Congress Turns on Senior Citizens - An Opinion

Editorialist · Mar 11, 2010

As a senior citizen drawing Social Security, which is the biggest part of my income, I never thought I would see the day Congress would turn against us seniors. Well they did exactly that when they voted against two bills that would have given us that COLA increase we depend on each year to help us keep up with the cost of living increases occuring at an ever increasing frequency each year.

To my utter astonishment I learned that these poltroons get an automatic pay raise every year of $4,700.00 UNLESS THEY VOTE AGAINST IT! I wonder if they will vote against it this year which they should when they vote against poor seniors getting a paltry cost of living raise.

We are supposed to be their employers and yet they who our employees without our approval allow themselves an annual raise unless they deem it unfit. I know of no other business where the employees without approval of their employer can do such a thing.

These so called representatives of the people NO LONGER REPRESENT US OR OUR INTERESTS BUT REPRESENT THE INTERESTS OF LOBBYISTS, FOREIGNERS AND EVERYTHING ELSE ANTI AMERICAN.

It is time we the people finally put our foot down and once and for all vote them out of office. Their conduct is most reprehensible and borders on treason. If it goes on any further it will not only be necessary to get them out of office but prosecute them for unethical and unconstitutional practices.

I now know we senior citizens cannot depend on them for any help whatsoever and Lord knows what they will do about saving Social Security and Medicare, on which so many of us are totally dependent.

Dirk · Mar 11, 2010

Editorialist said:
As a senior citizen drawing Social Security, which is the biggest part of my income, I never thought I would see the day Congress would turn against us seniors.

Why not?

To my utter astonishment I learned that these poltroons get an automatic pay raise every year of $4,700.00 UNLESS THEY VOTE AGAINST IT!

Why were you surprised?

We are supposed to be their employers

Not really, we just get to choose our bosses.

These so called representatives of the people NO LONGER REPRESENT US OR OUR INTERESTS

Of course not, they represent their own and those of people with wealth.

FOREIGNERS AND EVERYTHING ELSE ANTI AMERICAN.

D'oh! Grow some sense and don't be bigoted.

David · Mar 11, 2010

Oh, boo hoo. It goes up to keep in line with inflation. We experienced deflation last year. If anything your benefits should be going down.

I don't mean to sound cold hearted but the fact is that seniors, in their quest to maintain their welfare benefits, are robing the younger generation. I pay a SS tax. You know what? I'll never get a SS check. Part of the problem is the gov't raiding it for funds. Part of the problem is people like you demanding ridiculous payment increases, many times after already having gotten your own contributions payed back in full years ago.

Same with HC reform. Never mind that an across the board public system would render Medicare obsolete allowing for similar benefits for everyone, you seniors refuse to see any cuts let alone an end to Medicare. You want your cake and to eat it too while the majority of Americans younger then that magic age of 65 are getting screwed.

And don't give me that, "You'll be a senior 1 day, too!" BS. The senior age, both by your lobbying and an increase in life expectancy will likely mean I'll have to live till 70 to enjoy that status and every benefit program you all enjoy will be long gone, not that it'll matter to you, you'll be long gone as well.

/Rant and the yous and yours is a group reference, I'm not targeting you personally.

deanhills · Mar 12, 2010

Editorialist said:
To my utter astonishment I learned that these poltroons get an automatic pay raise every year of $4,700.00 UNLESS THEY VOTE AGAINST IT! I wonder if they will vote against it this year which they should when they vote against poor seniors getting a paltry cost of living raise.

Good point! Perhaps it would be more fair if pensioners get an automatic pay rise as well. Maybe someone needs to work on legislation for that, or legislation for removing automatic pay raises altogether.

Editorialist said:
It is time we the people finally put our foot down and once and for all vote them out of office. Their conduct is most reprehensible and borders on treason. If it goes on any further it will not only be necessary to get them out of office but prosecute them for unethical and unconstitutional practices.

Right! I hope you do put your foot down, as seniors present a large percentage of votes during elections. Perhaps Seniors need to organize themselves much better, so that instead of being used as "votes", they get their "votes" to mean something meaningful for Seniors. Equivalent to that of a Union.

David said:
Oh, boo hoo. It goes up to keep in line with inflation. We experienced deflation last year. If anything your benefits should be going down.

Rubbish. That is just Government economics. Go out in the real world and you look at what a basket of groceries cost last year versus this year, and you get a different picture. The prices definitely did not go down.

David said:
I don't mean to sound cold hearted but the fact is that seniors, in their quest to maintain their welfare benefits, are robing the younger generation. I pay a SS tax. You know what? I'll never get a SS check. Part of the problem is the gov't raiding it for funds. Part of the problem is people like you demanding ridiculous payment increases, many times after already having gotten your own contributions payed back in full years ago.

Seniors are not the problem. Government is the problem. Government is much too big and costing too much to run. It is Government who cannot balance its accounts, not the Seniors.

David · Mar 12, 2010

deanhills said:
Good point! Perhaps it would be more fair if pensioners get an automatic pay rise as well. Maybe someone needs to work on legislation for that, or legislation for removing automatic pay raises altogether.

Right! I hope you do put your foot down, as seniors present a large percentage of votes during elections. Perhaps Seniors need to organize themselves much better, so that instead of being used as "votes", they get their "votes" to mean something meaningful for Seniors. Equivalent to that of a Union.

Rubbish. That is just Government economics. Go out in the real world and you look at what a basket of groceries cost last year versus this year, and you get a different picture. The prices definitely did not go down.

Seniors are not the problem. Government is the problem. Government is much too big and costing too much to run. It is Government who cannot balance its accounts, not the Seniors.

So say someone pays $500K into SS, should they get payed $1 million back? If so, then that means someone in the next generation needs to pay at least $1 million just to get $500k themselves. Yes, seniors are an issue as much as the gov't. Even factoring in inflation, many seniors have been payed over what they gave.

mybodymyself · Mar 12, 2010

Thanx for sharing this with us on PF. What the heck is happening to us and etc nowadays. When will this all stop and etc.

Dirk · Mar 12, 2010

mybodymyself said:
What the heck is happening to us and etc nowadays. When will this all stop and etc.

Yes, and other such meaningless platitudes.

deanhills · Mar 13, 2010

David said:
So say someone pays $500K into SS, should they get payed $1 million back? If so, then that means someone in the next generation needs to pay at least $1 million just to get $500k themselves. Yes, seniors are an issue as much as the gov't. Even factoring in inflation, many seniors have been payed over what they gave.

Good point and well said. I just wonder what $500 was valued at at the time when it was paid, relative to today.

David · Mar 13, 2010

deanhills said:
Good point and well said. I just wonder what $500 was valued at at the time when it was paid, relative to today.

Well yes, I've no issue with seniors getting payed more in line with inflation (and on the same token think they should get payed less if deflation was to go that far) but it's when they get payed more even after factoring inflation all the while demanding higher payouts that I take issue. If they wish to keep getting payed, they must continue to work and contribute, not force me to subsidize their existence at the expense of my own and that of my decedents.

And before someone asks, yes, I hold my generation and all generations that come after to the same standard if by some miracle the current generation of seniors doesn't bring SS and other bourgeoisie socialist systems like it (or for that matter the US) down.

deanhills · Mar 14, 2010

David said:
And before someone asks, yes, I hold my generation and all generations that come after to the same standard if by some miracle the current generation of seniors doesn't bring SS and other bourgeoisie socialist systems like it (or for that matter the US) down.

It was just going through my mind before I read this paragraph! That would have been my question. :giggle:

Congress Turns on Senior Citizens - An Opinion

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