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SOCIAL SECURITY
Published in
This was sent to me by a friend today. More things that make you go HMMMMMM!!!!
(This is worth reading. It is short and to the point.)
Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years.
Our Senators and Congresswomen do not pay into Social Security and, of course, they do not collect from it.
You see, Social Security benefits were not suitable for persons of their rare elevation in society. They felt they should have a special plan for themselves. So, many years ago they voted in their own benefit plan.
In more recent years, no congressperson has felt the need to change it. After all, it is a great plan.
For all practical purposes their plan works like this:
When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until they die.
Except it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments..
For example, Senator Byrd and Congressman White and their wives may expect to draw $7,800,000.00 (that's Seven Million, Eight-Hundred Thousand Dollars), with their wives drawing $275, 000.00 during the last years of their lives.
This is calculated on an average life span for each of those two Dignitaries.
Younger Dignitaries who retire at an early age, will receive much more during the rest of their lives.
Their cost for this excellent plan is $0.00. NADA..! ZILCH..
This little perk they voted for themselves is free to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan. The funds for this fine retirement plan come directly from the GeneralFunds;
"OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK "!
From our own Social Security Plan, which you and I pay (or have paid) into, every payday until we retire (which amount is matched by our employer). We can expect to get an average of $1,000 per month after retirement.
Or, in other words, we would have to collect our average of $1,000 monthly benefits for 68 years and one (1) month to equal Senator! Bill Bradley's benefits!
Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made.
That change would be to:
Jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators and Congressmen. Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us
Then sit back.....
And see how fast they would fix it.
If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe good changes will evolve.
special benefits
Interesting article Lightdancer and it made me think of another special benefit that our Congress men and women have given themselves but yet deny it (vote against it) for the rest of the American population ~ That is the big cost of health care ~
As we know our country does not have nationalized health care like Canada and many European countries ~ That is why so many families and people in the US have been devastated by our health care system over the years ~ Many individual health care plans won't even accept or cover you if your have certain costly pre-exisiting health conditions ...what are these people to do ...and all the cost of many serious health conditions can completely wipe out a family's life savings ~
But our Congress - Senators and Representatives and White House and their families - they do not pay into their health plans but all have complete health care coverage - regardless of any type of health condition ~ I think we have a right to ask why it is alright for them to have this special benefit but vote down any thought of reforming our health system for you and me and the public ~
Promises
The last administration had made promises to reform our health care system which is really in need of
an overhauling. Of course that did not happen. Instead costs are rising. Health Insurance,
Dr's, and Medications all costly. Just to get the flu can be pricey between the Dr and meds.
Those without insurance are better off being a charity case. Case in point. I have a friend who wss diagnosed with cancer about three years ago. Not having insurance his Dr's, hospital stays, and treatments were all gratis, and still are! Out of whose pocket does this come from?
As you said Coralina a person can lose everything just for getting sick. So let's pray we all stay
healthy. At least until something is done about the current system.
You said
I think we have a right to ask why it is alright for them to have this special benefit but vote down any thought of reforming our health system for you and me and the public ~
Ditto on that one!
health care
Yes I agree Lightdancer ~ The health system in our country is a very big concern for me for I have witnessed directly through friends the devastating effect it can have one someone's life~ Maybe if the Congress special health benefits were taken away from them and they were covered under the same system as you and me and the rest of the American people - they would push for reform of our health system real fast!
Also like you said - sometimes one has to default to charity in order to pay these costly medical bills ~ This is so sad and others look toward Medicaid for help ~
A note about the Medicaid system - For those not familiar with Medicaid .. it is America's medical system for those under retirement age to help pay medical cost "but" Medicaid will not cover people above the poverty line ~
So what if someone is caught with a medical emergency with no health insurance and above the poverty line. What do they do when faced with a giant medical bill - give up all their savings and sell everything they have ~ A real sad situation on top of facing whatever illness they have ~
Many employers do not provide any health coverage to their employees. Our governor Schwarzenegger is proposing for the state of California stricter mandatory employer health insurance requirements ~
I wish our leaders and Congress would realize how badly our health system needs reform in comparison to the other advanced countries of the world ~