

[cutlassmama]

11. Does she get both SSI and SSDI? There are different pay periods

for both. The SSI goes out at the end of the month and the SSDI goes out on the third. Monday is the first.

[Cetacea]

20. SSI goes out on the first and SSDI on the third.

The 27th is way too early.

[lonestarlib]

3. "Something needs to be done about these politicians".

Wonder who she voted for.

[Bluebear]

4. I dont think it much matters

This is reaching the point of total mistrust of the government.

[murielm99]

5. The want this.

The teabaggers want distrust of the government. They want complete chaos.

[McCamy Taylor]

7. Oh yeah! Let's get our propoganda directly from Fox.

All the seniors I talk to are mad at the GOP.

[lib2DaBone]

9. "Something needs to be done about these politicians"...

Florida Seniors sit at home in front of their TV and listen to Glenn Beck and Faux News. Then they elect felons like pRick Scott.

Something needs to be done about the far-right brain washed in Florida.

[Bluebear]

10. Absolutely, blame the seniors, not our Party's putting their safety net up for negotiation

[Kahuna]

17. The seniors are the ones who keep the repukes in power. They

own responsibility for actions as do we all.

[michaz]

18. I know many younger people who vote Republican and totally dislike Obama.

It is not just the Seniors at all!

[Kahuna]

19. Nobody said it was just the seniors. Duh. But seniors are the most

reliable voting base for republicans and give the greater percentage of their votes to repubs vs. Dems. I'm sure that you know that, and are just trying to pick nits. They are why republicans get voted into office at all.

[michaz]

21. Duh? When you state, "the Seniors are the ones that keep the Repukes in power", it

appears to place much on them. I was not nit picking! I was only stating a fact. Rude?

[Kahuna]

24. No, you were not stating a fact. In every election that I can remember

the majority of senoirs vote for repukes. FACT.

[dsc]

25. they voted 60/40 in favor of the GOP last time

they need to look into some damn mirrors when they start assessing blame.

[sunwyn]

14. Politicians get away with it because we allow them to.

If my mother does not get her social security check she will be out on the street. Rumor is if we default, Wall Street will come before Main Street. We need non violent protests across this country. The politicians are the ones whose pay and benefits should be stopped immediately since they are unable and unwilling to do their jobs.

[Enthusiast]

22. All those politicians? They are millionaires.

All that money cushions the blow.

[amborin]

23. sociopathy involved in "saving" Social Security:

"................... one program that has already been put on the table for discussion is Social Security, even though it has not contributed to the budget deficit.

snip

The proposed changes would have tinkered with one of the most beloved features of Social Security: the cost of living adjustment, which helps benefits keep pace with inflation so the elderly maintain their purchasing power. The proposed changes would link benefits to a new measure of inflation — one that is projected to rise more slowly than the current index.

“It amounts to a benefit cut,” Alicia H. Munnell, the director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, said.

The proposal, which emerged as a potential bargaining chip earlier in the budget debate, caused Social Security preservationists to cringe. And that is a big reason they argue that any changes should not be fast-tracked as part of the broader deficit debate.

snip

The Obama administration’s deficit-reduction commission proposed switching to the new type of index because, members said, it would be more accurate. Unlike the current measure, it takes into account that people tend to change their buying habits when prices rise, substituting cheaper items for more expensive ones. If, for instance, the price of apples goes up, people may instead buy pears, if they are cheaper. The current index assumes that if the price of apples go up, people will just buy fewer apples.

But there is a question of whether the elderly and disabled can make the same substitutions as working people. “If you are down to paying your rent and your food, and the price of your food goes up, you probably just eat less,” Ms. Munnell said.

In addition, the slower rise in benefits would compound over time. That means the older that retirees grew, the bigger the pinch they would feel, especially people who depended heavily on the program. About 43 percent of single people and 22 percent of married couples rely on the benefits for more than 90 percent of their income, the Social Security Administration says. More than half of couples and 73 percent of singles draw more than half their income from the program. ......"

snip

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/30/your-money/muddying-the-budget-waters-with-social-security.html?scp=3&sq=social%20security&st=cse