Working with Disabilities: Stories of Arkansans Who Work
Man’s Voice: Jared Johnson was born with multiple birth defects in a small town in Minnesota. His hometown was not wheelchair accessible at that time. After attending college and playing wheelchair basketball, he was recruited by the Arkansas Rolling Razorbacks, which he now coaches.
Jared also works at the Social Security Administration and knows first hand how a person with disabilities can be employed and not lose his or her benefits.
Mr. Jared Johnson: I think disability is only a barrier when you as an individual that’s disabled let it be a barrier. If you pursue a career or something that physically you’re not going to be able to do, then obviously your chair is going to be a barrier. But if you pursue careers that a person that’s physically disabled can do, then, you know, you just have to be able to prove to yourself and to people that are trying to hire you that you are the best candidate for that position and then when you get that position, you know, do the best you can to pursue your career. Read more
Worried about Social Security and your retirement?
If you’re worried about Social Security and your retirement, you should be. Hi, I’m Tom Cock from Merriman and let’s talk about the Social Security System. Remember this is a pay-as-you-go system. In other words, dollars are supposed to come in, dollars are supposed to get paid out. Unfortunately, the government, of course, has put IOUs against most of that money and has used it for other things, and we’ve got some bad news here in the past few days.
We learned that Social Security, the giant trust fund, is expected to run out of money by the year 2037 and will be net negative by the year 2016. Years earlier, that had been expected and the reasons why are pretty easy to understand; we’re in a recession, there are few people working, fewer people paying into Social Security and part 2 is the 78 million baby boomers, of which I am one, are getting older and they’re starting to draw on Social Security. Read more
What happens to your Social Security number when you die?
Robert Todd: You have recently become aware of Social Security number scams where individuals have taken the Social Security numbers of other people and used them to obtain false purchases, false loans and a host of other items, and you’re worried about what’s going to happen to your Social Security number when you die?
Hello, I’m Robert Todd and I’m here to answer the question, “What happens to your Social Security number when you die?”
Well, you may be surprised to learn that it dies with you. It is not re-circulated. The Social Security Administration is adamant about that position.
Currently there have been approximately 400 million Social Security numbers administered and released and it is anticipated that there are enough numbers to go around, slightly 1 billion, between now and the end of the next century. So, for the time being the Social Security Administration is not going to have to really change anything to avoid duplication of numbers.
So to answer the question, your Social Security number dies with you. I’m Robert Todd and thank you for watching.
When Will Social Security Run Out Of Money?
Bill Scher: “Hi, this is Bill Scher with LiberalOasis.com. When will Social Security run out of money? The answer is never, so you can be quite confident that your Social Security will be there for you when you reach 65. Some people say that is the case because the Social Security Trust Fund is scheduled to run out of money in the year 2049, but that does not mean that people will not access Social Security benefits. The trust fund is established to handle demographic shifts over time.
The very worst-case scenario, if no changes remain with the Social Security program by the year 2049, instead of having 100 percent of scheduled benefits, you would get 78 percent. But even that would actually be a larger amount of benefits than you would get if you accessed Social Security today because those benefits are expected to climb over time.
So there is no crisis in Social Security and to make sure that 100 percent of benefits are available by the year 2049, only very minor changes are needed to the program. For example, if we raise what’s known as the payroll tax cap. Right now, there is a cap on the level of income that is subject to Social Security taxes. It’s actually a flat progressive tax that allows higher-income Americans to pay a lower percentage of Social Security taxes. If we rectify that, that in and of itself would solve this very minor problem in Social Security.”
The Social Security Scam
The release of the 2009 Social Security Trustees Report indicates that the current economic crisis has negatively impacted the Social Security budget. It’s now projected that by 2016 Social Security spending will exceed revenues. According to the report, the financial condition of the Social Security program “remains challenging” and “need(s) to be addressed soon.” A look at the numbers shows us the severity of the Social Security budget problem.
Social Security is a “pay-as-you-go” system. This means that when you work, the government takes your money and gives it to Social Security recipients. In order to get workers to accept this system, the government promises to take other people’s money and give it to you when you retire. Think of it as an exponentially larger version of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme.
As long as a lot of people die before collecting any benefits, or die without collecting many benefits, the system is financially sound. In 1950, the worker-to-beneficiary ratio was 16.5-to-1. With people living longer, the worker to beneficiary ratio has fallen to 3.1-to-1 and within 20 years it’s expected to drop to 2.1-to-1. Due to this falling ratio, over the years the feds have raised tax rates and now must consider further adjustments.
Let’s look at the revenue side of things. Each worker’s income below about $106,800 is taxed at a 12.4 percent rate. There are no deductions for this tax. All income is taxable income. Even those in the lowest income brackets have roughly one-eighth of their income taken from them to fund the Social Security system. Read more
Social Security $250 Stimulus Check
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Loading ...Social Security Number Fraud and Identity Theft Prevention Act
Congressman Mike Coffman: “Mr. Speaker, millions of Americans are hurt by identity theft every year. My legislation, The Social Security Number Fraud and Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2009, HR 2472, will enable the Social Security Administration to work with the Department of Homeland Security in searching for records to identify individuals and employers who are using false names, false Social Security numbers, multiple individuals using the same Social Security number, the fraudulent use of Social Security numbers taken from dead people and individuals who had applied and received a Social Security number, but who are not legally entitled to work in the United States.
According to the most recent national survey by the Federal Trade Commission, 8.3 million adults in the United States were victims of identity theft and 1.8 million adults in the US reported their personal information fraudulently used by somebody else.
This legislation HR 2472 will end a bureaucratic loophole that keeps Federal agencies from cooperating in the fight against identity theft and I strongly urge its passage.”
“Just like you and I, Social Security is going to change”
Nicole Livas: 10 On Your Side wants to help you plan for a comfortable retirement. So we headed to Langley Federal Credit Union to sort out part of a Social Security mystery.
Tom Schaad: It’s a financial forms set up to explain the current status of Social Security and what it may hold for your future. 10 On Your Side Eric Harryman joins us now with more on what you can do now to prepare.
Eric Harryman: Tom, Nicole, it comes down to realistic expectations and staying informed long before retirement age. Don’t get me wrong though. The daunting question of “Will there be any money left when I retire?” remains. But the experts say, “Worry less, plan more”.
Commentator: With the US economy in crisis mode, many believe Social Security could disappear.
Marsha Kilburn: Are there going to be funds there when we are ready to retire?
Read more
Forced Into Slavery to Pay For Somebody’s Elses Retirement?
Devvy Kidd: Welcome to “One for the Road” and I’m Devvy Kidd, your commentator. “One for the Road” was developed and created to help the busy commuter and Americans who don’t have access to the Internet find out what Congress and the media won’t tell you.
Social Security, of course, is the sacred cow of politics. We mustn’t talk about Social Security. Social Security is a ponzi scheme. Social Security can be funded by constitutionally generated revenues for the government. It must be funded out for the people who need it. But the American people have been lied to about this system and how it actually works and that has to come to a stop.
Social Security is a ponzi scheme that is so mathematically flawed that it can’t be saved and it certainly can’t be fixed. However, there is a fair and equitable solution to this monstrous problem that has become nothing more than every politician’s favorite campaign issue election after election with never a solution in sight. It is truly reprehensible how politicians over the past six decades have used Social Security to scare old people for a vote.
Please remember that Social Security is a tax. It’s a tax that goes into the general fund of the treasury and is not earmarked for any specific spending purpose. There is no such thing as a Social Security trust fund, or lock box or anything else. Social Security is a tax. That tax goes into the general fund and is spent for things like a million dollar contract for prophylactics for the people of Pakistan.
The way the system is set up, even if you chose your right not to ever obtain this insidious Social Security number that has been the biggest contributor to identity theft, you still are forced to pay a Social Security tax for a system that you will never be a participant in. This is the clearest, most gross example of indentured servitude that I have ever seen in my life.
Truly, the American people are made slaves to pay for somebody else’s retirement. Let me go into a little bit more here. No one is required to obtain a Social Security number. If you wish to ask someone from the government about this fact, let me demonstrate how you will be lied to by the same person. Read more
Obama’s Blueprint for Change on Social Security and Medicare
Barack Obama: “We can extend the promise of Social Security without shifting the burden on seniors. I think that’s why the best way forward is to first look to adjust the cap on the payroll tax, so that people like me, because I am earning more than $102,000, pay a little bit more and people in need are protected.
And by the way, I think that we should exempt anyone making under $250,000 from this increase. So it will not burden the middle class. 97% of Americans will see absolutely no change in their taxes under my proposal. 97%. What it does allow us to do is to extend the life of Social Security without cutting benefits or raising the retirement age.
Even if we keep Social Security strong for future generations, it’s not enough to help seniors who are struggling with the cost of everything from gas to groceries, because we know that rising costs are hardest for folks on fixed incomes. That’s why I want to make retirement more secure by eliminating the income tax for retirees who are making less than $50,000 a year. This would completely eliminate income taxes for 7 million seniors.
If a company goes bankrupt workers should be a top priority and not just an afterthought. So as President, I’ll limit the circumstances when retirement benefits can be cut and increase the wages and benefits that workers can claim in bankruptcy court. We’ll require companies to disclose their pension fund investments. We’ll put an end to the outrage of executives getting bonuses while workers watch pensions disappear, and we’ll make sure that no American goes bankrupt just because they get sick.
75 million working Americans today don’t have the employer-based retirement plans that the previous generation counted on. And that’s why I’ve proposed an automatic workplace pension. There’s going to be no red tape or complicated forms. Employers will provide a direct deposit of a small percentage of each paycheck into your account. You can add to it or you can opt out of it at any time.
Medicare is not allowed to negotiate. That makes no sense, that’s why some people are getting hit with this doughnut hole where after a certain amount of medication they suddenly have to pay out of their pocket. That’s not fair to seniors, it’s made a lot of profits for drug companies. We’re going to change it when I am President of the United States.”
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