-----,
I did some research on
this particular email you forwarded on and I have a real problem with the
content. After researching SS on the
web, I found that this is really a spam email, designed to be forwarded to clog
up mail servers. It is designed to appeal
to people's emotions, promoting anger, and furthering the desire to share this
misaligned content.
I have copied the
contents of a website I found (WITH LINKS INCLUDED TO THE GOVERNMENT'S
WEBSITE!) which sorts through the various accusations about the Democratic
Party and Social Security (remember it was the Democratic Party that initiated
Social Security). I think you can come
to your own conclusions,
~Matthew
__________________________________________________________________
There is an Internet e-mail making the
rounds of conservatives that reads like this:
Since many of us have paid into FICA for
years and are now receiving a Social Security check every month -- and then
finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of the money we paid to the federal
government to "put away," you may be interested in the following:
Q: Which party took Social Security from
an independent fund and put it in the general fund so that Congress could spend
it?
A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the Democratic-controlled House and Senate.
Q: Which party put a tax on Social
Security?
A: The Democratic Party.
Q: Which party increased the tax on Social
Security?
A: The Democratic Party with Al Gore casting the deciding vote.
Q: Which party decided to give money to
immigrants?
A: That's right, immigrants moved into this country
and at 65 got SSI. The Democratic Party gave that to them although they never
paid a dime into it.
Then, after doing all this, the Democrats
turn around and tell you the Republicans want to take your Social Security.
This is nothing more than demagoguery. You can easily check
the facts yourself. Every one of these
charges can be refuted by checking the Social Security Administration’s web
site. Hyperlinks to the sources are included in this story.
Q: Which party took Social Security from
an independent fund and put it in the general fund so that Congress could spend
it?
A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the Democratic-controlled House and Senate.
This is false. There are three separate Trust Funds among
which the FICA payroll tax is distributed. There is an Old-Age & Survivors
Insurance Trust Fund; a Disability Trust Fund; and a Medicare Hospital
Insurance Trust Fund. The percentage of the payroll tax which goes to each Fund
is fixed by law. Click here
for details.
According to the Social
Security Administration web site: Out of every dollar paid in Social
Security and Medicare taxes: 69 cents goes to a trust fund that pays retirement
and survivors benefits; 19 cents goes to a trust fund that pays Medicare hospital
benefits; and 12 cents goes to a trust fund that pays disability benefits.
Administrative expenses are generally less than 1 percent of all taxes paid.
Q: Which party put a tax on Social
Security?
A: The Democratic Party.
In the early 1980s the Social Security program faced a
serious financing crisis. President Ronald Reagan appointed a blue-ribbon
panel, known as the Greenspan Commission, to study the financing issues and
make recommendations for legislative changes. The final bill, signed into law in
1983, made numerous changes in the Social Security and Medicare programs,
including the taxation of Social Security benefits; the first coverage of
federal employees; raising the retirement age starting
in 2000; and increasing the reserves in the Social Security Trust Funds. You
can read about this at the Social Security
Administration web site.
Some people who get Social Security benefits have to pay
income taxes on them. This will apply to you only if you have other substantial
income in addition to your benefits (for example, wages, self-employment,
interest, dividends and other taxable income that you have to report on your
tax return). No one pays taxes on more than 85 percent of his or her Social
Security benefits and some pay on a smaller amount, based on IRS rules.
Here is the explanation from the Social
Security Administration web site.
Q: Which party increased the tax on Social
Security?
A: The Democratic Party with Al Gore casting the deciding vote.
This is misleading. The tax on Social Security did not
increase. Upon taking office, the Clinton Administration inherited the largest
budget deficit in American history, over $290 billion. On
Q: Which party decided to give money to
immigrants?
A: That's right, immigrants moved into this country
and at 65 got SSI. The Democratic Party gave that to them although they never
paid a dime into it.
The writer is not talking about the same Social Security
Benefits that you and I expect to receive when we reach retirement age.
The SSI program (Supplemental Security Income) provides
monthly income to people who are age 65 or older, or are blind or disabled, and
have limited income and financial resources. Effective January 2003, the SSI
payment for an eligible individual is $552 per month and $829 per month for an
eligible couple. If you are married, and only one person is eligible, a portion
of your spouse's income may be counted. In addition, your financial resources
(savings and assets you own) cannot exceed $2,000 ($3,000 if married). You can be eligible for SSI even if you have never worked
in employment covered under Social Security.
Generally, to be eligible for SSI, an individual also must
be a resident of the
You can read the details about Supplemental Security Income
at the Social
Security Administration web site.
"Welfare reform" legislation, signed by President
Clinton in August 1996, terminated SSI eligibility for most non-citizens (this
provision was scaled-back in 1997 legislation). Here is a link to the requirements
for non-citizens to receive Supplemental Security Income.
Then, after doing all this, the Democrats
turn around and tell you the Republicans want to take your Social Security.
Since the writer’s entire premise upon which this e-mail
propaganda was based has been irrefutably discredited, we could easily dismiss
this as a non-issue. But in fact, this is where all Americans should unite on
principal and demand accountability from our elected officials. Whether you are
a Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, or Green, increasing budget
deficits threaten the safety of Social Security.
The American people must expect the President and Congress
to operate on a balanced budget so that we quit putting off the difficult and
politically unpopular choices of how we live as a country within our means.