need help about social security issues in an email sent to me

[kodi]

i receieved the following in an email from a family member and nearly went ballistic. but before i respond, i would like some help either debunking the data or casting it in another light.

note how the email ends, indicating this is floating around the ether space, and that i was one of about 40 addresses it was sent to.

here goes............and if this thread gets locked due to restrictions for posting thread topics, would somebody p-email me how to find out how to debunk it....thanks....kodi the bear



Subject: 2004 issue

Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are now receiving a Social Security check every month -- and then finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of the money we paid to the federal government to "put away," you may be interested in the following: Q: Which party took Social Security from an independent fund and put it in the general fund so that Congress could spend it?
A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the Democratic-controlled House and Senate.

Q: Which party put a tax on Social Security?
A: The Democratic party.

Q: Which party increased the tax on Social Security?
A: The Democratic Party with Al Gore casting the deciding vote.

Q: Which party decided to give money to immigrants?
A: That's right, immigrants moved into this country and at 65 got SSI Social Security. The Democratic Party gave that to them although they never paid a dime into it.

Then, after doing all this, the Democrats turn around and tell you the Republicans want to take your Social Security.

And the worst part about it is, people believe it!

Pass it on please!

2004 Election Issue
This must be an issue in "04". Please! Keep it going.

SOCIAL SECURITY:
(This is worth the read. It's short and to the point.)

Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election
years. Our Senators and Congress men &women 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, former 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.

Their cost for this excellent plan is $00.00. 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 General Funds-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 $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 watch 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.

How many people can YOU send this to?"

garr!

[avtho]

1. Snopes it!!!

Some truth in here, some BS.

[Nomad559]

2. Snopes

http://www.snopes.com/

Q: Which party put a tax on Social Security?
A: The Democratic party.
FALSE

Actually, it was Ronald Reagan, a Republican, who signed a bill taxing
Social Security benefits.
http://www.ssa.gov/history/briefhistory3.html
"The 1983 Amendments

In the early 1980s the Social Security program faced a serious short-term
financing crisis. President Reagan appointed a blue-ribbon panel, known as
the Greenspan Commission, to study the financing issues and make
recommendations for legislative changes. The final bill, signed into law
in 1983, made numerous changes in the Social Security and Medicare
programs, including the taxation of Social Security benefits, the first
coverage of Federal employees under Social Security and an increase in the
retirement age in the next century."

Q: Which party increased the tax on Social Security?
A: The Democratic Party with Al Gore casting the deciding vote.

TRUE

Since the statement does not mention any specific bill that Al Gore cast
the deciding vote, it led to an exhaustive search. As a Vice President,
he could have exercised his constitutional powers to break a tie vote in
the Senate.

I did find as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, the
VP did cast a vote in the Senate to break a tie. This Act was a huge bill
that covered everything from agricultural commodities, licensing of radio
spectrum, luxury automobile taxes, fuels, banking, medicare, etc., etc.
The bill passed in the House by a vote of 218-216 and in the Senate by
51-50.

[alcuno]

3. The premise is incorrect

SS was never "put away" for you. It was always a program that had current workers paying for the benefits of retirees. I think it currently requires something like 3 workers to pay the benefit for each retiree.

Also, contributions to SS are capped at, I think, $83,000. Let's say that someone earning $83,000 pays $6000 per year into SS. Someone earning $8,300,000 also pays $6000 into SS yearly because of the cap. One person is paying 8% of their salary and the other is paying .08% of their salary. What's fair about that?

[dofus]

9. $87,000 according to my most

recent mailing from those lovely people at the Social Security Administration.

[izzie]

4. Well congress does get alot on retirement and we should stop some

They are paid so well let them do their own health care.About a third of my retirement comes from SS and it is low. There is truth is some of this but do see how and who voted.

[kodi]

5. thanks folks. you are a great help

i will be sending out a response to the email i got using what you have posted and i will check out the snopes link too.

here is what i originally planned to send out, (to my aunt) but calmed down and thought you might be better informed than me.....


"dear aunt XXXXX

"i am surprised at you for passing around this right wing propaganda.

anyone who thinks that republicans give a damn about people isn't paying attention to the facts.

you do know that george w bush has cut VA benefits for millions of sick and injured military veterans, and remember that your own husband, a WWII combat veteran is on dialysis treatment provided the VA, just so bush could have his tax cut for the rich? bush doesn't care if your own husband dies from medical care neglect, and yet apparently you support this.

it was a republican administration that placed caps on SS payments of salaries of approx. $85K or higher, so that bill gates pays in SS no more than a person making $85K.

the right wingers who bitched for decades about balancing the federal budget and never did a damn thing about it now have the unmitigated gall to complain about federal actions taken to do so?

damned if you do, damned if you don't according to the GOP lying bastards who mention this sort of crap.

bill clinton's administration balanced the budget for 3 straight years, he left this country with a budgetary surplus of $236BILLION and now 2 1/2 years hence, the yearly US federal budget deficit for 2003 alone, under george bush, is $500 BILLION, and climbing. which works out pretty good if you are wealthy and can buy interest bearing US government bonds, but the national debt, now standing at $7TRILLION and forcasted to be over $12TRILLION within the next decade will drive up interest rates over the next decade so that your grandkids will not be able to buy a home, all so those with enough money to live very comfortably will have even more?

you need to sit down with grandmom and let here tell you about the great depression which was caused by the republican adminstration policies of coolidge and hoover and how little republicans did for the american people when one out of four american workers were unemployed. leaving fiscal policy to republicans regularly drives this nation towards third world economic status. the very blessings you and your family have was the result of democratic public policy, fought against every step of the way by the republicans you seem to revere.

if it was up to republicans, there would have never even been social security, nor VA, your husband would be dead long ago, your own mother too from lack of medical care from SS. that's okay by you?

3 MILLION men and women have lost their jobs in the last 2 1/2 years and are now without work due to the ignorant policies of the bush administration and yet you act like that lying shitbag has done this nation a favor.

according to "california logic," you should be for recalling bush for his fiscal policies.

pass this on to the shit for brains who originally posted the tripe to you, i will debate the misinformed, god damned son of a bitch any day he wants."

i did not send it... but i will draft another which reflects what i learned here.

i talked on the phone to my mom about this and she wants to punch her sister right in the nose.

[Mz Pip]

6. Right Wing Screed

Ask this:

Who wrote this?

Why did they wrote it?

Who benefits from people believing these misrepresentations?

It's funny that in all the years I have had e-mail I have only received Right Wing falacies portrayed as truth. These folks must be really desperate.

MzPip
:dem:

[Lefty48197]

7. Right wingers fought against SS when we Democrats invented it

and they've fought against it every single day since. Everybody knows that. Some of us just won't admit it.

[donco6]

8. Who cared enough to invent social security?

Not the goddam republicans, I can tell you that much!