Congress has proven they are "non essential". They shouldn't get paid during shutdowns. They also shouldn't get paid if they vote to increase the federal debt limit.
If they weren't paid, the 'profession' of politics would not draw the caliber and quality of actors and candidates that we see today. Where else can a 'worker' grant themselves pay increases and outrageous self-serving benefits?
Congress also shouldnt be able to vote themselves raises which they have done multiple times when the rest of us are dealing with a failed economy, Congress giving our white/blue collar jobs to H1B Visas, and foreign countries. Really they should get a LOT less or work for free if they are above a certain income limit.
I got laid off to train my 'better replacement' 6 times before I got out of the IT Field. I knew more, but got replaced because companies didnt want to pay real wages and India was cheaper. My replacements mostly didnt know jack sh*t about IT but by golly they were cheaper.
There's a huge difference between federal pensions earned from federal employment, and social security/railroad retirement pensions.
Federal pensions are defined benefit pensions which almost no one in the private sector receives any longer. Why do government employees at every level (local, state, and federal) still qualify for and obtain defined benefit pensions when the people whose economy they oversee can no longer obtain them because they were deemed unsustainable? Not only is there not enough money to pay for them, the reserves required to fund them are criminally and incompetently neglected. Government pensions are an actual problem compared to SS.
That very problem is going to bankrupt many states who do not fully fund their public employees pensions. I won’t even start on all the countries of the world who have chronically underfunded pension plans for federal workers.
Is it too big a stretch for people to put aside a piece of their earnings and open a savings account? With interest? Gosh, you can even get one of those higher interest certificates of deposit. Put ‘em in several different banks, savings & loans, credit unions to cover your bases. My mom, taught by her dad, taught me: pay yourself first. Not a theory. A practice, and it works, by golly!
Savings bonds are slow but sure earners anyone can afford if they work just 30 hours per week . Bought my first house cashing savings bonds for a down payment.
Cut the D*mn spending and address our federal debit. Leave our Social Security alone. I’m ok with the gradual increase in age for full retirement (which has been occurring for iirc decades now).
But means testing, h*ll no! They elected Mamdani in NYC, not for the entire dang country.
MTG is just the latest example of a grifter who “leaves” Congress two minutes after her lifetime full-pay pension/healthcare vests. (She’ll return to Congress as a lobbyist) Unfortunately, we’ve become a nation of distracted people, directed to fight amongst ourselves while the politicians raid the treasury. No tea party will be reported. When 50% of the people don’t pay taxes, and social security (meant for those of us that paid into it) is handed out to illegals and whatever refugees du jour wants it, the house of cards is on the way to collapse.
An indisputable fact that is part of our system. It isn’t the fee that’s bad, it is when so-called fees and book advances are exponentially outside of fair market rates for similar services that it becomes a problem. Just limit their time in federal office to six years max and much of the power goes away. I have personally known a few that made their money thru hard work before they sought office. Ironically, two of the three were pushed out by people with big money backers. The people running for office are poorly vetted today if at all. The process is more a fabrication of someone’s life than actual third party vetting.
Who wants the rectal inspections including unbased allegations awaiting any conservative or even independent ?? In the words of Ray Donovan [Reagan cabinet ] where do I go to get my reputation back ? .
Sure, but most of us wouldn't sell out the principles that got us elected on the way out. She's proven that MAGA hat was just glued on her roid infected body.
Everyone has an opinion on the issue, James, and I respect yours but a lot of years of living has taught me that few things in life are one sided. The thing I see happening in the base today is that one day someone is a star and worshiped and the next day they say something controversial and they are kicked to the curb. That should not be who we are. The GOP has been largely successful since Trump returned to office because they set back and let him do most of the heavy lifting himself. They are lazy. I don’t see any fundamental change in their behavior though. They like winning as long as they don’t have to work hard or go out on a limb and take a risk. MTG had one problem, she didn’t know how to build a coalition of like-minded peers to be effective. The GOP, Speaker Johnson specifically, just let her yell and isolated her. That’s not leadership. Our party problem is similar to the Donks problem, our reps are disconnected with the base. When Trump leaves office they will return to their same old ways and nothing of substance will get fixed. The GOP could and should learn from MTG but they won’t. They just told every person in the party we are not open to independent thoughts and ideas or criticism. That sucks.
She was unconventional. I'll give her that. I had reservations because she seemed to be thumping her chest WAY too hard for things. The rules of Congress are blatantly set up for the squish people... people who "make deals". MTG may not have known that or thought she could change that. But in the end, her change of heart on many issues she ran on right here at the end of her tenure seems to be more performance rather than genuine growth in her principles. I don't think MTG would have been kicked to the curb if she had molded her stance over her tenure there. If she didn't believe the things she ran on, though.. she shouldn't have parroted them like she was sitting on Trump's shoulders. I don't respect people who will tell me what I want to hear.
I just have a cynical eye for people who always seem to say the right things. Heck, Trump doesn't... I disagree with him many times, but he's not afraid to put it out there... I respect that.
Trump will also kick you to the curb if you disagree with him. That is one thing that bothers me about him. With the slim margin Republicans have in the house he kicks those who disagree with him.. MTG, Thomas Massie etc. He acts like a spoiled kid when he doesn't get his way. Disappointed in that.
He prizes loyalty. It's part of his business background. He's been burned by trusting swamp people. I am not disappointed. He is the captain of the ship. Get with it, or jump into the water. It is unconventional, and I see why some people are not comfortable with it, but this is a new era in politics... for some of the Republicans... they are now leveling the playing field with the Democrats, who do the selfsame thing for less.
Step out of line under Pelosi's thumb and you were primaried. It's the same side of the coin, but Trump does it for a good reason. Not for just being contrarian. MTG/Massie have tried to take the reins... MTG flip-flopped hard, then left. Massie is like Paul... he is contrarian to be contrarian.
Massie and Paul vote with Democrats because they hate Trump... not for their principles.
The issue is that it needs to be prorated by years of service up to 20 yrs by which time you meet 100%… and limit the number of terms to 20 yrs, whether House or Senate.
In due respect, I believe most would.. They invested their time in the system and most cannot afford to walk away without it. Not a proponent here, just saying that life looks far different once you are in the situation. You may be the one-tenth of a percent who can afford not to do so.
Parameters can be drawn depending on age, time investment and perhaps closer assessment of personal assets (especially of those who seemingly made their fortunes while in congress). See Chris’ excellent comment and suggestions above.
There are ways around having to feed “lifer” congress rats. A reasonable person saves and plans for their future. One would think a State Representative or Senator would have the foresight to plan and save for theirs.
Living on the dole should have a limit in accordance to service, means, etc. Just my humble opinion.
I think we all have some great ideas for how to fix our federal office holders, at least the elected ones anyway. But it seems that the system has a force field that protects it from external change. I just don’t know how to make a difference in our elected officials without term limits. It seems that too many people that run for office are attorneys by training. Why is that? This needs to change. I think they feel that the country owes them a good living because they are sacrificing. Just one example but time for domestic commonsense folks to run.
The simplest one would be term limits and tripling the length before they got a guaranteed pension. The force field is...well them. :) That's what frustrates me to no end.
We can't get them to vote on even term limits no matter how many times we threaten them. Career politicians insider trading their way to great wealth is the biggest problem we face as a nation. It's unsustainable nonsense when their whole motivation is to enrich themselves. I can count on one hand with fingers remaining the number of politicians who do it for a sense of duty or love of this nation.
And I would love to ban attorneys from holding public office. :) Lawyerese and endless loopholes are the byproduct of that profession.
Boebert and MTG got into politics for different reasons and are very different people and driven by different ideals. People get so shocked when someone like Boebert gets elected and then acts like a street hooker at the theater. Might be time to actually do a good job of vetting these people when they run.
That would require people to pay attention. And the respective party machinery would have to be dismantled, allowing for unfiltered access. I like that idea, because not vetting has gotten us the Squad, that Skeksis woman whose hair color matches her outfit... and Dan Crenshaw... who went from principled to lobbied shill in what, 3 cycles? He lied his butt off about not being a neocon warmongering snotbag who took money from anyone with a pulse. That's just off the top of my head. Disappointment seems to follow these carefully crafted personas.
Except Trump. He's what he says he is. He's like a unicorn who craps gold. Too bad we can't clone him for the rest of the government. ;)
MTG has flipped on everything she campaigned on. With the exception of a few things, she is now for pausing the mass deportations (owns a construction business), among other anti-MAGA ideas. (Her visit to the View was rather enlightening). She also accused Trump of being on the Epstein "list" more than once.
It's almost as if she latched onto the MAGA coattails and coasted into office, then decided when it's now time to leave, she will be more "herself". I'll be shocked if she's not the "conservative" face on the View soon...
The best and worse of liberals is that they are locked in step
Conservatives want to be pretty and loved by the left, refuse to work together when in power, lead from behind - looking into the asshole of the dog in front.
He has moments of utter brilliance followed by too many moments that mimic his father’s nonsense. Easy to preach about things that have a snowballs chance of being fixed. He is part of our country’s problem.
That's the problem. Ron's faults were his principles on fiscal responsibility, but his penchant for not following that principle. It wasn't terrible, and it was pragmatic at times, but it was a bit fluid, to be sure. His ideas were what propelled his son to office, because Rand parroted the same principles to rapturous applause.
Then he got into office. For every principled stand he took, there were 3 that were simply voting with the Democrats to be a foil because perfect is the enemy of good. His dad understood that progress comes in increments. Rand Paul uses his litmus test one direction... he criticizes Democrats for certain things but will happily vote for them when he gets butthurt because Republicans aren't in lock-step with his "principles". He sacrifices his principles for press. That is dangerous.
Shame too... because if he was like his dad, he'd have been a bigger asset to conservatism. But like everything else... the picture on the box is better than the contents.
And the stink of it was, he ran on Ron Paul's ideas... people didn't think to ask, do you believe like your dad? Either it was assumed, or he said enough to fool people. IMO. His principled stands I agree with are far outweighed by his idiotic contrarianism and liberal squish.
The Founders made one fatal error. They never anticipated that being a representative in Congress would become a career. But of course it has, and an incredibly lucrative one, accompanied by perks and even immunity from some of the laws its members have imposed on the rest of the country. That the likes of the vile, America-hating Ilhan Omar will receive a taxpayer-paid pension for life is an abomination, but then that pretty much sums up the state of the Federal Government in the 21st century. I don't believe it has ever been more corrupt, more incompetent, nor more aligned against the interests of the citizens it represents.
Since they are amendments to the Constitution... the people of the time bear most of the blame... 2/3 majority is hard as heck (nigh on impossible today, I'd wager).
It was a solution to state legislatures taking too long to appoint senators. They were having massive delays in fielding the 100 senators necessary for a full session. It was a way to circumvent states that were slower than a constipated hippo. ;)
But, their solution sucked, to be sure. :) Of course the effort to get it passed is wildly opposed to what the sentiment should've been back then.
In a way, savers are already punished. I just looked at what the 2026 SS will be for me and, because I had extremely high house repair costs in 2024 and had to cash in some stocks to pay for it, my 2024 AGI moved (by $6) me into a higher Medicare premium...about a $100 increase. SS looked at my 2023 and 2022 income tax returns and, in their minds, saw an increase in income which, were I a working adult might make sense. But they could clearly see that the increase in income was from capital gains, not an increase in any wages. That, to me, is a punishment for a saver.
Punishment for things that shouldn't be punished. Two years ago my wife and I sold two parcels of farm land. Raised our income tax a bunch. How is it right to tax SS as income? How is it right to raise our Medicare premium for a one time occurrence? BTW, the only thing the Cola does is disappear into Medicare, which is being scammed left and right. This whole government is just so corrupt it breaks my heart.
We went through the same exact punishment for selling two parcels two years apart, should have sold the same year or back to back for less headaches with feds. You are correct D.B. this is punishment for trying to use what we own.
If you have a one time increase in income that raises your Medicare premium, appeal the increase and provide the circumstances of why your income increased one year and only one year.
I am retired (more or less) but wife has a consulting business she runs from home. We don’t need the SS we paid into over a lifetime. Mine goes into investments but wife hasn’t started drawing yet. But because we make too much money, we each pay the max “penalty” every month on our Medicare part B which we are required to have to stay on Tri-Care for Life. So the free healthcare I was promised when I joined the Army and completed 26 years costs us as much as many people on the ACA and other plans pay for their coverage. It really pisses me off in principle although we are thankful we made a few right choices during a lifetime of work and can afford it.. I asked the IRS for the names of people who get their healthcare paid for thru Medicade that I am helping pay for so I can claim them as dependents. They couldn’t release the info they said. Seemed only fair to me.
Guess one should never trust a contract with the federal government. Would like to have a chat with the congressional folks who figured out that sleight of hand. They effectively penalize one for being reasonably successful. Can’t wait to see how they are going to “fix” SS.
I don't know your siuation, and mean absolutely no criticism, but perhaps you might have saved a lot, both in terms of money and aggravation if you had not cashed out any of your retirement savings and instead, borrowed the money for repairs. Not only would you have been able to avoid getting kicked into a higher bracket for medicare and income tax, but you might (if you itemize) have been able to deduct interest if you borrowed on a HELOC. Again, not being critical, but if TPTB, like our congresscritters and other assorted grifters game the system to their advantage, you and I should try to do so as well. Remember, evading taxes is illegal, but avoiding taxes is your patriotic duty!
I have gotten hit twice because I had to follow the law and cash inherited stuff out. I got hit with harsh Fed and State taxes even though I was follow Fed rules. I feel for you. Next thing I will be hit for it taking money out due to the 72 yr old rule. The whole thing is designed to make you poor because those getting from ok to doing well gets taxed 3 or 4 times more than the poor or the 'Rich'.
And then there's the minimum required withdrawals from your 401k. They want that tax money bad... and they won't hesitate to violate the law and principles of this nation to get it.
Well, the point of the IRA is that it is supposed to be exhausted by your statistical death...why it HAS to be cashed out by any named beneficiaries, as opposed to any normal stock account.
lol, a friend's grandfather put his extra mostly in books. They had to go through everything and yep, some in the mattress. They almost didnt check. He was born before the Depression and saved everything he could.
I had to laugh at your comment…when I was cleaning out my mother’s house before selling, I needed help. My brother came one time. I told him not to put anything in the dumpster without clearing it with me first. I looked over and noticed him carrying a lidded coffee can. I asked where he was going with it. He said to the dumpster. I told him that he could throw it out if he wanted to but that it was full of money…and it was. She also had money stashed everywhere…
Lots of Gen Xrs and younger people decrying us Boomers who are getting SS, as if it were a welfare program.
I think, WTF. I’m like Don, a scant year younger. I started paying into SS 55 years ago at age 16. In my case, I didn’t elect to take SS until I was 70, bc the payout went up 8% each year I delayed past 65. I figgered it made sense to do that, bc I’m still working full-time.
I’d rather that SS hadn’t ever existed, and I could’ve invested that money on my own and gotten a much greater ROI. But I had to pay that 7% for 55 years (and I’m still paying it), plus another 7% for the 8 years I was self-employed as a partner in a firm.
To quote Goodfellas as a reply to Gen X: “Fuck you, pay me.”
I'm Gen X and always thought SS would be bankrupt by the time I could collect it. (now only 4 years away if I want it at 62), but I believe all of us who had that 7.5% (15% for me because I'm self employed) stolen from our paychecks deserve our money back when we retire. The illegals and people who didn't pay in deserve nothing!
Amen! I’m semi-retired at 73. My retirement income is largely based on investments made dating back to the late 70’s. I look at the stock market today and wonder where my retirement funds would be these days if I had been able to invest those SS payroll deductions myself instead of having the government take them from me. I think I’d be more financially secure than Rand Paul.
You would be (many of us would be) richer than many members of Congress. But they can't have that now, can they? Because you and I just might figure out we don't need them!
I worked as if there wasn't going to be SS. If it exists in 7 years, I'll do the first available. I plan on retiring in 2 to 4. If I needed SS to retire, I'd be pissed. I've been paying in 39 years, and before I retire, it'll be at least 40. And at a white collar salary...
I always planned as if it wasn't going to be there when I got old. It's a miracle it is thanks to Congress raiding it (thanks, LBJ you miserable fat tub of goo...hope hell is hot enough for you!)
The calculations for "full" benefits and the time involved in reaching them has been muddled by Congress. I say if people can swing it, get it at their earliest... the amount you gain between earliest and full isn't worth the years toiling to get there. I am tired of working so every illegal can ride on my coattails. I did my part. I'm not sticking around until 67 at my job... not even on a dare. But that's just me.
My answer is "fuck you, I'm retiring." Congress can get bent....so can any boomer who thinks I didn't work long enough.
I didn’t assume SS would be solvent by this point in my life either. So I’ve always been putting money away. A recent divorce chopped that in half, but I’m still going to be OK unless I break 100 😏
Thank you! I’ve been advocating for dumping federal income tax completely and going solely with a national sales tax for decades. It would all but eliminate the IRS and it would force everyone to pay taxes. Illegals, drug dealers, foreign students, welfare queens, gang members, foreign visitors, Congress, everyone. It would also mean never having to file a tax return. Tax lawyers hardest hit.
Being taxed on what you spend rather than what you earn would probably make people more fiscally responsible. Besides, how much you earn and how you earn it is none of the government’s business.
The only exemptions I would make are food and medicine.
My wife 100% genetically and directly descended from Mexicans. Her dad went through citizenship classes, even though she was an anchor baby and her mother was born in the US.
I sniffed through her family tree and one had a boyfriend that I was pretty sure overstayed a green card and self deported.
My baby girl, half white, half Hispanic is all about America.
Your wife’s lineage is similar to my HS girlfriend. Except her family has lived in South Texas since it was Mexico, and the last 3 generations ‘changed’ to Americans. Growing up in Houston our church helped out with the Port of Houston’s Seamen’s center. One year we had some sailors come to our house for Christmas, and they were telling her how good her ‘englich’ was….(as opposed to my family, who only came to the US before the War of Industrial Aggression [or should it be called the 2nd British attempt to destroy the 13 colonies - similar to its current 4th attempt using fentanyl from Canada & Venezuela]).
Could not agree more, Jason. I don't care if Mexican folks come here legally and become American citizens, because that's what they do, and they CONTRIBUTE. Here in AZ we have hundreds of thousands of folks that look Hispanic and have Hispanic names, but speak perfect American-style English. They are also changing the way they vote, like they are doing in Texas. What went wrong with New Mexico I'll never clearly understand. I do, however have an issue with all the money that is sent back to Mexico, because at least some of that ends up with either the corrupt Mexican government or worse, the cartels, but maybe I repeat myself.
Best article in a bit Don. Calling out the Hypocrite Rand Paul. He is worse that a RINO, he is a RINO in libertarian clothes.
You can save Social Security by stopping payments of any kind to any one who has never paid in.
It’s not my job to make sure our “teens” get their nails and lashes done, it’s not my job to buy fudge cookies for generational welfare fatties. I speak from experience, the beast who shall not be named, (wife #1, decided to quit work and leave me for younger men. Then started pulling against my SS and pension for my 1st 20 year career. And she has been getting that money for more years than we were married!!!!
Money is the necessary evil when it comes to honest government.
You need it keep things running, but the temptation it brings with it corrodes the machinery.
You can’t eradicate salaries for Congress, because that would assure only the very wealthy would be able to run for office.
Means testing could be potentially beneficial in many ways, one being the sorting out of candidates who may be running who are merely looking to cash in on the grift.
But there are a thousand other aspects built into the cogs of governmental machinery that our representatives manage to use to grease their palms.
Take Lobbying, just for starters: “get this bill passed and I’ll donate bigly to your campaign coffers”, or some other tit for tat bargain.
And we’re all now well aware of their rampant insider stock trading gambit, which has increased a number of their net-worth’s into the stratosphere.
Money, or should I say the lust for it, is the corruptor of all things, but most decidedly when it comes to government.
When government chose to become the financial benefactor for an ever growing number of the citizenry by creating an ever burgeoning welfare state, it created the monster that is now eating at more than 60% of all government revenues, more than even defense.
Until there is a concerted effort at eliminating a sizable portion of that beast, if not the entire beast itself, it’s all just smoke and mirrors. And they’ll never do that because it would cost them their jobs, if not erupt in wholesale revolution.
The Gen X’rs or Gen Z’rs (I’ve lost count), are all whining they’ve been boxed out of the American dream, due to the unaffordability of homes, and overall cost of living. They blame government, rightly so, for creating the problem. But the solution is to drastically cut government spending and its intrusion into every facet of people’s lives, which means an end to the handouts.
So let’s ask them: Do they actually want the solution?
Or do they just want more handouts, the very thing that caused the problem in the first place?
There should be a plaque hung in the Capitol that reminds our representatives daily, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
Suzie, you have just driven the point perfectly, when I bought my first home my mortgage was 14% in 1980 but I wanted an in vestment so used a stack of savings bonds as a down payment. It is out there if you want it bad enough to skip some restaurant dinners.
Well, yes. But the overall things causing the problem, government spending, over-regulation and entitlements are the root cause for the “sickness” (affordability), everyone whines about.
You never will get the value back entirely, because the government didn't invest it the way you would have/could have. We've all been screwed by Social Security, not saved by it.
I used to say [ most of my money I pissed away on booze and women before the government could steal it ]. Now they steal it because of my pension adds too much to my SS.
I retired 10 years ago and started collecting at 64. I figured back then that it was going to take 10 years to break even if I waited until 70 to start collecting. Well I made it and yes I would be making more per month now. However, by collecting early I was able to keep my 401k and IRAs invested. SS should have been privatized years ago.
I think we should pass three constitutional amendments. One that states congress must pass a balanced annual budget, one for term limits (2 terms for senators and 6 terms for congressmen) and one that states that congress shall live by the same laws that they pass for the rest of us. Meaning they get O-bummercare, Social Security instead of their cushy pensions for "working" 5 years and insider stock trading is illegal for them, just like everyone else. Oh, and no pay during government shutdowns, no slush fund for sexual assault and harassment claims. On a side note, the EIC is insidious. My current wife and I didn't get legally married for over a decade and during that time I let her claim our son on her tax return. While I usually had to write a check to the IRS and the Maine Revenue Service every April, she got federal and state tax returns of about $6000. She would complain about her payroll withholdings and how she was a taxpayer and actually got mad at me when I told her that she was actually a welfare recipient due to the fact that she had 2-3 thousand dollars withheld from her paycheck but got more than double that back in her tax returns. If they can fool a smart, informed conservative woman into believing she is a taxpayer when she is actually a welfare recipient they really pulled off quite a caper didn't they. This is the first year we filed married jointly. We got a $300 federal tax return and had to write the state of Maine a $2200 check. Needless to say, my wife was not happy.
Great post, Don. It truly astounds me that the 'system' treats our seniors and veterans(overall) like shit while illegals get everything without an effort.
Why wouldn't a citizen run on "eliminate property taxes"?! Why do fixed income seniors pay property taxes on property they own? It causes them to lose their property here in MN.
DeSantis is proving the axiom once again that lowering taxes(property ones in FL) is increasing revenue in FL.
Afghan unvetted Islamic CIA contractor chadoredable wife and 5 kids - living in WA state, that (allegedly..) killed one WV female guardsman with a 357 magnum handgun (in safe gun-controlled DC!) and prayers for the 2nd, had a $2,000 a month apt paid for by you & me. Sure he paid no taxes…
Property taxes our killing our senior citizens here in Maine. Most elderly population in the country combined with being a poor state with a rich southern coastal area is screwing people on fixed incomes. Just had an old timer tell me he will have to budget to put a radiator in his car because Kittery just reassessed and raise his property taxes $5000 to $19,000 a year. Kittery and Kittery Point used to be a working-class town full of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employees and commercial fishermen. Now it's full of Democrat transplants from MA, CT, NY, NJ, RI etc. and houses cost a million dollars.
Maine, like many states, also received a plethora of grants via all sorts of NGO’s during the Biden administration to take on an outsized portion of illegals.
I’m sure all that grant money is long gone, and now the taxpayer has to foot the bill for the freeloaders.
The grant money is long gone, the Covid money is long gone, but Janet Mills and the Dems are still spending like drunken sailors. There is a shooting everyday now in Lewiston thanks to the "new Mainers", we are giving them free apartments while our most needy people suffer and the northern part of the state slowly dies. Hannah Pingree, our congresswoman's daughter is running for governor and says she will spend 100 million for housing. I hope she's planning on bumming it off her super rich mommy.
Congress has proven they are "non essential". They shouldn't get paid during shutdowns. They also shouldn't get paid if they vote to increase the federal debt limit.
Hi Jake...
They shouldn't get paid.
(There, fixed it for ya) :)
Seriously, let them cover the costs of their anti-social habits.
This!!! ;<)
Amen to this PJT36!!
If they weren't paid, the 'profession' of politics would not draw the caliber and quality of actors and candidates that we see today. Where else can a 'worker' grant themselves pay increases and outrageous self-serving benefits?
If their "caliber" was ammunition, the barrel wouldn't need a hole in it. What's that called? I'm drawing a blank.
If brains were dynamite they couldn't part their hair.
Congress also shouldnt be able to vote themselves raises which they have done multiple times when the rest of us are dealing with a failed economy, Congress giving our white/blue collar jobs to H1B Visas, and foreign countries. Really they should get a LOT less or work for free if they are above a certain income limit.
I got laid off to train my 'better replacement' 6 times before I got out of the IT Field. I knew more, but got replaced because companies didnt want to pay real wages and India was cheaper. My replacements mostly didnt know jack sh*t about IT but by golly they were cheaper.
There's a huge difference between federal pensions earned from federal employment, and social security/railroad retirement pensions.
Federal pensions are defined benefit pensions which almost no one in the private sector receives any longer. Why do government employees at every level (local, state, and federal) still qualify for and obtain defined benefit pensions when the people whose economy they oversee can no longer obtain them because they were deemed unsustainable? Not only is there not enough money to pay for them, the reserves required to fund them are criminally and incompetently neglected. Government pensions are an actual problem compared to SS.
That very problem is going to bankrupt many states who do not fully fund their public employees pensions. I won’t even start on all the countries of the world who have chronically underfunded pension plans for federal workers.
Is it too big a stretch for people to put aside a piece of their earnings and open a savings account? With interest? Gosh, you can even get one of those higher interest certificates of deposit. Put ‘em in several different banks, savings & loans, credit unions to cover your bases. My mom, taught by her dad, taught me: pay yourself first. Not a theory. A practice, and it works, by golly!
Savings bonds are slow but sure earners anyone can afford if they work just 30 hours per week . Bought my first house cashing savings bonds for a down payment.
Great point. My in-laws gifted our two kids a savings bond at birth. Eighteen years later, college ready.
Amen.
And dadgummit, I PAID into Social Security.
Cut the D*mn spending and address our federal debit. Leave our Social Security alone. I’m ok with the gradual increase in age for full retirement (which has been occurring for iirc decades now).
But means testing, h*ll no! They elected Mamdani in NYC, not for the entire dang country.
Happy Thanksgiving to all Surberites
MTG is just the latest example of a grifter who “leaves” Congress two minutes after her lifetime full-pay pension/healthcare vests. (She’ll return to Congress as a lobbyist) Unfortunately, we’ve become a nation of distracted people, directed to fight amongst ourselves while the politicians raid the treasury. No tea party will be reported. When 50% of the people don’t pay taxes, and social security (meant for those of us that paid into it) is handed out to illegals and whatever refugees du jour wants it, the house of cards is on the way to collapse.
Not a fan of MTG here but sticking around until she has her pension locked up is exactly what 100% of us would do given same circumstances.
I wish more of them would follow her example and LEAVE. Unfortunately they make most of their income from book deals and speaking fees.
No speeches or book deals including junkets until out of office twice as long as term of service. This would include lobbying before congress as well.
Nice thought but impossible under our constitution.
An indisputable fact that is part of our system. It isn’t the fee that’s bad, it is when so-called fees and book advances are exponentially outside of fair market rates for similar services that it becomes a problem. Just limit their time in federal office to six years max and much of the power goes away. I have personally known a few that made their money thru hard work before they sought office. Ironically, two of the three were pushed out by people with big money backers. The people running for office are poorly vetted today if at all. The process is more a fabrication of someone’s life than actual third party vetting.
Who wants the rectal inspections including unbased allegations awaiting any conservative or even independent ?? In the words of Ray Donovan [Reagan cabinet ] where do I go to get my reputation back ? .
Sure, but most of us wouldn't sell out the principles that got us elected on the way out. She's proven that MAGA hat was just glued on her roid infected body.
Everyone has an opinion on the issue, James, and I respect yours but a lot of years of living has taught me that few things in life are one sided. The thing I see happening in the base today is that one day someone is a star and worshiped and the next day they say something controversial and they are kicked to the curb. That should not be who we are. The GOP has been largely successful since Trump returned to office because they set back and let him do most of the heavy lifting himself. They are lazy. I don’t see any fundamental change in their behavior though. They like winning as long as they don’t have to work hard or go out on a limb and take a risk. MTG had one problem, she didn’t know how to build a coalition of like-minded peers to be effective. The GOP, Speaker Johnson specifically, just let her yell and isolated her. That’s not leadership. Our party problem is similar to the Donks problem, our reps are disconnected with the base. When Trump leaves office they will return to their same old ways and nothing of substance will get fixed. The GOP could and should learn from MTG but they won’t. They just told every person in the party we are not open to independent thoughts and ideas or criticism. That sucks.
She was unconventional. I'll give her that. I had reservations because she seemed to be thumping her chest WAY too hard for things. The rules of Congress are blatantly set up for the squish people... people who "make deals". MTG may not have known that or thought she could change that. But in the end, her change of heart on many issues she ran on right here at the end of her tenure seems to be more performance rather than genuine growth in her principles. I don't think MTG would have been kicked to the curb if she had molded her stance over her tenure there. If she didn't believe the things she ran on, though.. she shouldn't have parroted them like she was sitting on Trump's shoulders. I don't respect people who will tell me what I want to hear.
I just have a cynical eye for people who always seem to say the right things. Heck, Trump doesn't... I disagree with him many times, but he's not afraid to put it out there... I respect that.
Trump will also kick you to the curb if you disagree with him. That is one thing that bothers me about him. With the slim margin Republicans have in the house he kicks those who disagree with him.. MTG, Thomas Massie etc. He acts like a spoiled kid when he doesn't get his way. Disappointed in that.
He prizes loyalty. It's part of his business background. He's been burned by trusting swamp people. I am not disappointed. He is the captain of the ship. Get with it, or jump into the water. It is unconventional, and I see why some people are not comfortable with it, but this is a new era in politics... for some of the Republicans... they are now leveling the playing field with the Democrats, who do the selfsame thing for less.
Step out of line under Pelosi's thumb and you were primaried. It's the same side of the coin, but Trump does it for a good reason. Not for just being contrarian. MTG/Massie have tried to take the reins... MTG flip-flopped hard, then left. Massie is like Paul... he is contrarian to be contrarian.
Massie and Paul vote with Democrats because they hate Trump... not for their principles.
An elected official should lock their ego in a safe and replace it with reasoned logic. /h/t A.W.
We need to start finding those people. They are out there... just none of them are in Congress. :)
I would not.
The issue is that it needs to be prorated by years of service up to 20 yrs by which time you meet 100%… and limit the number of terms to 20 yrs, whether House or Senate.
never understood why they get so much after so little work.
and dont forget the value of the permanent health care.
They should pass a rule that congress HAS to live with all the laws they stick us with
In due respect, I believe most would.. They invested their time in the system and most cannot afford to walk away without it. Not a proponent here, just saying that life looks far different once you are in the situation. You may be the one-tenth of a percent who can afford not to do so.
No offense taken, whatsoever.
Parameters can be drawn depending on age, time investment and perhaps closer assessment of personal assets (especially of those who seemingly made their fortunes while in congress). See Chris’ excellent comment and suggestions above.
There are ways around having to feed “lifer” congress rats. A reasonable person saves and plans for their future. One would think a State Representative or Senator would have the foresight to plan and save for theirs.
Living on the dole should have a limit in accordance to service, means, etc. Just my humble opinion.
I think we all have some great ideas for how to fix our federal office holders, at least the elected ones anyway. But it seems that the system has a force field that protects it from external change. I just don’t know how to make a difference in our elected officials without term limits. It seems that too many people that run for office are attorneys by training. Why is that? This needs to change. I think they feel that the country owes them a good living because they are sacrificing. Just one example but time for domestic commonsense folks to run.
The simplest one would be term limits and tripling the length before they got a guaranteed pension. The force field is...well them. :) That's what frustrates me to no end.
We can't get them to vote on even term limits no matter how many times we threaten them. Career politicians insider trading their way to great wealth is the biggest problem we face as a nation. It's unsustainable nonsense when their whole motivation is to enrich themselves. I can count on one hand with fingers remaining the number of politicians who do it for a sense of duty or love of this nation.
And I would love to ban attorneys from holding public office. :) Lawyerese and endless loopholes are the byproduct of that profession.
Many are not sacrificing but merely horrible attorneys who may be DEI grads.
Showboat, like Boebert (sp?).
Grifters that latched onto MAGA, press face and social equivalents to AOC with daddy issues.
At least Boebert has a great rack
Boebert and MTG got into politics for different reasons and are very different people and driven by different ideals. People get so shocked when someone like Boebert gets elected and then acts like a street hooker at the theater. Might be time to actually do a good job of vetting these people when they run.
That would require people to pay attention. And the respective party machinery would have to be dismantled, allowing for unfiltered access. I like that idea, because not vetting has gotten us the Squad, that Skeksis woman whose hair color matches her outfit... and Dan Crenshaw... who went from principled to lobbied shill in what, 3 cycles? He lied his butt off about not being a neocon warmongering snotbag who took money from anyone with a pulse. That's just off the top of my head. Disappointment seems to follow these carefully crafted personas.
Except Trump. He's what he says he is. He's like a unicorn who craps gold. Too bad we can't clone him for the rest of the government. ;)
What?
MTG has flipped on everything she campaigned on. With the exception of a few things, she is now for pausing the mass deportations (owns a construction business), among other anti-MAGA ideas. (Her visit to the View was rather enlightening). She also accused Trump of being on the Epstein "list" more than once.
It's almost as if she latched onto the MAGA coattails and coasted into office, then decided when it's now time to leave, she will be more "herself". I'll be shocked if she's not the "conservative" face on the View soon...
Yeah - she outed herself as a total & complete phony for sure.
I’ve come to the conclusion that Rand Paul is just a showboat
He's a contrarian asshole.
The best and worse of liberals is that they are locked in step
Conservatives want to be pretty and loved by the left, refuse to work together when in power, lead from behind - looking into the asshole of the dog in front.
He has moments of utter brilliance followed by too many moments that mimic his father’s nonsense. Easy to preach about things that have a snowballs chance of being fixed. He is part of our country’s problem.
That's the problem. Ron's faults were his principles on fiscal responsibility, but his penchant for not following that principle. It wasn't terrible, and it was pragmatic at times, but it was a bit fluid, to be sure. His ideas were what propelled his son to office, because Rand parroted the same principles to rapturous applause.
Then he got into office. For every principled stand he took, there were 3 that were simply voting with the Democrats to be a foil because perfect is the enemy of good. His dad understood that progress comes in increments. Rand Paul uses his litmus test one direction... he criticizes Democrats for certain things but will happily vote for them when he gets butthurt because Republicans aren't in lock-step with his "principles". He sacrifices his principles for press. That is dangerous.
Shame too... because if he was like his dad, he'd have been a bigger asset to conservatism. But like everything else... the picture on the box is better than the contents.
And not a very good one at that.
He was elected because he has his daddy's name but he is not the conservative his daddy is.
And the stink of it was, he ran on Ron Paul's ideas... people didn't think to ask, do you believe like your dad? Either it was assumed, or he said enough to fool people. IMO. His principled stands I agree with are far outweighed by his idiotic contrarianism and liberal squish.
The Founders made one fatal error. They never anticipated that being a representative in Congress would become a career. But of course it has, and an incredibly lucrative one, accompanied by perks and even immunity from some of the laws its members have imposed on the rest of the country. That the likes of the vile, America-hating Ilhan Omar will receive a taxpayer-paid pension for life is an abomination, but then that pretty much sums up the state of the Federal Government in the 21st century. I don't believe it has ever been more corrupt, more incompetent, nor more aligned against the interests of the citizens it represents.
17th Amendment taking away Senator appointments from the States started the destruction, along with the 16th - income taxes….
I cannot agree more! Thanks for the reminder of the Amendments that aided and accelerated the erosion of our national governance.
Poisonous fruits of the early Progressive era.
Since they are amendments to the Constitution... the people of the time bear most of the blame... 2/3 majority is hard as heck (nigh on impossible today, I'd wager).
It was a solution to state legislatures taking too long to appoint senators. They were having massive delays in fielding the 100 senators necessary for a full session. It was a way to circumvent states that were slower than a constipated hippo. ;)
But, their solution sucked, to be sure. :) Of course the effort to get it passed is wildly opposed to what the sentiment should've been back then.
In a way, savers are already punished. I just looked at what the 2026 SS will be for me and, because I had extremely high house repair costs in 2024 and had to cash in some stocks to pay for it, my 2024 AGI moved (by $6) me into a higher Medicare premium...about a $100 increase. SS looked at my 2023 and 2022 income tax returns and, in their minds, saw an increase in income which, were I a working adult might make sense. But they could clearly see that the increase in income was from capital gains, not an increase in any wages. That, to me, is a punishment for a saver.
Punishment for things that shouldn't be punished. Two years ago my wife and I sold two parcels of farm land. Raised our income tax a bunch. How is it right to tax SS as income? How is it right to raise our Medicare premium for a one time occurrence? BTW, the only thing the Cola does is disappear into Medicare, which is being scammed left and right. This whole government is just so corrupt it breaks my heart.
We went through the same exact punishment for selling two parcels two years apart, should have sold the same year or back to back for less headaches with feds. You are correct D.B. this is punishment for trying to use what we own.
If you have a one time increase in income that raises your Medicare premium, appeal the increase and provide the circumstances of why your income increased one year and only one year.
That's exactly what I am doing.
It would be nice if they actually kept going on finding and prosecuting all that waste and fraud.
DOGE should be made permanent.
Amen
I am retired (more or less) but wife has a consulting business she runs from home. We don’t need the SS we paid into over a lifetime. Mine goes into investments but wife hasn’t started drawing yet. But because we make too much money, we each pay the max “penalty” every month on our Medicare part B which we are required to have to stay on Tri-Care for Life. So the free healthcare I was promised when I joined the Army and completed 26 years costs us as much as many people on the ACA and other plans pay for their coverage. It really pisses me off in principle although we are thankful we made a few right choices during a lifetime of work and can afford it.. I asked the IRS for the names of people who get their healthcare paid for thru Medicade that I am helping pay for so I can claim them as dependents. They couldn’t release the info they said. Seemed only fair to me.
Exactly my situation. Once you are eligible, Tricare turns Medicare into primary payer and Tricare for Life into secondary.
Guess one should never trust a contract with the federal government. Would like to have a chat with the congressional folks who figured out that sleight of hand. They effectively penalize one for being reasonably successful. Can’t wait to see how they are going to “fix” SS.
You can appeal the increase. Just state what you did in the post. I appealed a large increase due to a house sale and got my premiums lowered.
Despite the fact the the IRMAA notice specifically states that one-time capital gains are not the basis for an appeal?
I will re-check that but at quick glance did not see that. What I saw was that they checked my 2022 and 2023 returns and saw an escalation in the AGI.
I don't know your siuation, and mean absolutely no criticism, but perhaps you might have saved a lot, both in terms of money and aggravation if you had not cashed out any of your retirement savings and instead, borrowed the money for repairs. Not only would you have been able to avoid getting kicked into a higher bracket for medicare and income tax, but you might (if you itemize) have been able to deduct interest if you borrowed on a HELOC. Again, not being critical, but if TPTB, like our congresscritters and other assorted grifters game the system to their advantage, you and I should try to do so as well. Remember, evading taxes is illegal, but avoiding taxes is your patriotic duty!
I agree. It's counter-intuitive to savers to do that, though. That's the issue... and of course the greed of Congress in getting their cut. :)
I would say, dollar wise, more expensive to do that. Next year, it will drop back because of my 2025 return. I just have to watch how much I cash in.
I have gotten hit twice because I had to follow the law and cash inherited stuff out. I got hit with harsh Fed and State taxes even though I was follow Fed rules. I feel for you. Next thing I will be hit for it taking money out due to the 72 yr old rule. The whole thing is designed to make you poor because those getting from ok to doing well gets taxed 3 or 4 times more than the poor or the 'Rich'.
And then there's the minimum required withdrawals from your 401k. They want that tax money bad... and they won't hesitate to violate the law and principles of this nation to get it.
Greedy a-holes.
Well, the point of the IRA is that it is supposed to be exhausted by your statistical death...why it HAS to be cashed out by any named beneficiaries, as opposed to any normal stock account.
They have always punished savers and married folk. DJT fixed a little of that marriage tax n his 2017 taxes.
Why my financial advice is to collect it all in cash and keep it under the mattress.
lol, a friend's grandfather put his extra mostly in books. They had to go through everything and yep, some in the mattress. They almost didnt check. He was born before the Depression and saved everything he could.
I had to laugh at your comment…when I was cleaning out my mother’s house before selling, I needed help. My brother came one time. I told him not to put anything in the dumpster without clearing it with me first. I looked over and noticed him carrying a lidded coffee can. I asked where he was going with it. He said to the dumpster. I told him that he could throw it out if he wanted to but that it was full of money…and it was. She also had money stashed everywhere…
Ive been half tempted to stash money in weird spots just for the giggles but then if I needed it, I wouldnt remember where I stashed it.
Lots of Gen Xrs and younger people decrying us Boomers who are getting SS, as if it were a welfare program.
I think, WTF. I’m like Don, a scant year younger. I started paying into SS 55 years ago at age 16. In my case, I didn’t elect to take SS until I was 70, bc the payout went up 8% each year I delayed past 65. I figgered it made sense to do that, bc I’m still working full-time.
I’d rather that SS hadn’t ever existed, and I could’ve invested that money on my own and gotten a much greater ROI. But I had to pay that 7% for 55 years (and I’m still paying it), plus another 7% for the 8 years I was self-employed as a partner in a firm.
To quote Goodfellas as a reply to Gen X: “Fuck you, pay me.”
I'm Gen X and always thought SS would be bankrupt by the time I could collect it. (now only 4 years away if I want it at 62), but I believe all of us who had that 7.5% (15% for me because I'm self employed) stolen from our paychecks deserve our money back when we retire. The illegals and people who didn't pay in deserve nothing!
Amen! I’m semi-retired at 73. My retirement income is largely based on investments made dating back to the late 70’s. I look at the stock market today and wonder where my retirement funds would be these days if I had been able to invest those SS payroll deductions myself instead of having the government take them from me. I think I’d be more financially secure than Rand Paul.
You would be (many of us would be) richer than many members of Congress. But they can't have that now, can they? Because you and I just might figure out we don't need them!
I worked as if there wasn't going to be SS. If it exists in 7 years, I'll do the first available. I plan on retiring in 2 to 4. If I needed SS to retire, I'd be pissed. I've been paying in 39 years, and before I retire, it'll be at least 40. And at a white collar salary...
I always planned as if it wasn't going to be there when I got old. It's a miracle it is thanks to Congress raiding it (thanks, LBJ you miserable fat tub of goo...hope hell is hot enough for you!)
The calculations for "full" benefits and the time involved in reaching them has been muddled by Congress. I say if people can swing it, get it at their earliest... the amount you gain between earliest and full isn't worth the years toiling to get there. I am tired of working so every illegal can ride on my coattails. I did my part. I'm not sticking around until 67 at my job... not even on a dare. But that's just me.
My answer is "fuck you, I'm retiring." Congress can get bent....so can any boomer who thinks I didn't work long enough.
I didn’t assume SS would be solvent by this point in my life either. So I’ve always been putting money away. A recent divorce chopped that in half, but I’m still going to be OK unless I break 100 😏
There ain't but one solution folks ; eradicate all taxes except sales tax :
1 - Taxes any and all business transactions in this country .
2 - Only exception being person to person transfers of personal property
3 - Eliminate entirely all federal aid and grants until such time as the federal debt is paid .
We have to get back to rewarding production and quality ; never pay up front for " potential " .
Thank you! I’ve been advocating for dumping federal income tax completely and going solely with a national sales tax for decades. It would all but eliminate the IRS and it would force everyone to pay taxes. Illegals, drug dealers, foreign students, welfare queens, gang members, foreign visitors, Congress, everyone. It would also mean never having to file a tax return. Tax lawyers hardest hit.
Being taxed on what you spend rather than what you earn would probably make people more fiscally responsible. Besides, how much you earn and how you earn it is none of the government’s business.
The only exemptions I would make are food and medicine.
Too logical Brian !!
More difficult to give breaks to political patrons!
Letting the government tell us how much money we need isn’t going to cut it.
Maybe stop spending money on illegals would be a good start but they can’t even agree on that.
My wife 100% genetically and directly descended from Mexicans. Her dad went through citizenship classes, even though she was an anchor baby and her mother was born in the US.
I sniffed through her family tree and one had a boyfriend that I was pretty sure overstayed a green card and self deported.
My baby girl, half white, half Hispanic is all about America.
Your wife’s lineage is similar to my HS girlfriend. Except her family has lived in South Texas since it was Mexico, and the last 3 generations ‘changed’ to Americans. Growing up in Houston our church helped out with the Port of Houston’s Seamen’s center. One year we had some sailors come to our house for Christmas, and they were telling her how good her ‘englich’ was….(as opposed to my family, who only came to the US before the War of Industrial Aggression [or should it be called the 2nd British attempt to destroy the 13 colonies - similar to its current 4th attempt using fentanyl from Canada & Venezuela]).
Could not agree more, Jason. I don't care if Mexican folks come here legally and become American citizens, because that's what they do, and they CONTRIBUTE. Here in AZ we have hundreds of thousands of folks that look Hispanic and have Hispanic names, but speak perfect American-style English. They are also changing the way they vote, like they are doing in Texas. What went wrong with New Mexico I'll never clearly understand. I do, however have an issue with all the money that is sent back to Mexico, because at least some of that ends up with either the corrupt Mexican government or worse, the cartels, but maybe I repeat myself.
An elected representative up to the presidency should be unpaid, voluntary service.
I don't believe the top dog has kept a penny of the salary, all donated.
At most, they should draw the same pay as an E-1 private in the Army.
Surber Nation, yo.
I'm going to make that a thing. Surber Nation.
Impossible ; let constituents determine pay . State legislatures should vote to determine federal workload .
Best article in a bit Don. Calling out the Hypocrite Rand Paul. He is worse that a RINO, he is a RINO in libertarian clothes.
You can save Social Security by stopping payments of any kind to any one who has never paid in.
It’s not my job to make sure our “teens” get their nails and lashes done, it’s not my job to buy fudge cookies for generational welfare fatties. I speak from experience, the beast who shall not be named, (wife #1, decided to quit work and leave me for younger men. Then started pulling against my SS and pension for my 1st 20 year career. And she has been getting that money for more years than we were married!!!!
That is criminal at best.
She should be a politician.
Stop it all, welfare, snap, everything.
Money is the necessary evil when it comes to honest government.
You need it keep things running, but the temptation it brings with it corrodes the machinery.
You can’t eradicate salaries for Congress, because that would assure only the very wealthy would be able to run for office.
Means testing could be potentially beneficial in many ways, one being the sorting out of candidates who may be running who are merely looking to cash in on the grift.
But there are a thousand other aspects built into the cogs of governmental machinery that our representatives manage to use to grease their palms.
Take Lobbying, just for starters: “get this bill passed and I’ll donate bigly to your campaign coffers”, or some other tit for tat bargain.
And we’re all now well aware of their rampant insider stock trading gambit, which has increased a number of their net-worth’s into the stratosphere.
Money, or should I say the lust for it, is the corruptor of all things, but most decidedly when it comes to government.
When government chose to become the financial benefactor for an ever growing number of the citizenry by creating an ever burgeoning welfare state, it created the monster that is now eating at more than 60% of all government revenues, more than even defense.
Until there is a concerted effort at eliminating a sizable portion of that beast, if not the entire beast itself, it’s all just smoke and mirrors. And they’ll never do that because it would cost them their jobs, if not erupt in wholesale revolution.
The Gen X’rs or Gen Z’rs (I’ve lost count), are all whining they’ve been boxed out of the American dream, due to the unaffordability of homes, and overall cost of living. They blame government, rightly so, for creating the problem. But the solution is to drastically cut government spending and its intrusion into every facet of people’s lives, which means an end to the handouts.
So let’s ask them: Do they actually want the solution?
Or do they just want more handouts, the very thing that caused the problem in the first place?
There should be a plaque hung in the Capitol that reminds our representatives daily, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
Suzie, you have just driven the point perfectly, when I bought my first home my mortgage was 14% in 1980 but I wanted an in vestment so used a stack of savings bonds as a down payment. It is out there if you want it bad enough to skip some restaurant dinners.
Well, yes. But the overall things causing the problem, government spending, over-regulation and entitlements are the root cause for the “sickness” (affordability), everyone whines about.
But nobody wants the cure: cut it all out.
And round and round we go.
All of this is why I started collecting social insecurity the instant I became 62, instead of continuing to work and delaying for a larger payout.
Worked since I was 16 and never trusted I would get the value back entirely. Still don’t trust that.
You never will get the value back entirely, because the government didn't invest it the way you would have/could have. We've all been screwed by Social Security, not saved by it.
Sure, I know that.
Half a loaf better than none.
I used to say [ most of my money I pissed away on booze and women before the government could steal it ]. Now they steal it because of my pension adds too much to my SS.
Well let’s hope the promised no tax on s s comes through next year.
I retired 10 years ago and started collecting at 64. I figured back then that it was going to take 10 years to break even if I waited until 70 to start collecting. Well I made it and yes I would be making more per month now. However, by collecting early I was able to keep my 401k and IRAs invested. SS should have been privatized years ago.
I think we should pass three constitutional amendments. One that states congress must pass a balanced annual budget, one for term limits (2 terms for senators and 6 terms for congressmen) and one that states that congress shall live by the same laws that they pass for the rest of us. Meaning they get O-bummercare, Social Security instead of their cushy pensions for "working" 5 years and insider stock trading is illegal for them, just like everyone else. Oh, and no pay during government shutdowns, no slush fund for sexual assault and harassment claims. On a side note, the EIC is insidious. My current wife and I didn't get legally married for over a decade and during that time I let her claim our son on her tax return. While I usually had to write a check to the IRS and the Maine Revenue Service every April, she got federal and state tax returns of about $6000. She would complain about her payroll withholdings and how she was a taxpayer and actually got mad at me when I told her that she was actually a welfare recipient due to the fact that she had 2-3 thousand dollars withheld from her paycheck but got more than double that back in her tax returns. If they can fool a smart, informed conservative woman into believing she is a taxpayer when she is actually a welfare recipient they really pulled off quite a caper didn't they. This is the first year we filed married jointly. We got a $300 federal tax return and had to write the state of Maine a $2200 check. Needless to say, my wife was not happy.
Punishing marriage.
That’s as or even more dangerous to the maintenance of a sustainable culture than punishing saving.
You receive tax refunds, not returns. Tax returns are what you file with the IRS.
Yes, you are correct. I guess I'm just so used to filing the return and getting no refund.
In the olden days before the web, people passed around jokes on paper.
I had one that was called something like IRS Form E-Z-R. There were 2 lines.
1. How much money did you make last year?
2. Send it in.
Great post, Don. It truly astounds me that the 'system' treats our seniors and veterans(overall) like shit while illegals get everything without an effort.
Why wouldn't a citizen run on "eliminate property taxes"?! Why do fixed income seniors pay property taxes on property they own? It causes them to lose their property here in MN.
DeSantis is proving the axiom once again that lowering taxes(property ones in FL) is increasing revenue in FL.
Afghan unvetted Islamic CIA contractor chadoredable wife and 5 kids - living in WA state, that (allegedly..) killed one WV female guardsman with a 357 magnum handgun (in safe gun-controlled DC!) and prayers for the 2nd, had a $2,000 a month apt paid for by you & me. Sure he paid no taxes…
Property taxes our killing our senior citizens here in Maine. Most elderly population in the country combined with being a poor state with a rich southern coastal area is screwing people on fixed incomes. Just had an old timer tell me he will have to budget to put a radiator in his car because Kittery just reassessed and raise his property taxes $5000 to $19,000 a year. Kittery and Kittery Point used to be a working-class town full of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employees and commercial fishermen. Now it's full of Democrat transplants from MA, CT, NY, NJ, RI etc. and houses cost a million dollars.
Maine, like many states, also received a plethora of grants via all sorts of NGO’s during the Biden administration to take on an outsized portion of illegals.
I’m sure all that grant money is long gone, and now the taxpayer has to foot the bill for the freeloaders.
The grant money is long gone, the Covid money is long gone, but Janet Mills and the Dems are still spending like drunken sailors. There is a shooting everyday now in Lewiston thanks to the "new Mainers", we are giving them free apartments while our most needy people suffer and the northern part of the state slowly dies. Hannah Pingree, our congresswoman's daughter is running for governor and says she will spend 100 million for housing. I hope she's planning on bumming it off her super rich mommy.
Why is Fauci even breathing?
Only the good die young…
He lost the chance to be "good" forty or fifty years ago.
Question of the year No !!