[Occupymendocino] Social Security reductions

[Linda Jupiter]

Dear Rick,
I strongly disagree with you. If seniors are better off than most  
other folks, it's due to the SS and Medicare benefits we get.  
Obviously, if you're getting $800 in SS and don't need it all, then  
you have other income as well and your home is probably paid for. A  
lot of the rest of us don't have retirement funds and are living day  
to day. Many of us are caught in the middle; we make too much for low- 
income benefits and not enough to live on. Those of us who are poor or  
low income seniors find the waiting list for low-income housing is  
several years long. What do we do in the meantime? Those of us who are  
working class are still working way past "retirement age" and may not  
get to retire at all. Every penny counts. I will oppose any candidate  
that wants to reduce SS benefits or Medicare benefits.
I applaud your working for the "common good," but please don't assume  
your "common good" is the same as mine.
Peace,
Linda


On Dec 21, 2012, at 1:02 PM, Rick Childs wrote:

>     To my fellow OMers concerned about possible changes in the  
> Social Security benefits.  Today's digest now included an on-line  
> petition to Dem representatives that we'd put up candidates in  
> primaries to oppose them for voting for any reduction in SS  
> benefits.  I'm most uncomforable with this "SS is a sacred cow/red  
> line in the sand" thing.  Telling good Dems that we'll vote against  
> them if they modify SS benefits w/a primary fight (and all the  
> rancor and divisiveness that creates) is just the self-destructive  
> practice the Reps do.  Let's please not go there...
>     Here's what I just sent to Norman Solomon who put out a similar  
> clarion call this morning:
>
> Hello Norman - perhaps you remember me....I was one of the leaders  
> putting on the Occupy Mendocino Street Fair that you so graciously  
> came to and spoke at.  We talked several times - including when you  
> came to Jim Tarbell's Caspar event.
>
> I write today about this "progressive" apoplexy about having Seniors  
> take SS and Medicare cuts.  I'm a Sr. making $800/month in benefits  
> - and am also on Medicare.  I'm Most Happy to give up a small  
> percentage of this in the national interest.
>
> We DO have a very, Very serious budget deficit.  Seniors are better  
> off in most ways than the rest of the population.  We shouldn't be  
> sucking increasing-every-year money from the young, as we grow in  
> numbers and live longer.   OK, put a floor under which seniors would  
> keep their current benefits (take into account other retirement  
> benefits and no reduction if total package is, say, $15 or  
> $20K)...but the rest could easily afford a minor adjustment in  
> benefits over that amount -- and help save the country future fiscal  
> problems...freeing money for education, debt reduction,  
> infrastructure, etc.  Too many Americans say Just Cut Others...no  
> one wants to have to sacrifice - which is what we all need to do.   
> We old folks should be looking out for the future of the country,  
> not worrying about a minor (and self-gratifying) $10/month income  
> loss.  The minor modification in Cost of Living indices under  
> discussion is negligible (and fair -- the current one overstates  
> inflation)...let's be big and give it back to the young, the  
> country, the future.
>
> What happened to us liberals and our DNA of working for "the common  
> good"...sharing sacrifices for the good of all??
>
> TO UNSUBSCRIBE from this list send an email to occupymendocino at lists.mcn.org 
>  put "Un-Subscribe me" in the Subject.
>
> For listserv technical problems please contact: listmanager at mcn.org

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.mcn.org/pipermail/occupymendocino/attachments/20121221/82e1f6eb/attachment.html