Social Security

@Pigglies (9329)
United States
July 10, 2008 9:10am CST
There is definitely a problem with Social Security. The money is running out faster than it can be put back in. I always thought that the way Social Security worked was that after you had been working some length of time, if you became old and retired or disabled (but not necessarily old) you would receive some money from Social Security. Not the amount of money you previously made, but hopefully enough to squeak by. Last night, I realized that obviously wasn't how it worked. I have a friend who has not worked a day in her life, and she was telling me yesterday how she finally got her tax stimulus. I asked her how that could possibly be, when I am working and did not even get one because I work less than 40 hours a week. She said everyone on Social Security got one. This summer, I am working 40 hours a week and she is sitting at home watching TV. She is making more money than I am, just by Social Security. Obviously, it sucks to be disabled. But she could still work. She wouldn't be able to work that number of hours to make that kind of money, but she's a student and doesn't even need money anyway. She is not so disabled that she couldn't possibly work, otherwise she wouldn't be in college studying for something (she's taking forever in college though, but now I could see why, if I got free money each month for doing absolutely nothing, I'd have tons of fun all the time too). So here's my debate... Do you think that people who never put into Social Security should be able to get money out of it? And should disabled people who are fully capable of working be able to sit around collecting Social Security?
2 people like this
4 responses
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
17 Jul 08
Social Security started in the hole, it was initiated and immediately began paying out to people who had never contributed. there are people on disability who get it, but my understanding is that it is not easy to get this and there are people who were born developmentally disabled who get it as well as people who actually worked and put into it. (I work with developmentally disabled adults and they have more spending money then I do). People who are capable of working should do so. Even if only part time. Make it worth it though. If they earn $200, they get a $100 reduction so they do benefit by working.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
17 Jul 08
I think that's kind of unfair that the developmentally disabled adults you work with get more spending money than you do, especially as that is pretty hard work that deserves more pay. It's nice that they have some incentive to work (they can still receive their free money even if they also work), but I think anyone capable of working should be working (not that everyone is capable, I do realize that). People who are disabled should have enough money to live, but I think it shouldn't be so much. I don't disagree with the food stamps program because people can only use them for food. Maybe some food stamps and rent vouchers are also in order for the disabled eventually. If they want spending money, they should have to work for it. Taxpayers don't need to be paying for people like my friend to go to the mall on shopping sprees.
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
17 Jul 08
I have no problem with someone who is disabled receiving SS if they can't work at all, but when they can go hunting, fishing, dancing or shopping all day then I have a problem. They should be working and receiving supplemental aid. I walk into Walmart or Target and see people with no legs in wheel chairs working. I have seen Teachers who were paralized from the waste down working. My daughter worked with a Blind Telemarketer. I know a man who is receiving total disablity because of his back but can sit all day at a sporting event or go out hunting from hsi car. He could be doing something to earn money. Look at the girl who's mother was on SS and she did babysitting to earn money for college. When she made the news that she had invested the babysitting money in a college fund and was going to pay her way to college the Government came in and took the money and forced her to remain on welfare. The system need to be changed and fast.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
22 Jul 08
Seriously. If you can go shopping, you can work. My friend does a ton of shopping. And then she thinks I'm crazy when I never buy anything fun. Well, some people don't get free handouts... I feel like just telling her that sometimes.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
23 Jul 08
In Canada, when you get 65, you get OLD Age Security, before that you can get Canada Pension but only what you put in. Our Old Age Security is made because many women were raising families and at the time it was started, there was not as many part time jobs. If you worked, and made a good income, you were expected to save the money yourself. As for Canada Pension, I did not work that long, so I was only able to get around $80 plus as I applied at 60. And for those who are disabled, it is hard to get the money, you have to have a doctor's certificate and even then it is difficult. You have to be able to not work. If she can work even a few hours a week, that should be deducted from her social security. If she was taking care of children, then that is an excuse, but if it was just her then she should only get social security or disability if she is really disabled.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
23 Jul 08
I think in the US you also must be 65 to get old age social security. My friend not only doesn't have children, but she also doesn't have to pay for rent or food. She still lives with her mom and all she is doing with that money is spending it on frivolous things. She goes to school full time so she claims she cannot also work when she's doing that, but she is taking the entire summer off and sitting at home all day, yet still getting free money. If she only got a little or something, it might be different. But she gets way more than if I worked full time all the time. It is infuriating to me that I can work full time and barely have money for food and clothes sometimes, but she can sit at home all day long and then go out shopping if she feels like it. She buys little decorative knick knacks that are over $50 each. That is ridiculous. If you don't work, you shouldn't get to have little luxuries like that. Those are for people who worked so hard that they have money leftover afterwards for stuff that they definitely don't need. I'm all for the disabled having enough money to pay some rent and for food if they can't work, but I don't even think people that really are disabled enough not to work need to have enough money to buy little extras. You should get food and rent and nothing else if you never pay into the system. And that's being pretty generous. Makes me want to move to a less "civilized" country sometimes. All these people getting handouts and soon no one will have any incentive to work.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
6 Dec 08
Out here you couldn't live on $680 a month so it's definitely higher than that. Room rent is $500 for people who don't have parents to live with or other relatives. My friend does have some problems and she couldn't do physical labor, but she wants to work as a librarian someday and she should definitely be capable of that. So I was glad she actually wants to do something someday. That was good to hear. I was starting to worry about her. I've known her for a long time and I was starting to get really disappointed in her, because she used to want to do everything like the rest of us when she was much younger. As far as me qualifying for disability, I'll probably never know. I'm too much of a work-a-holic anyway to want to stay home. I do often wish I could do certain jobs I would like to do but can't because of my reading. But I feel that everyone is dealt different problems in life. My friend often tells me she wouldn't trade her problems for mine for anything, as she loves to read. But I wouldn't trade mine for hers because I enjoy riding a bicycle and other mild physical activity. I think you just kind of get used to living with whatever you get stuck with.
• United States
10 Jul 08
The "baby boom" generation is aging in this country and , even if we were not at war and some of our SSI cash going there instead of to those who are aging or disabled, then we would be having a harder time saving enough tax money for Social Security to support our aging population. Being disabled is not fun. And you may not know all the particulars of your friend's case, medically. If she is on disability, then she may need this education to get off of it. Believe me..from what I understand, Disability makes people who are not well jump through so many hoops to get it, that it isn't worth the little they get anyway. She is not having fun being harrassed over it. It is good you have a 40 hr. a week job. Many able bodied folks do not and the economy is very hard right now. But shoud we then tell out old people they cannot have their SSI because they can still work? We have no real way to know if this disabled person has a condition they may nt disclose to you that MAY be preventing them from physical activity they would need to employ. Or if going to work could set them off mentally and make them have brain issues that could harm them or others around them. But if she gets this education, then she may be able to get a non-physical job and be off of it! (Which is the goal!) Try to be patient. It's summer and it's hot and NO ONE wants to go to work! But the fact is..you CAN be on disability even if you have not worked yet. I have a disabled 22 year old niece that needs help to even sit up, cannot eat, dress or bathe herself without help and needs every day nursing care in the home. She has never worked. There are different conditions that may prevent a person from working..some from physical things and some from mental health issues, like schizophrenia, etc...(A chemical and electrical, MEDICAL brain issue.) YOU may believe this person could work. But she had been assessed and her doctor says NO! A disability does not have to be visable to be there. The only way she may be able to ever get off it is with appropriate medical help and education. (Many brain issues are not able to be seen with the eye, unless you happen to be a trained MD that specialises in this neurological specialty.-You assume she can work. But the doctor has to say she cannot or she would not be allowed disability.) No one that can work should be allowed to stay home and collect. But apparently, this person's MD says she can not! I think the MD would know more about this than either of us?)
@TantrooM (61)
• United States
14 Jul 08
I thought when you couldn't work there was a separate program to deal with that. Social Security itself started off as a bet by the government, have young people pay into a system and they'd get the money back when they got over 60. Now in the 1930s not many people made it that far and life expectancy was much lower then it is today. So the program saw that the odds were in its favor to get 'free money'. However as life expectancy goes up, the government received the backlash of this bet, now they are giving out to an increasing population of elderly. Eventually something has to give, my advise to anyone is if you're under the age of 40 do no expect anything back from it. Make sure you have your own personal retirement fund set aside or have a type of 401k plan.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
15 Jul 08
I always thought it was a separate program before too, but apparently not. Although, there is something for parents of disabled children too and I'm sure her mom got that. Because her mom never had to work when she was a kid. And now that she has to, she complains all the time about how overworked she is. When really, I work more hours than she does. Neither one of them are smart with money though, they buy $50 knick knacks just because they "look cute" and stuff like that. When I see $50, I see a full day's work and think "this thing is not worth that much work." I don't expect to see any Social Security. But I must say, the whole thing about retired people getting it does not really anger me much. But seeing people who never paid into it, and most of all, people who do not even need it anyway (that never paid into it, if you paid in and you don't need it, I don't care, you paid you are entitled). My friend never paid one dime into it. And she gets all this free money, she lives at home, she has no need for this money because her mom buys everything for her. She just squanders it on useless junk.