This is just incredible, just incredible. There is now a record $1.2 trillion dollar budget deficit and what is Obama's response?
Changes in Social Security and Medicare will be central to efforts to bring federal spending in line, President-elect Barack Obama said Wednesday, as the Congressional Budget Office projected a $1.2 trillion budget deficit for the fiscal year.
“We expect that discussion around entitlements will be a part, a central part” of efforts to curb federal spending, Mr. Obama said at a news conference. By February, he said, “we will have more to say about how we’re going to approach entitlement spending.
These are the last pillars of the social safety net created by FDR. Note, the OECD says the United States spends 8 times what every other industrialized nation spends in health care costs. This link goes to a series of graphs and more information on just how badly the United States is getting ripped off in health care costs.
Yet we never hear about that point, how private insurance companies are making huge profits from sick people as well as the entire health business sector. Nope, just reduce benefits to U.S. citizens and nary a mention of the TARP and how we just funded executive pay and bonuses.
The Congressional Budget Office report is here.
The specific 'Entitlement' Programs
There's always, always so much talking about Social Security & Medicare. It's been many years since Social Security got a raise in benefits, but they finally got one.
Here's what is almost always left out. SSI-Supplemental Security Income & in broke California the added cash payment program called SSP-State Supplemental Program.
There's never ever a discussion about these programs that I ever hear, see or read about. Just Social Security & Medicare.
I was looking at property in Oregon as I'm leaving California for Oregon permenantly real soon. And, I wanted to see if there are as many SSI & SSP people in 'Other' States like there is in California.
What I saw at http://www.policymap.com was deep dark purple Number 5 as soon as I got to the California Oregon border on the map. Meaning there's an extremely higher number of people on the 2 check system of SSI & SSP in California.
I did the US Census in 2000 as my 1st job. I got to do my tiny mountain community of 256. Out of the 256 residents only 16 worked. Many had never worked a single day in their lives. How did they live in such sprawling large acerage and big old homes? Inheritance and SSI/SSP. You CAN own a home of any value whatsoever and still never work and get SSI & SSP that totals for 1 Individual $907 cash per month. They almost ALL pay Proposition 13 property taxes, living in the same properties as Great-Great Grampa on down the line with an average 25 acre 4 bedroom 2 and 1/2 bath home for $360 a year. And even with that they get a 95% State of California end of fiscal year Reimbursment in October for the say $300 of their tiny $360 a year.
They all get low-income heating and air-conditioning assistance. Many also get Food Stamp EBT Dignity card that converts to cash from an ATM or as change from a store.
Many own several properties and use them as rental income but SSI does not seem to care at all. They just keep the properties in their desceased relatives names. Nobody's selling the property and nobody's buying the property, because it's just handed to the next relative upon death.
It is a goal of each young person up here to Apply & Qualify for permenant lifetime SSI & SSP checks. Because their Head of Household is on SSI/SSP, the entire family gets a check too.
They all get free MediCal as well and that includes Dental & Vision, all at no cost to them and completely TAX FREE!
They all like to get their free Electric Wheelchairs and sell them on craigslist for several thousand. Some get cut Oak wood for their wood stoves delivered to them thru the generous Low Income Heat Assistance program as well. They get lifeline for their phone. And Medi-Trans must come up and pick them up for free and take them to the nearest city 25 miles away and bring them back, FREE.
So, most of these people live complete free of any payments or debts at all. Only a tiny amount of money from their property taxes that they don't get back or 5% of the property tax reimbursment.
It is like a Club, a special secret club up here.
I'm not included! I work while they enjoy their checks and perks.
Most of my life until I moved up here I thought all those overweight toothless people on the 1st of the month were early retirees or disabled real early in life. What with almost every other car on the 1st having either a hanging placard or disabled plate on their car.
NOT! Having friends in most of the retail stores, casino & movie theaters, restaurants I can tell you frankly that MOST of them are on the SSI & SSP.
I would like to add here I did 4 years in the service for my college money. But, the girl across the street goes for free and has over $6,000 left over outside tuition and books for fun money. It's because her father is on SSI/SSP and took to much LSD in the 60's so he is classified Disabled by SSI/SSP but not entitled to SSDI. SSDI is for those who worked, paid into SS and have a certain amount of work Credits, around 40 is average.
And, Social Security Disability Income pays taxes as does Social Security retiree, but never SSI or SSP, Tax Free on that Entitlement.
Since the illegals love living in California I was speaking to a man who's wife and children are on on CalWorks & MediCal.
He works under-the-table. He said as soon as Obama legalizes all of his Compadres, they are going to Social Security Office and Apply & Qualify for SSI & SSP and quit working as it will bring alot more than working and paying taxes, so why work when he can get a nice check with benefits.
When my employer if closed for a Holiday I must wait until the next open working business day to get my paycheck.
But, SSI/SSP never waits, they send out their checks days early many times, no waiting.
If you look at Graphs and percentages and dollar amount spending, without legalizing these people, SSI/SSP is way up in 3rd or 4th place along with but passing up Mommy/Baby Welfare.
This is where the problem especially for California lies.
SSI just got a COLA raise, they get a raise pretty much every year from the Congress.
Imagine $907 a month for several people in your household, it would pay a Mortgage!
But, I never hear any specifics about SSI/SSP included with anyone in Government, ever, only Social Security & Medicare, never Supplemental Security Income and MediCal MediCaid.
The largest growth in specific Disabilities *Blue Book is used from Social Security to determine type of Disability for SSI/SSP* is 'Mental OTHER'. That's like, Depression, Anxiety.
So, if your Depressed, by all means get SSI/SSP it pays tax free and increases every year.
And nobody seems to care or notice it Ballooning/Growing/Swelling into an Emplosive program.
When massive amounts of Boomers retire and newly legalized Illegals know everything about SSI/SSP and plan to swoop down on this Program, who will pay the taxes to keep funding this growing program?
They never discuss it!