Free Republic

Tea Party Support and the Social Security Institute Tell GOP Senate: “Stop Putting Your Christmas Vacation Ahead of Our Country” Posted : Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:14:19 GMT Tea Party Support ( http://teapartysupport.com ) and the Social Security Institute ( http://socialsecurityinstitute.com ) joined forces yesterday to blast out a million-and-a-half email messages asking people to demand that Republican Senators stop assisting Harry Reid to ram ObamaCare and the Reid health bill through the Senate by year’s end. The email campaign has generated more than 25,000 letters and emails to Capitol Hill so far. Tea Party Support President Matthew Perdue...

TAMPA — Todd Cohen was diagnosed with bone cancer in 1994 when he was 19. The cancer led to the amputation of his right leg. Since then, Cohen has learned to walk with a prosthesis. He got an education, but he has never held a steady job. He's gotten by with Medicaid and monthly Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, checks that have ranged from $271 to $650.

One day after the Herald reported some surprised Bay State inmates - including murderers and rapists - were cashing in $250 stimulus checks, federal officials revealed the same behind-bars bonus was mailed to nearly 4,000 cons nationwide. A federal watchdog is now probing how the cons were cut the checks. The same cash also may have been sent to fugitive felons, people kicked out of the country and even individuals now deceased. It’s all part of the massive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 - and what is becoming an accounting nightmare for red-faced feds. “President Obama’s $787 billion...

Over the past year I have been going over articles about Asperger's syndrome. Asperger's syndrome is considered to be a highly functioning form of autism yet it is also considered to be a disability. Members of the autism community have worked for years trying to downplay the severity of the disorder. I first heard about Asperger's in 1998 while watching a documentary. Asperger's disorder was first invented by a German doctor named Hans Asperger. (the disorder was named after him.) Asperger did study on children who though they were bright were considered awkward. The world health organization began to use...

Fed: That extra $25 you now receive from SSI? Yeah, that is a gift from Obama - your welcome and please vote again. Public: That is nice and all, but that extra $25 means that I am now over the income threshold to receive my $300 in food stamps. Fed: My bad, but I promise we won't make those same mistakes with health care reform.

Evidence for an SSN Card for an Illegal Alien

WASHINGTON — The nation’s top Social Security official says benefits for tens of thousands of people with severe disabilities are being delayed by furloughs and layoffs of state employees around the country. The official, Michael J. Astrue, the commissioner of Social Security, said Sunday that “governors are hurting their own states, their own citizens, and increasing the backlog of claims” by furloughing workers who make disability decisions.

As mentioned before, SSI and social security faces the end of its life due to uncontrolled spending and economic deprevations by the government. There is no doubt that coupled with massive debt and spending, the outsourcing of American jobs and the insourcing of undocumented immigrants who take away jobs here, we are looking at the bankruptcy and destruction of American programs including Social security and SSI. This would no doubt be a humanitarian disaster for those dependant on the two for sustinance espcecially for those incapable of working. It is perhaps an even greater and more horrific disaster for those...

Social Security is now in greater danger than before. It was thought that we would not have to worry about losing the Social Security trust fund for at least a hundred years. When I was much younger, I was told that Social Security would last at least until 2040 under the current situation at that time. Then after 9/11 and the recession we had, I was told, 2025. Now, we are in a worse mess than ever. A war that has dragged on for almost a decade and that has not produced enough results, a broken down housing market, ten...

They lined up at the polls, helping propel President-elect Obama to victory. Now immigrants are calling on him to act quickly and issue an executive order stopping immigration raids and the deportation of illegal immigrants. "This is the moment. He has to show leadership in a very courageous way," said Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (D-Brooklyn, Manhattan). The message was loud and clear at the Harlem church, where elected officials, clergy and immigrants filled the pews.

Well folks Britney Spears, the queen of comebacks has done it again. After the previous years' meltdown which lead to her being hospitalized twice at UCLA as well as her being placed under emergency guardianship, Britney Spears is back again like a boomerang. Already there is talks of a movie deal and perhaps another sleazy album. But the road back up has been long and hard and although she is now seeking treatment for "Bipolar" disorder, psychiatrists in charge of her care may be doing more to undermine her mental health than promote it. Britney Spears was incarcerated in UCLA's...

Several months ago, we did an expose on how innocent people are having their money taken away by unscrupulous loved ones and by Left wing Democrat government probates in the name of making them qualify for SSI over a perceived disability or dysfunction. In many cases the SSI payments went over to the perps of this atrocity as well. Well, a friend of mine involved in human rights has recently brought to the attention of several other victims. The saddest part is that it is considered legal in most cases and there is little that can be done to recover...

One of the things liberals love to do when making shrills against conservatives is to claim that they are backed by big business corporate capitalist elitists. Conservatives they say are interested in advancing the agenda of the rich against the poor. Conservatives are champions of the rich while they crap all over the poor. They only want to protect the privileged and elite. They give tax cuts to the super rich by cutting programs and putting our nation in debt. Also according to liberals, by electing Barack Obama, we would undo this and require that the rich pay their share....

Robert MorleyColumnist The United Ponzi States of America January 20, 2009 | From theTrumpet.com If you thought Madoff’s Ponzi scheme was bad, don’t look now, but you’re in one. Robert Morley Anyone can work a simple swindle. But you need to be a special kind of con man to bilk billions from otherwise intelligent people. Bernard L. Madoff was one such man. Charles Ponzi was another. But the biggest fraud and scam master of all goes by the name of Uncle Sam. Just what does a person have to do to make his name synonymous with fraud? Charles Ponzi, the...

Supporting the Particular Welfare by: Bethany Stotts, December 04, 2008 Since Welfare Reform was enacted in 1996, the number of welfare recipients receiving cash aid has dropped precipitously, from 4.5% of the population to 1.5%. But decreases in recipiency—participation in one or more welfare programs—have been small: In 1996, 16 % of the population received one or more of these benefits while nine years later, 15 % were recipients. What we commonly call welfare is officially called Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF). Before 1996, it was called Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). Additionally, the Social Security Administration...

"With grim economic news coming from many directions, it's easy to get discouraged about our ability to repair the damage of years of failed economic policies. And yet, there are pragmatic solutions to our biggest challenges, including ways to restore health care and retirement security, to create family-supporting jobs, and to reestablish a leadership role in the global economy. Collaborating with some of the nation's top progressive thinkers, EPI researchers have been exploring and refining solutions for the better part of two years. Now, just in time for national debates on economic direction, EPI has compiled the best of these...

Been away awhile. Turns out a lot of leftists from DU, Youtube and elsewhere have come on my website to start accusing me of things I never said or meant. Gotta love public school curriculum. With Obama and the Dems taking control, I thought I should bring up an important topic, private property rights and how Democrats plan to use the SSI program in Social security to strip Americans of their assets, homes and even their jobs. The SSI or Supplemental Security Program was started by Richard Nixon in 1974 to federalize welfare. The SSI program was administered by Social...

Lately I've been thinking of four left wing incidents that happened in Maine over the course of two years. I feel I should get them off my chest I think some of them would be interesting and I think others should know about them. The first one involves an incident that took place in the Bangor metro area two years ago. This freind of mine and his family were having trouble. He had difficulty getting by and he worked at Edwards Shop'n'save in Hampden outside Bangor. He was on food stamps and his wife was laid off and couldn't get...

The racial dimension of Barack Obama's electability problem is now apparent, but no prominent Democrat dares discuss it openly. Similarly expect no discussion of the subject in the major media. The white working class vote I am not referring to the ongoing and intense discussion of The Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Wright is a separate problem for Obama. Whether Obama has been, or will be, permanently weakened by his long and close association with Wright, or has soared above it with his Philadelphia speech, is not the subject of these thoughts. Something much simpler than the answer to that question has...

I went to get a new S.S. card and was told I don't exist.

WORCESTER— While fear exists that an 18-year-old man shot for his gold necklace Saturday night near Chino Avenue may be paralyzed, members of his family said yesterday they have faith he will emerge OK. Jeffrey Burgos remained in a city hospital in critical but stable condition and was scheduled to undergo more surgery. His family, who asked that their names and address be withheld for fear of reprisal, said the bullet went in near his navel and came out his back near his spine. “The doctors said it was a possibility (he would be paralyzed), but I trust in God...

Excerpt - NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Taxpayers owe more than $500,000 per household for financial promises made by government, mostly to cover the cost of retirement benefits for baby boomers, USA Today reported, citing its own analysis. Federal, state and local governments have added nearly $10 trillion to taxpayer liabilities in the past two years, bringing the total of government's unfunded obligations to an unprecedented $57.8 trillion, said the report late Wednesday. That is the equivalent of $510,678 for every household in the U.S., said USA Today. ~ snip ~

From the Washington Times: "The Senate voted yesterday to allow illegal aliens to collect Social Security benefits based on past illegal employment." Well, I think that's the kind of moderate compromise "comprehensive immigration reform" package all Americans can support, don't you? Some mean-spirited extremist House Republicans had proposed that illegal aliens should only receive 75 percent of the benefits to which they're illegally entitled for having broken the law. On the other hand, President Bush had proposed that illegal aliens should also be able to collect Social Security benefits for any work they'd done in Mexico (assuming, for the purposes...

On Thursday, the US Senate approved Social Security payments for illegal aliens, even if their employment status was due to stolen and/or forged documents. But yet the same Senate does this: "A proposal by Sens. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, to deny citizenship to immigrants convicted of a felony or three misdemeanors passed 99-0 after changes were made to ease Democrats' concerns." They want it both ways. I bet very few of the users of fake social security numbers filed income tax returns.

May 20, 2006 The Ensign Amendment Fiasco By Ross Kaminsky The Senate has by a 50-49 vote allowed a provision to remain in the Immigration Bill allowing illegal aliens to claim Social Security benefits. There is no way to sugar-coat what a disaster this is for Republicans and for the country. Democrats had many reasons for voting against Senator Ensign's amendment, which was designed to insure that "persons who receive an adjustment of status under this bill (The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006) are not able to receive Social Security benefits as a result of unlawful activity." 1. The...

The Senate voted yesterday to allow illegal aliens to collect Social Security benefits based on past illegal employment -- even if the job was obtained through forged or stolen documents. "There was a felony they were committing, and now they can't be prosecuted. That sounds like amnesty to me," said Sen. John Ensign, the Nevada Republican who offered the amendment yesterday to strip out those provisions of the immigration reform bill. "It just boggles the mind how people could be against this amendment." The Ensign amendment was defeated on a 50-49 vote. "We all know that millions of undocumented immigrants...

"The Senate voted yesterday to allow illegal aliens to collect Social Security benefits based on past illegal employment -- even if the job was obtained through forged or stolen documents. 'There was a felony they were committing, and now they can't be prosecuted. That sounds like amnesty to me,' said Sen. John Ensign, the Nevada Republican who offered the amendment yesterday to strip out those provisions of the immigration reform bill. 'It just boggles the mind how people could be against this amendment.' The Ensign amendment was defeated on a 50-49 vote," the Washington Times reports. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate blocked an effort on Thursday to limit Social Security benefits for illegal immigrants who would become permanent residents under a sweeping immigration overhaul being debated by lawmakers. The Senate immigration bill would give millions of the estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants in the country a path to citizenship as long as they pay a fine and back taxes and meet such requirements as learning English.

Senate blocks effort to limit benefits to immigrants By Donna Smith 10 minutes ago The U.S. Senate blocked an effort on Thursday to limit Social Security benefits for illegal immigrants who would become permanent residents under a sweeping immigration overhaul being debated by lawmakers. The Senate immigration bill would give millions of the estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants in the country a path to citizenship as long as they pay a fine and back taxes and meet such requirements as learning English. The Senate is considering a number of amendments to the bill and was expected to...

GAINS Center to Conduct Net/Teleconference on Enrolling Jail Diversion Program Participants in Medicaid, SSI/SSDI The National GAINS TAPA Center for Jail Diversion is conducting a Net/Teleconference on Thursday, August 25 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (EST) focusing on the challenge of enrolling jail diversion program participants in Medicaid and SSI/SSDI. An overview of the entitlement enrollment process and strategies for jail diversion programs to facilitate this process will be provided by presenters Yvonne Perret, Executive Director of the Advocacy and Training Center and Deborah Dennis, Vice President of the Housing and Homelessness Division at Policy Research Associates - which...

Social Security We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.--Winston Churchill SOCIAL SECURITY: Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social Security (FICA) Program. He promised: 1.) That participation in the Program would be completely voluntary, 2.) That the participants would only have to pay 1% of the first $1,400 of their annual incomes into the Program, 3.) That the money the participants elected to put into the Program would be deductible from their income for tax purposes each...

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Robert Bennett, the chief deputy majority whip and one of the wisest Republican heads in Washington, has quietly entered the Social Security maelstrom with a thoughtful compromise that puts his party at a crossroads. The GOP faces this choice: pass a bill that is a pallid version of the original proposal, or concede defeat and fight out the battle in the 2006 campaign. Bennett's plan would attack the unmistakable Social Security funding deficit by cutting benefits, graduated to hit hardest in upper income brackets. There would be no tax increase. President Bush's proposed voluntary personal accounts as...

Social Security as it is today is not a fully funded savings and investment system. It is redistribution system, workers pay in, beneficiaries receive payments and the surplus is lent to the federal government and spent. My first question, What type of bond is held by the Social Security System for the money owed it by the federal government? I think it was 1968 this started, almost 4 decades ago. Estimated SS contributions for the year 2005 are $575 billion, the estimated pay out is $515 billion, the $60 billion dollars will be lent to the federal goverment and spent....

In addressing you on June 8, 1934, I summarized the main objectives of our American program. Among these was, and is, the security of the men, women, and children of the Nation against certain hazards and vicissitudes of life. This purpose is an essential part of our task. In my annual message to you I promised to submit a definite program of action. This I do in the form of a report to me by a Committee on Economic Security, appointed by me for the purpose of surveying the field and of recommending the basis of legislation. I am gratified...

WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) - Va Choua Vang, who fled Laos after the Vietnam War, couldn't sleep over worry about how he would support his family when the U.S. government stopped sending monthly checks. "I didn't want to live. I thought about suicide," said Vang, 74, through his son, Chue Neng Vang. The elder Vang, who doesn't speak English, did not know that the reason he and his wife stopped receiving the $1,500 in checks was because they failed to become citizens within seven years of their arrival in America. A Hmong, Vang felt betrayed. He and other members of the...

<p>Yossif Sakirski used to enjoy painting buildings, going to parties - and having a little financial freedom, thanks to his monthly $546 Supplemental Security Income check.</p> <p>The Baltimore resident doesn't paint or go to parties these days because of a painful leg injury. Worse, he is scheduled to lose his monthly checks in five months because of a quirk in U.S. immigration law - one of the thousands of immigrants throughout the nation facing a similar fate.</p>

<p>About 12,000 people per week in this country apply for Social Security disability benefits. The time it takes to process a claim from the original filing date is now, in many cases, at least one to three years or longer. Claimants, in addition to their illnesses, face homelessness, bankruptcy and even death while waiting for their cases to be approved.</p>

<p>President Bush's plan to go to the moon and to Mars without much additional funding will force NASA and Congress to make hard choices -- particularly regarding the space shuttle and the hugely expensive International Space Station, observers said.</p> <p>The Bush plan increases NASA's budget by just $1 billion over the next five years. That means the space agency has to figure out how to carry out the mission -- first a return to the moon and later a trip to Mars -- without a lot of additional money in its budget.</p>

Those who have noted my username in my posting history at FR will recall that I have mentioned once or twice before that my wife, beautiful and loving human being that she is, also happens to be profoundly mentally ill. Her primary ailment is a severe anxiety disorder with secondary manifestations of savage depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. If we had not found each other, it's most likely she would have committed suicide, and if anything should happen to me, I fear for her survival. I raise these points not as a plea for sympathy or self-justification, only for context. These...

Social Security's Ticket to Work program - designed to help people with disabilities go to work and achieve their employment goals - is now available nationwide. The Ticket to Work program is one of the best ways to help Americans with disabilities realize their dreams through meaningful and successful careers. People receiving a ticket in the mail also get information telling them how to use it to get vocational rehabilitation services, as well as employment and other support services from any of the employment service providers. Social Security now has contracts with hundreds of groups and organizations around the country,...

November 30, 2003 The Unemployment Myth By AUSTAN GOOLSBEE CHICAGO The government's announcement on Tuesday that the economy grew even faster than expected makes the current "jobless recovery" even more puzzling. To give some perspective, unemployment normally falls significantly in such economic boom times. The last time growth was this good, in 1983, unemployment fell 2.5 percentage points and another full percentage point the next year. That's what happens in a typical recovery. So why not this time? Because we have more to recover from than we've been told. The reality is that we didn't have a mild recession. Jobs-wise,...

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) - The government has begun cutting off payments to thousands of disabled and elderly refugees and people seeking asylum who missed a deadline to become American citizens. About 4,300 people who have been in the country at least seven years are losing monthly Supplemental Security Income checks. When that happens, they also lose eligibility for Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor and elderly.</p>

WASHINGTON -- One in three drug addicts and alcoholics removed from a federal disability program in 1996 failed to make up even half the money they once got from the government, researchers reported Monday. The Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, program gives cash benefits to very poor, disabled Americans. Until 1996, a program called Drug Addiction and Alcohol allowed very poor alcoholics and drug addicts about $500 a month from SSI, plus health benefits through Medicaid, if they were receiving treatment for their addictions. The program started small but grew rapidly in the 1980s and 1990s as courts ruled that...