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Discussion » Statements » Rosie's Corner » We're retired so the cut cut cut bill won't impact us. Where it will KILL us will be through the gutting of Medicare/Social Security. Swell?

We're retired so the cut cut cut bill won't impact us. Where it will KILL us will be through the gutting of Medicare/Social Security. Swell?

Paul Ryan has reached the nirvana he always sought since college. He said he DREAMED about fixing the "tax problem" and doing something about the welfare we call Medicare and Social Security. The zillions of bucks going into the hands of the already obscenely wealthy has to come from somewhere. Well guess where? Right. Medicare and Social Security. That's the where Ryan has always dreamed of attacking. Thanks to sll of you Republicans for your dedicated monomaniacal focus on killing us. I mean that's the goal, right? Get rid of sick people, old people, poor people? We are all a drag on your society. Just withhold medical attention and bingo out we go like so much trash. Happy now? Of course you are.  SIGH

Posted - December 2, 2017

Responses


  • 1233
    Pure shortsightedness. 

    Trump is the reason that maybe, just maybe, your pension won't default in a few years leaving you destitute. It's probably too late to save western civilization. Collapse and mass suffering are probably inevitable at this point. If that happens there will be no Medicaid / social security ANYWAY. By putting the U.S. on a sustainable footing NOW we have some hope of averting collapse. Before Trump became president the probability of collapse was 100% within a couple of years, now I'd say it's 80% within the next decade.

    The ultra wealthy own the medical industrial complex. They PROFIT from healthcare spending and government spending in general. The ultra wealthy want high taxes to funnel the money to themselves. HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE THAT?!

    The reason you need government support is because that's the weak society you've created.  If society had voted for liberty and capitalism, you'd be able to afford care easily without help. You have no one to blame but yourself. This post was edited by Zeitgeist at December 5, 2017 4:18 PM MST
      December 2, 2017 5:30 AM MST
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  • 19942
    You use the words "government support" as though Social Security and Medicare are entitlements.  They aren't.  Those who are collecting both are not suckling at the public teat - we've paid into those programs.  Social Security should never have been raided by Johnson to fund the Vietnam War and the money should have been put back, but Congress allowed it to become part of the general treasury.  Granted, people are living longer and collecting longer than originally intended and there were adjustments made, and others that can be made, to keep it solvent.  There should be no ability to retire at 62 unless there is a compelling need to do so, i.e., health or disability.  There should be no cap on the amount you pay into Social Security - if you're working, you should be contributing.  To those with very high incomes, what they pay into Social Security (or what they will get out of it) is a drop in the bucket. 
      December 2, 2017 11:08 AM MST
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  • 1233
    "Those who are collecting both are not suckling at the public teat - we've paid into those programs. "

    In theory but not in practice. These funds have been raided continuously. There is a massive black hole in them. Most of the money has already been stolen. The government siphons money out and replaces it with a government bond. It's just creative accountancy to make the deficit for this year look less awful.

    https://www.usdebtclock.org/ reports a 16 trillion dollar unfunded liability in social security and a 27 trillion dollar unfunded liability in medicare. That's just what they admit. The real situation is probably much worse.

    Such programs are prevented from defaulting by the government teat and collapse is inevitable sooner or later unless radical action to stimulate the economy is taken. This post was edited by Zeitgeist at December 5, 2017 4:20 PM MST
      December 3, 2017 12:56 AM MST
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  • 19942
    The deductions on my pay stub for social Security and Medicare are not THEORETICAL.  They are real.  That they don't go into the funds for which they are supposed to be used does not alter the fact that the money is taken out of my pay.
      December 3, 2017 10:00 AM MST
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  • 1233
    The intense injustice of the situation doesn't change the reality that the money has been spent on other things. The government defrauded you and the system is unsustainable.

    Socialism is theft. Just because the government stole from you doesn't give you the right to steal from others. For humanitarian reasons, I'm willing to tolerate some socialism temporarily while we fix things. Though it has to be phased out for both moral and economic reasons.

    The system did this deliberately. It's all by design. They want to create as much pain and suffering as possible so that people will vote for socialism to ease their suffering. This is how Marxism gets control. It corrupts people in order to rule.

    Even if you have no moral compass and think putting your hand someone else's pocket is morally acceptable, it's going to collapse ANYWAY. I guess if you're old, maybe you're just hoping the sh*t will hit the fan after you're dead and be someone else's problem. If you expect to live another 10 years this affects you. If Trump loses power, it's definitely going to affect you. 
      December 3, 2017 1:32 PM MST
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  • 46117
    Then don't use our parks, libraries, electrical systems and go off the grid and see where that leads you and your Ideologies that have zero merit.
    Anyone who calls socialists thieves is a hypocrite and totally clueless. This post was edited by WM BARR . =ABSOLUTE TRASH at December 3, 2017 1:36 PM MST
      December 3, 2017 1:35 PM MST
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  • 1233
    Nonsense. You are conflating a public sector with socialism. They are not the same the thing. A public sector is fine so long as everyone contributes and everyone benefits from the services. 

    Socialism is when some contribute disproportionately more than others and only some people benefit.
      December 3, 2017 2:31 PM MST
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  • 46117
    Am I?   Am I conflating again?  I hate when that happens.

    Oh is that what socialism does?  How about the 2 percent getting everything and the rest suffer because they are not rich?

    Any thieves there?
      December 3, 2017 2:35 PM MST
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  • 1233
    The 2% are nothing. Typically that's just a hard working person of ability that your're jealous of. They deserve every penny and society would be infinitely poorer without them.

    It's the 0.001% that are screwing us. People like George Soros. It's mostly achieved by funding the left because the socialist taxes hit the middle class, not them. It suppresses their competition allowing them to maintain dominance. This post was edited by Zeitgeist at December 5, 2017 4:23 PM MST
      December 3, 2017 3:42 PM MST
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  • 113301
    :):):)
      December 3, 2017 2:02 AM MST
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  • 9777
    I'm retired and I pay income taxes, so I don't understand why you think the tax reform bill won't affect you.
      December 2, 2017 5:49 AM MST
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  • 19942
    If your income exceeds a certain amount, even though you're retired, you do have to pay taxes.  I believe the majority of retirees rely solely on Social Security in which case, their taxes would either be very low or non-existent. 
      December 2, 2017 11:10 AM MST
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  • 113301
    Both Jim and I have modest annuities Spunky from which we draw the required amount yearly. It is well below the level of allowable extra income. After we were retired and it was tax time we went to our local Senior Center(the Janet Goeske Center in Riverside). They provided professionals to help seniors prepare their taxes. So we signed up and when it was our utrn we sat down with a CPA and showed her all our stuff. She was the one who informed that we didn't meet the criteria. She gave me a Federal Form that showed what the allowable income  (not including Social Security) was for the prior year. So now every year I just check out what the new level is. It usually changes yearly going up. So we're still okay on that score. But gosh without Medicare I would have died in 2008 from cancer. Medicare saved my life. I was 70 when it hit and if I had been 60 we would have been wiped out financially and I would have died anyway. I'm 80 now and so I figure I've lived a good life..not long enough to suit me yet but if The Republicans do what they so want to do well goodbye so long it's been fun! SIGH. And of course Social Security is the safety net for folks like us. Without it it's like doing a fancy dancy highwire act without a net. Death awaits. It's just a matter of time. Thank you for your reply and Happy Sunday! :)
      December 3, 2017 2:11 AM MST
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  • 19942
    Well, I'm working three days a week now and collecting my Social Security plus I now have to take some money from an annuity, like you, so my income is still too high to for paying no taxes.  I will probably retire completely in another year, so we'll see what it looks like then.  I understand that many people with a serious illness would likely go bankrupt paying medical bills, so Medicare is definitely something I wouldn't want to see cut, nor Social Security, since that is the difference between eating and starving for too many folks.  I am not in favor of doing away with these two programs and allowing people to invest in their own retirement.  Most people would not put that money away if it wasn't mandatory and comes retirement, they have nothing and become wards of the state, or worse. 
      December 3, 2017 10:23 AM MST
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  • 113301
    I don't understand people like Paul Ryan and apparently he is legion. Common sense SHOULD cause us all to look out for one another. You watch my back and I'll watch yours. But The Ryans of the world who worship Ayn Rand  have no wish to watch anyone's back who doesn't "deserve" it. Apparently obscenely wealthy folks "deserve" it and the rest of us can go to he**. Overly dramatic? Sadly no. Right on target. Old, sick, poor, young are expendable. Gonna ask a question about it. Run it up the flagpole and see who salutes!  SIGH. I do hope one day "they" will know what it feels like to worry about paying bills, taking care of your family,  keeping everyone safe and secure and alive. Thank you for your reply Spunky and Happy Monday!  :)
      December 4, 2017 2:45 AM MST
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  • 19942
    I agree, but it isn't likely they will know what it's like to worry about finances because they will have made sure their nests are feathered before they leave office.  Happy Monday. :)
      December 4, 2017 7:50 AM MST
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  • 46117
    Paul Ryan is a total pig moron.




    When it comes to gaffes, Paul Ryan is no Joe Biden. But he has managed to develop a reputation as a “serial exaggerator,” typified by his claim that he had run a marathon in less than three hours. Here is a sampling of Ryan missteps:

    An unbelievable marathon time

    Paul Ryan is a sports-guy, but when he talked about his marathon-time from over 20 years ago he became a little over-ambitious. Ryan said, he took 2 hours 50-something minutes, which obviously is a very good time. However, the records told that his actual time was over 4 hours. He called his error an “honest mistake.” Watch, how he explains his gaffe on CBS.

    Errors by the bushel at the Republican convention

    Ryan’s speech at the RNC was a gift to fact-checkers. It was so full of lies that even FOX News stepped on the fact-check-train. According to them, Ryan’s speech “was an apparent attempt to set the world record for the greatest number of blatant lies and misrepresentations slipped into a single political speech.” To review his entire speech, click on the video below.

    Take away tax shelters

    Mitt Romney uses offshore tax shelters like the Cayman Islands. Paul Ryan might have forgotten that when he made the following proposal in the first interview together with Romney on Sixty Minutes: “What we’re saying is take away the tax shelters that are uniquely enjoyed by people in the top tax brackets so they can’t shelter as much money from taxation, should lower tax rates for everybody to make America more competitive.” Romney’s face turned a little shocked, as you can see in the video.

    What about these tax loopholes?

    The nation is puzzling over Romney/Ryan’s tax plan: they want to balance the tax cuts by reducing tax deductions and eliminating loopholes, but, in fact, they struggle when it comes to explaining which loopholes they will eliminate. Check out this Ryan interview with ABC News.

    Showing some muscles

    Whether this is a judgment error or a sign of political “strength” is in the eye of the beholder. Today, Time magazine published photos of Ryan in his training outfit and a baseball-cap lifting a huge hantel and demonstratively showing his biceps. The pictures were actually taken 10 months ago, when Ryan was nominated for Time’s “Person of the Year” lineup. As he didn’t make it the photos stayed unused — until now. With tonight’s debate nearing, Time decided to publish them.

    Abrupt end of an interview

    An interview between Ryan and a Michigan local ABC TV reporter ended with an argument. After the reporter asked a provocative question, Ryan responded, “those are your words, not mine.” Before he could continue, his spokesman interrupted. Watch for yourself! This post was edited by WM BARR . =ABSOLUTE TRASH at December 3, 2017 2:11 AM MST
      December 3, 2017 12:58 AM MST
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  • 113301
    Thank you for your comprehensive reply Sharon and Happy Sunday. Paul Ryan is a quiet murderer. He does it with joy and now feels so proud of accomplishing (well not quite yet) everything he ever dreamed of when he was in college and a worshipper of that well-known greedy selfish bit ** Ayn Rand. It will be interesting to see what happens next. Reconciliation between the House and the Senate awaits. Once they get everything hammered out and come up with a unified bill we know that the monstrous doofus don will sign it. That is our death warrant. I think the approval rating for this piece of crap is in the low 20's. We the people hate it. The Pols don't give a sh ** what we want. They are doing tricks for their wealthy johns who threatened to pull all future political contributions if they didn't get this huge windfall. Sniveling spineless greedy soulless and heartless dregs of humanity politicians voted for it. We the people elected them so we're  complicit in it. Not thee and me. But the collective we. You can't fight evil when it envelopes you like this effectively. But you can still protest and march and confront and speak up and speak out with your dying breath. What else is there? Roll over whimpering like a scared rat? I don't think so. Not quite yet. This post was edited by RosieG at December 3, 2017 2:35 PM MST
      December 3, 2017 2:23 AM MST
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  • 32527
    It was Obama who said Grandma has a heart condition....just give her a pain pill. 
      December 3, 2017 5:37 AM MST
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  • 46117
    Show me. 

    I don't believe this is true. 

    I think this is YOU.
      December 3, 2017 1:38 PM MST
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  • 32527

    "Perhaps, your better off not having the surgery and taking a pain pill" This post was edited by my2cents at December 5, 2017 4:28 PM MST
      December 3, 2017 2:35 PM MST
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  • 46117
    I cannot see this an error occured.

    That said?  I know he didn't say it in that context, like some flippant remark that you accused him of.

    I know he wouldn't do that.

    But YOU KNOW WHO WOULD, don't you?


    TRUMP.

    So, please give me a video that works?
      December 3, 2017 2:39 PM MST
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  • 32527
    I think this one is working....yes he worded it better than my first post....but the quote under the video is exactly how he finished the answer about an heart patient. 
      December 3, 2017 2:44 PM MST
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  • 46117
    Where IS IT?
      December 3, 2017 2:47 PM MST
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