White House Moves Disability Benefits to The Chopping Block

[DemBones DemBones]

I haven't seen this in the mainstream media, wonder why?

I haven't seen an outcry over this at DU, wonder why?


May 13, 2005


White House Moves Disability Benefits to The Chopping Block


Washington, DC - A day after the chief White House economist admitted that the Bush plan to privatize Social Security would include cuts to survivor benefits, the Bush administration also acknowledged that it would not protect disability benefits despite earlier assurances that these earned benefits would remain untouched. This is the latest trial balloon in the Bush administration's real plan to dismantle Social Security. The announcement may help explain why a new Harris poll found that only 36 percent of Americans think President Bush's "comments on saving and strengthening Social Security are his real motives for changing the program, while 49% believe his real agenda is to dismantle it."


"For the second day in a row, the Bush administration has admitted that despite past assurances, they never intended to protect Social Security disability and survivor benefits,"said DNC spokesman Josh Earnest. "From steep benefit cuts for the middle class, to risky private accounts, and now no protections for disability or survivor benefits, it's becoming clearer every day that Bush's real plan is to dismantle Social Security.”

THEN

Bush: Disability Benefits Won't Be Cut. " said he has no plans to cut benefits for the approximately 40 percent of Social Security recipients who collect monthly disability and survivor payments as he prepares his plan for partial privatization."

NOW

Bush Administration Won't Protect Disability Benefits. "Future Social Security retirement benefits for disabled workers is a matter for negotiations with Congress as it drafts solvency legislation, the Bush administration said Thursday, declining to say whether they should be raised, lowered or left unchanged. ‘Any plan that maintains current disability benefits will need to address the transition to retirement, and those details will be worked out through the legislative process,' said White House spokesman Trent Duffy."


http://www.democrats.org/ssm/news/200505130004.html









 

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Can't you just feel the compassion of this true Christian?

[Spinzonner]

2. It's getting harder and harder to

distinguish Compassionate COnservatism from Social Darwinism all the time.

Who knew they were actually Darwinists all the time ...

[havocmom]

3. Most of the disabled are not conspicuous consumers

and can't be used by corporations to make more $$ for the stockholders so the junta wants them off the planet.

If you can't buy a lot, or work a lot for ever lowering wages, no place for you in the neocon American Empire.

[jwirr]

25. Except that they do make money for

the pharmaceutical companies and equipment dealers. Why aren't the drug pushers lobbying for them?

[DanCa]

4. Actually as someone who gets ssdi

I am extremely outraged by this. I have been since the chimp stole the election. However theres so much that this administration does that I would be absolutely crazy if it werent for my psych meds and my stem cell advocacy. :)

[DemBones DemBones]

9. You miss my point

which is that only the disabled seem to give a shit what happens to the disabled.

Poor saps in the media and most of the non-disabled saps at DU have this crazy idea that it will never happen to them. They really don't get it that nobody expects to become disabled.

[DanCa]

14. oh sorry

Thats the pit falls of posting late at night. No harm no foul?

[Kipling]

5. Well...

He's only taking Thatcher/Reaganism to it's logical conclusion. If they're not successful... we can do without them.

[dbeach]

6. in george orwell buss's world of opposites..

love is hate..war is peace..failure is success and ..we wont cut benefits means lookout if you are disabled


He flatlined the 05 and 06 VA budget which is really a cut..BUT the worse is yet to come for Veterans as 07 budget is in for big cuts.

Face it the repukes HATE all social programs cuz they only want to socialize with like minded fascists like gannon for example..

repuke patriotism means hide your wallets and your kids cuz the
uber rich want your bennies...thus more wars and soon drugs for kids..Mandatory mental health screening for all students..
which wil be yet another bonanza for big pharma


9/11 = greatest cash cow and continuing pork project bonanza in history

[lala_rawraw]

7. I wonder if the SS can investigate you

for wishing him cancer?

[Spinzonner]

8. He is one

[lala_rawraw]

10. ?

[Spinzonner]

11. A cancer

[DemBones DemBones]

12. Sigh. Does anyone care about the disabled except the disabled themselves?

:banghead:

[NMMNG]

13. Well there's a shocker!

The Bible has over 100 verses dictating its believers provide assistance to the poor and needy.

The more power the NeoconFundies get, the more they slash assistance to the poor and needy.

And still they claim to be 'compassionate conservatives', banter on about how 'moral' they are, and about how their God inspires them do do so much good for the country.

What a load of crap.

[undergroundpanther]

15. I curse bush

I hope he suffers forever. I hope he and all his neocon buddies have no place to hide from the righteous anger of all the people they used,lied to,manipulated,discounted and hurt.
May these sociopath authoritarian pigs and all their sycophants and beneficiaries be humiliated,discredited, ashamed,rendered harmless,broke,held accountable,tried and put away forever.May they all,be totally put out of power and their wealth stolen from the American people confiscated back by the American people.

May Americans of good heart and integrity they can prove and who do not need to misuse privacy take back the wealth squandered by the rich on their own destructive selfish agendas,on wars,corporate bailouts,invasion of citizen privacy and removal of rights be taken back and the social safety net mended and made stronger.May the republican party and corporations and churches that get into politics never be trusted to exist again..May all people realize a corporation is not a person and it deserves no rights as people have...May The Bush administrations corruption be plainly visible upon them and may it's shame follow them forever like a stench they can never wash off..may they be pariahs.

May beliefs that form the central core of the right wings enchantments over desperate people.. like elitism,Trickle down economics,authoritarianism,fundamentalism,social Darwinism, the cult of success and bootstraps,and the entire Horatio Alger myth DIE from lack of converts, supporters and apologists!
May the beliefs of the right wing authoritarian be synonymous with depravity in the minds of all of humanity.

[Sugarbleus]

16. In other words: .. A POX on ALL their houses!

;) :hi:

[undergroundpanther]

18. A pox ain't painful enough!!!

[Sugarbleus]

17. How far along in the process of killing SS is the admin now?

My apologies for not paying attention lately; have some heavy personal/family "drama" going on.

My question is: While this isn't a surprise coming from the facists; how far along is bushco in actually getting any of his SS plans passed?

Last I checked, he was facing some stiff resistance even from republican voters.

I too draw SSDI with SSI AND I work very part time as an in-home caregiver. Hubby is on SSI as he was injured very young in life, before he could accumulate SSDI income. If any of this were cut, we'd be up shit creek.

I can't begin to tell anyone how distressing life has become since this little Nero took office. I knew we, the disabled, the aging, and poorer workers et al, would be in for it if the repubs took hold of power. Little by little it unfolds right before our eyes as they hack and hew away at any civilized programs for the people who need them the most. In recent months the fire has been turned up on folks like us. I have so much anxiety I can hardly breathe. I've not even been out of the house in several weeks.

They've cut housing, medical, and now they want to chip away at our paltry incomes. What kind of landscape do these folks expect to see if all of these changes take hold for the next umpteen years? Hordes of homeless aged, sick, disabled, and children out roaming the streets? OR do they expect to put us in those previously talked about "camps" and holding "farms"??????

This is the MOST uncivilized, uncouth, unethical, and evil administration since maybe Woodrow Wilson.

You know, I don't think bush is stupid; his henchmen certainly aren't, but one can actually be a genius and still be rabidly insane.

[Megahurtz]

19. This is insanity.

This Administration just doesn't care.
Where will all the disabled, poor etc. go? I shudder to think.:scared:

Talk about anxiety, I have worsening depression over this Administration.:(

What worries me is that the Social Security issue is so quiet and covert now (you don't hear much at all in the mainstream media) that we don't know what's really going on.
I have always wondered what Bushitler's plan for Social Security Disability is, and the first time I have heard anything about this is today, on this forum.

I don't mean to be so negative, but I feel like I am losing hope.:(

[Sugarbleus]

20. "Hugs" Megahurtz... I can relate to your feelings completely..

That's why I asked what the current situation with SS is. I feel so trapped. The news on the domestic front is so chilling, I fear I'll stroke out before anything positive is accomplished.

Yep, my depression has worsened. My meds aren't cutting it anymore...and why should they really, afterall half of my depression isn't clinically related anymore. (Thank you Bush the Vulgar):grr:

My anxiety level is off the charts! I went to doc this afternoon where he wondered why I was having so much distress.......BUT they only give you less than ten minutes to explain any of it. Sheesh

I'm nearly in full panic attack mode. Not just because of politics but because of ALL the negative happenings including the politics...with no place to turn. The health care sucks, the housing market sucks for those of us with less financial stability..I can see my family living in the streets.. (Not a good mental picture for peaceful sleeping at night.)

My grown kids are struggling and have become MORE dependent on ME. Hubby is not getting the quality of care he once did so he's falling apart. I'm sick myself and I'm at my wits end here.

Talk about insecure!! Hoo boy, I can't even watch the television news anymore.

You are not alone Mega. Here's a big group hug for all of us who worry and live in fear about our tomorrows. :grouphug:

SB

[Megahurtz]

21. Thanks, Sugarbleus

:hug: I feel even worse after the latest news about the Supreme Court Judges. Some DUers feel like it was a good compromise, but I don't.

I also need to stay away from watching the news right now because it is bad for my health!

I guess all we can do for now is try to find some ray of hope in our own lives and try to stay somewhat positive. (I know it's really hard to be positive when you feel sick.)

I find that it also helps to look into nutrition and health alternatives. That way I feel that maybe I can at least (try) to have some kind of control over my own health and feel some kind of peace.

As far as the financial end of this :scared: I guess we'll just have to play it by ear.
At least we know we're not alone in this!:grouphug:

[dajoki]

22. no voice but our own

i too am disabled and collecting ssd and it's true we have no voice but our own. it can happen to anyone so watch out you strong, healthy people, you never know. i won't even get into worker's comp. that's a whole book in itself!! but are they talking about cutting our benefits or future disabled people's benefits, no raises or what? heartless bastards!!

[Tinoire]

23. Jeez.

And no one will stand up to stop them.

[undergroundpanther]

24. Cutting ssi

The non disabled have been able to live in denial.

They gave us our checks and our reluctant families could put us away from their lives.We get our SSI subsidized housing and we don't become burdens on relatives.

Relatives may be in for a rude awakening .

Some relatives balk at having to help house and care for sisters or brothers with mental illness or wheelchairs it will cause an outrage because people that are"normal" can't stand to see and relate to a human being that's handicapped up close.

When you have mental illness for instance and things get hairy your family sends you away to the hospital where "professionals" handle you.

If these families have to deal with it..they will make a stink because they like the idea of the state taking care of the more difficulty tasks,they like the state taking up the slack so they can work and all without having to tend to crisis's that people go through when they are mentally ill etc.


With SSI cut more families will get into debt much faster so Bush can fill up all those shiny new debtors prisons that have been built everywhere and he can get people to work for free to work off obscene "interests" that never get paid down caused by hospital bills etc.from families taking up the slack SSI once took up.. The noose is closing on the wage slave system .Soon credit lords will create a never ending excuse for debt slavery. Interest will make sure debts are NEVER paid off. And when good Christian liberals scared to throw away the bible cry slavery is unchristian they will have no place to turn in the bible because the bible is OK with slavery and so are the neocons. Creating the conditions for debt slavery is their reason for cutting SSI. Medical Debt and Credit card Debt will be a tool used to screw us all into slavery. Debt slavery is a sneaky slavery scam that is very effective.Debt slavery has kept generations of Indian families under the yoke of masters. If it works in India by playing on basic human decency,pride honesty and repaying of "kindness",I fear debt slavery will dupe us just as bad here.How many people DARE to refuse to pay usury? Those interests on loans?
How many have the guts to not pay hidden fees credit companies put in the fine print to make sure you NEVER pay them off.. or refuse to pay taxes when the government no longer represents us? Remember the huge protests before Iraq being blown off? With this rightwards tilt,the church infiltration, and corporate lobby we have no representation for us in our government anymore,yet we pay taxes out of fear..this is extortion without representation.

[Sugarbleus]

26. To the best of my knowledge, SSI is not attached to Social Security

disability. Administered through the same office but a separate fund; it's more like a welfare program for those with disability who have not worked enough to earn SSDI.

SSDI is the program directly connected to social security and the subject of this thread.

I cannot tell you how upset I've been since reading this news from your OP. We were going to look into a county/state program for very, very low income people to purchase a home/mobile/condo whatever--via HUD. However, without the assurance that our SSDI will continue, it's doubtful we could enter into a program like this without an assurance of an income stream!!!!!!!!!

Our family is running around in circles trying to find a solution to many of our worries. We get an idea and then BAM..this stinking government tries to cut more dollars from our incomes, medical, and housing needs.

Today I received a notice from Medicare saying they will no longer allow my medicaid to pick up the cost of my prescriptions. They want to have that part rolled over to Medicare with a co-pay involved. I only get $628 per month--SSDI. I've been earning about $290-300 extra per month and that job will have to cease very soon as I'm in too much pain to continue. My S.O. get's $805 per month--SSI--but we are not married. The crap I'm receiving in the mail is based on my income alone! Three adults and one teenager have to live on this! If anyone else in the household earns an income, it has to be reported and then the cost of the rent goes up...ASTRONOMICALLY. It's damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

Sooooo, for my family it's been like this: First they cut the budget and change rules for housing assistance--with prospects of finding suitable housing anywhere else extremely dim. My rent went from $175 (our portion) to $489--and we live in a dive. Then they start to tamper with medicaid and seem to be forcing me to move over to Medicare for prescription drugs, whether I like it or not. Now, we are fearful they will cut our Disability benefits; and how much is anyone's guess. *fingers crossed here*

With all of that cutting and slashing, we STILL have to pay our power bill, telephone, buy food, buy insurance, buy gasoline, water and garbage, pay our bills, and maybe buy an item of clothing once in a blue moon. How sweet is that!

May I just let out a murderous, blood curdling scream right about now????

We are going downhill on an oiled slope and I'm fit to be tied! :grr:

:nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: