Are Seniors Getting Shafted on Social Security?

Reader Comments
Back to article

Not in favor - it is our money over the years that the government has used - now it's time to give it back to its rightful owner-the seniors.
If changing the retirement age for the people under 62 would help the future situation, then by all means do it. However,seniors already collecting (62 and over) should not be penalized by any cuts proposed
This is my second year collecting social security. Also, the government decided on no cost of living increases when I started collecting.- so I have already seen the effects of cuts on social security.
p Villelo New York Sate

P. Villelo of NY 10:58PM July 14, 2011

I have been retired two years. In the first year I had to spend $7,000 over what my health insurance company would not cover and last $3,000. This was because I have a pre-cancer and several chronic diseases.
We have cut out all trips, buying clothes is down to about $50 a year and we never eat out. How can anyone say this will not hurt?
If the pre-cancer does develop into cancer, I dont' know what I am going to do!

C.Wong of TX 12:44PM April 09, 2011

nothing went up so no increase talk about out of touch most are to old for the job cant think need young people who know whats going on comes down to as long as they get there increases everthing is fine.

peter szeles of NJ 7:18AM December 13, 2010

WE SENIORS HAVE GIVEN UPWARD OF 45 TO 50 YEARS, PRACTICALLY OUR WHOLE LIFE, OF PAYMENTS INTO OUR INSURANCE PROGRAM IE. SOCIAL SECURITY.
WE WERE PROMISED THAT THIS DAILY FEE TAKEN OUT OF OUR PAYCHECKS WOULD TAKE CARE OF US DURING OUR RETIREMENT YEARS. THE GOVERNMENT INCLUDING OBAMAS ADMINISTRATION, HAS A DEBT THAT THEY OWE BACK TO US ...PLAIN AND SIMPLE.
ADDITIONALLY MY HUSBAND PASSED AWAY AND DID NOT COLLECT ONE DIME OF HIS PAYMENTS BACK. WHERE IS THE MONEY'S GOING THAT I PAID FOR 45 YEARS? IT WENT BACK INTO S.S. RESERVES. I DO NOT GET IT. WHY DON'T I RECEIVE HIS AND MINE? ALSO REMEMBER AARP SOLD OUT THE SENIORS WHEN THEY VOTED AN INCREASE ON OUR HEALTH INSURANCE AND VOTED FOR THE OBAMACARE FARCE.

K of FL 2:32PM November 22, 2010

Yes, Senior Citizens ARE getting shafted on Social Security. Seniors can contact their representatives in Congress and they get a deaf ear. Congressmen either do not listen are they do not care.
Lawmakers should not allow rising prices to unfairly chew through senior's benefits. For some seniors, Social Security is the only income they have to live on. The living expenses for seniors are rising daily. Seniors stand to loose everything if this is allowed to continue.
Congress needs to do something to change this and do it quickly.

W. Knipp of TX 4:45PM August 19, 2010

The government should have never started the social security program. And having started it, two years later (1938) they took the money out of the "lockbox" and put it into the general treasury...thus making it a fraud.

jscottu of IN 10:13AM July 28, 2010

All people who receive their lively hood via the tax payer should be placed into the social security system. No more special treatment for federal, state, and local employees. They are no better than those working in the private sector. All government pensions should be cut in half for those earning more than $50K. Pensions in the public sector are out of control but all they talk about is social security, which those who participated in never had a choice in most cases but to participate. The nanny state is a failure...people need to help people not government helping people.

sicandtired of IL 8:05AM July 22, 2010

All working class people that vote, should demand that congress get rid of the
tax breaks given to big oil companies. The collecting of this money would go a
long way toward reducing our debt to foreign countries.( China )
We have to many people siding with big business about Government regulation,
if it wasn't for those regulation that was in place protecting our jobs prior to
1980, the collapse of our economy would've happened decades ago.
Deregulating the airline industry has cost millions of American their jobs, you
must look beyond the people employed by the Airlines and include all those jobs
created to support the industry.
Every job lost is a lost in tax revenue to the state and federal government and
a lost in purchasing power that has caused a rippling effect across our nation,
need I say more.
Yes for all those companies that have and continue to send our jobs to other
countries just improve their bottom line should be taxed to to the max.
For those in the tea party let congress hear your voice about the injustice
done to the working class people by taxing them while giving BP, Exxon and
others to earn billions of dollars while paying no taxes.

L. Corbin of MO 1:04PM July 19, 2010

It would be great if those guys and gals that we voted in office would think about us and give us a break with a raise. Maybe it's time to get off their duffs and start working for us. It would be nice for us to see a decrease in our property taxes and other things. We don't need to help the world, we need to help our citizens first!!!!!

GR of PA of PA 10:37PM July 13, 2010

Time for a rude awakening. Congress has been spending all the funds collected for the SS pot for many years and borrowing even more from anyone that will loan it to us. The US has been living far beyond its means and not collectiing sufficient taxes to pay for all the transfer payments, pentagon fiascos, and other government expenditures. Here in California the unions hold the taxpayers and our legislature hostage. The nurses, prison guards, and to a lesser extent teachers have used a form of extortion to obtain often much higher wages than a normal labor market would bare.
The US needs to drastically reduce spending starting with the pentagon and institute a flat and fair tax system. Of course this will never happen because those who benefit so well from the status quo have a very corrupt congress in their pocket.

BigSpender of CA 7:44PM July 01, 2010