Share your concerns about Social Security

[AARPMiller]

1)     In the article,  Social Security Fears, many Social Security myths are addressed. What concerns you the most about Social Security? 

[tasssag4]

women who never worked received half of husbands and he gets all his.NOT RIGHT Women who worked are penalized for working.Makes no sense to me!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GailL1]

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@tasssag4 wrote:
women who never worked received half of husbands and he gets all his.NOT RIGHT Women who worked are penalized for working.Makes no sense to me!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  Then we need to change the law to provide for the spouse not working outside the home - nowadays that could be a man or a woman or any combination of a "couple" where one works outside of the home and the other takes care of the home & family.

The solution is very simple - at tax time during those working years, the couple just splits their total income and any FICA taxes paid in so that instead of reporting it under just the one earing that outside paycheck (one social security number) - it is split at reported under BOTH of their social security numbers.

That way, both of them are actually earning a benefit which they rightly are -

This gives a real value to both of their jobs and rightly so .

[dfwsteph]

I just saw an Associated Press article today regarding Nazi and SS that relocated to this country and how much they collected in Social Security and being promised they could keep their benefits if they would leave??

I certainly do not want  to offend anyone.

I'm including the link.... am I reading this right ? Is this outrageous when our benefits are constantly threatened ?

http://a.msn.com/r/2/BBa86Z2?a=1&m=en-us

[jg8987]

About my foster mom, She does not receive what was said she should receive. Please explain why!

[drawpoker]

Did she receive overpayments,   and now she is having to pay them back?    That could be a possible reason.   But she should have got a letter from SS explaining the process of reducing benefits until the overpayment is fully reimbursed.   

[judygram]

instead of using the surplus Social Security revenue to buy good bonds in the open market, the government chose to spend the money and issue IOUs to replace the spent money.*** These IOUs are non-marketable and could not be sold to anyone, even for a penny on the dollar. The government has the legal authority to declare these IOUs null and void.

The Social Security trust fund does not hold any real economic assets that can be drawn down to pay future benefits. That is an indisputable fact today, and it has been true ever since the 1983 payroll tax hike was enacted. Every dollar of the $2.5 trillion in surplus revenue, generated by the payroll tax hike, has been spent on programs unrelated to Social Security, leaving nothing to save or invest.

Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn warns. “We have stolen $2.6 trillion from it. We put paper money in there. The problem is, we spent the money – we didn’t just take it, we took it and spent it,”

Obama knows this and just keeps borrowing to spend even more. 17 trillion. Hillary is just more of the same. We the voters seem powerless. We must vote the Progressive Democrats out in 2016.

[tg5200]

As a single woman in her late 50's I'm very concerned about the amount of Social Security that I will receive when I reach 66 years old.  How is the Social Security Administration handling the years since 2006 when many of us were unemployed for various years due to the economy and not able to find professional-level jobs?  Is it really fair to put "0s" in the calculation for those years since 2006 when we could not find full-time employment?  Why not take the top 30 years and give us a break??

In spite of laws protecting against discrimination, I believe it's alive and well in corporate America.  Federal laws have not been changed in years and are aimed at protecting those from age 40 and up, especially woman.  But, age 40 is very young in these times and corporations will hire all kinds of 40-50 year olds.  They are then able to say they are in compliance with the laws.  But those of us over 50 are having the most difficulty finding full-time employment.  How are we supposed to live when companies let go people over 50 yet we can't begin to collect Social Security until 62?  And at that age, it will be at a much reduced amount.  Even those of us who have saved for years (and saw much of it skimmed by Wall Street) can't take money from our IRAs until 59 1/2.  How do we earn a living to pay all of our bills during the gap period?  Don't say "part-time jobs" are available.  Yes, there are plenty of them which pay little and do not provide benefits.  That's something we did when we were younger but shouldn't have to face again until we actually decide to retire.  Instead, it appears the average citizen has to suffer so that other groups of "exempt" people don't have to contribute to Social Security.  

I have worked hard all of my life and earned a degree while working full-time.  Although I was married when I was young, I did not have children and do not have any now.  I supported myself and the companies that I worked for along with paying my fair share of taxes to federal, state and local entities.  We are in a different economic time and changes do need to be made.  But, the first found of changes should be aimed at people who have not been required to pay their fair share or to pay into the Social Security fund.  

In the past, it made sense to exempt government workers as well as teachers by not requiring them to pay Social Security taxes.  Part of that was because they made lower salaries than most and had their own retirement funds.  Well, guess what??  Most of those individuals make MORE than the rest of us now if you consider age, education, time worked.  And, they should be required to help support the Social Security fund which not only pays retirement benefits, but also pays disabled individuals, surviving spouses, surviving children, etc.  PLEASE!!  Why does everyone think they should be exempt.  We could go a long way at building the social security base if all of those exempt workers were at least required to contribute toward the benefits paid out to Americans for "non-retirement" purposes. (disabled, survivor benefits, etc.)  And, if not already being done, Social Security taxes should be levied on all jobs that are based in the US but are not occupied by American citizens as well as US company jobs that are shipped overseas.

Sorry for the lengthy rant but many things need to be discussed.  If any group of people can help get fair changes made, it will be the AARP!  

[mw7094]

Why, we have not had that income every yr. yet have had our social security taxed every yr.? There are supposed to be income limits. We always get a form, and we always fill in the taxes right and we always get taxed even if do not make the top income. Have always, every yr, paid taxes on my social security, disability income, and only one yr made the amount of money like it explains for this yr. so we have had my disability income always taxed even if didnt make the income that requires the tax plus the state of ohio, has always changed it every yr. and taxes us always more and they were not allowed to do that either. I am getting charged for someones income. or something is very wrong, but every yr. always taxed. That is by the instructions and receiving the forms in the mail and then i get double hit by the state on non taxable income.