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Thread: Working vs Not Working on US Retirement

  1. #1
    Yppej
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    Working vs Not Working on US Retirement

    A fresh off the proverbial boat immigrant in my state aged 65 or older, even if perfectly healthy, receives SSI amounts below without having paid one penny into the Social Security system or any other taxes:

    $885 per month if living alone
    $601.58 if living with a relative
    $1,125 if in assisted living

    If I who have worked and paid taxes since I was a teen keep working until I am 62 I will get $1280 per month.

    It seems that work is not rewarded. I support the plans of Bernie Sanders and others to increase Social Security benefits, but only for those who have paid into the system. I support the efforts of the Trump administration to end chain migration and to stop accepting economic immigrants who are not self-sufficient. I do believe there is a place here for refugees on humanitarian grounds.

    The two Democrats who poll in double digits among those who voted for Trump are Sanders and Yang. Yang's UBI payments would only go to US citizens.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Teacher Terry's Avatar
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    In Massachusetts you must be either a qualified alien or the USA and their country of origin must have a totalization agreement for the person to qualify.

  3. #3
    Yppej
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    The people I know getting these welfare payments from what was supposed to be a contributory program are qualified aliens aka have green cards due to chain migration.

    ETA: the income payments pale in comparison to their medical bills, picked up even before age 65 by Medicaid in other words you and me the taxpayer. Americans who work for a living are rationing their insulin and some of them are dying, but the green card people I know have no worries. One has diabetes, one a heart attack and other medical problems, a third leukemia.

  4. #4
    Yppej
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    I would much rather pay reparations to people whose families built this country with no pay than support people who have mooched off it from the day they set foot on its soil because it's too cold to leave my house except for medical appointments or I don't want to bother to learn English so I can get a job that I do not feel is beneath me.

  5. #5
    Senior Member JaneV2.0's Avatar
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    I love how all of us down here at the bottom are jealously guarding our crumbs while robber barons at the top are stealing the country blind, and hardly anyone says a word.

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    Quote Originally Posted by JaneV2.0 View Post
    I love how all of us down here at the bottom are jealously guarding our crumbs while robber barons at the top are stealing the country blind, and hardly anyone says a word.
    Right? It's why I don't get involved in these types of conversations. Who is going to DC to fight this? Anyone here complaining headed there?

  7. #7
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    I love how all of us down here at the bottom are jealously guarding our crumbs while robber barons at the top are stealing the country blind, and hardly anyone says a word.
    They could say a word but what good would it do. I don't want to discourage anyone doing actual work to improve things of course.

    But we have whole posturing cities and states that are sanctuary states etc. but CAN'T house the homeless and the working class and middle class fears joining them and some have, CAN'T create affordable housing, CAN'T build decent public transit etc. etc.. They aren't all bad of course, and they have their legitimate obstacles but ... Ok, ok, so some blue (and some red) states in the U.S. are all screwed up, but what about Denmark? Ha, I have regular conversations about Denmark with someone originally from there. Denmark is one of the few places in Europe that is turning to the left not the right, probably partly because their Social Democratic party is NOT pro-immigration like so many left parties in Europe that have been losing. So the Social Democrats win there, and make climate change their top priority (because of course they don't have to spend decades figuring out something basic like how to provide healthcare either, so have the bandwidth to do so).

    Right? It's why I don't get involved in these types of conversations. Who is going to DC to fight this? Anyone here complaining headed there?
    I'd have to take a train or drive there, I signed a no-flying pledge. And like so many other working people, I don't actually have time off work now either of course. Uh and that's pretty laughable as a good use of one's time I think, why not just do something where one is? One can focus on local politics or there is a presidential campaign underway, congresspeople are up for election in 2020, some Senators ...
    Trees don't grow on money

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    Quote Originally Posted by ApatheticNoMore View Post
    I'd have to take a train or drive there, I signed a no-flying pledge. And like so many other working people, I don't actually have time off work now either of course. Uh and that's pretty laughable as a good use of one's time I think, why not just do something where one is? One can focus on local politics or there is a presidential campaign underway, congresspeople are up for election in 2020, some Senators ...
    Ah but you got my point. DO SOMETHING! Yes, I send letters to my Congressmen (yes, all men in my state dammit) regularly on topics of concern to me. Local politics won't change the SS rules-that's federal...but I know that you know that.

  9. #9
    Yppej
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    I am considerrng these issues in the 2020 elections. And it would not surprise me if Trump wins a second term, though I won't be voting for him. I get why some people do though. As ApatheticNoMore noted we should take care of our own first. How many of us run into a tax shirker like Jeff Bezos in our daily lives? But we do run into immigrants supposedly being sponsored but taking advantage of our system.

    Yes, the people at the top should pay more too - to benefit their fellow US CITIZENS.

  10. #10
    Senior Member Rogar's Avatar
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    I wonder what would happen to these people who are over 65 if there were no federal assistance, possibly unable to have productive work and with health problems? Some things don't seem right, but I don't have a good solution and among all the problems we have it's not a high priority to me.

    Could be worth verifying, but assuming they don't just "step off the boat at 65" and have had jobs here they would have paid something into social security.

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