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I haven't read through this whole thread, but a program I've worked with personally that is very effective is The Senior Corps. It is comprised of three sub-programs:
The Foster Grandparents Program, which pays a small stipend to low-income seniors to act as helpers and mentors to children in low-income schools. The kids love their Foster Grandparents, and it helps poor older adults stay active and make ends meet.
The Senior Companion Program, which matches low-income seniors with other seniors in the community (of all SES) for companionship, help with basic chores and meal prep, and to give family caregivers a much-needed break on a regular basis. This also pays a stipend, and benefits both the Senior Companion and the recipients/families. I've seen the families embrace their loved ones' Senior Companions as one of their own. It's awesome.
Lastly, Senior Corps has the RSVP Program. This is a non-paid program for any senior who wants to give back to their community. Seniors use their acquired life skills for organized projects throughout their communities. Everything from doing home repairs to running a low-cost farmer's market in poor neighborhoods.
The Senior Corps is a division of The Corporation for National and Community Service and has been around since the Kennedy administration. Every time there's a big round of budget cuts, this valuable program takes a hit. It's a shame, because it is a streamlined program that WORKS.
Social Security: Wow, it takes 15% of everything you work for (roughly), half paid before your wages are paid and half taken from your wages, and FAILS COMPLETELY at providing a retirement.
8% of your income, invested prudently over a lifetime will mean you retire filthy stinking rich.
So, which program is good?
The SSA is slow, the system is unresponsive, prone to errors, and you often have to hire lawyers to get them to follow their own rules.
And you call that "good".
As many people learned in the past few years, "investing prudently" is not such a sure way to security because the system is rigged by... those corporations you think do a good job of responding to consumers. They responded by coming up with a great way to get rich by passing on fraudulent "assets" to people. Now, thanks to that, millions of people in this nation will never retire.
By the way, social security was pretty sound up until the time that politicians decided to spend like drunken sailors on other stupid things, like ballooning the military and waging two useless wars for over a decade.
Of course, the problem with such threads (which pop up every few months, asking the exact same question) is that the original poster of such threads will always reject any answer, claiming that what-ever government run program is not effective, efficient, or both, usually with no other rationale.
For instance, I think the Social Security disability program is run rather well. Yet, it has faults. People receive disability benefits who, in my opinion, should not, or they continue to get the benefits long after the claimant recovered.
I would also nominate NASA (if no one has yet). NASA was challenged by Kennedy to put a man on the Moon by the end of the 1960s, and they delivered. No other country has done that.
I would also nominate the Export-Import Bank of the United States. A very useful agency that has been around since the 1930s, and, by all accounts, works effectively and efficiently.
By the way, social security was pretty sound up until the time that politicians decided to include people who have no skin in the game.
They draw from the well when they never contributed all you have to do is be lazy dumb and illegal and the Democrats will support you all they ask for is your vote.
Social Security: Wow, it takes 15% of everything you work for (roughly), half paid before your wages are paid and half taken from your wages, and FAILS COMPLETELY at providing a retirement.
8% of your income, invested prudently over a lifetime will mean you retire filthy stinking rich.
So, which program is good?
The SSA is slow, the system is unresponsive, prone to errors, and you often have to hire lawyers to get them to follow their own rules.
And you call that "good".
Have you applied for SS? If you are legitimately entitled to SS (age and income eligible, have documentation, and have two functioning neurons) you make a phone call (or go online), send in the required docs (which are returned within 48 hrs), and confirm with a SS rep via second phone call. A week later you will get a letter with the specifics of how much your SS check will be and when it will start. The entire process is extremely responsive, completed without leaving your house, takes only a few days, no errors, no attorneys.
SS was never intended to fund anyone's retirement. The fact that it is, for many people, their entire retirement savings only goes to show you that very few Americans are capable of consistently and knowledgeably investing any portion of their income.
Location: Just transplanted to FL from the N GA mountains
3,997 posts, read 4,143,759 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ray1945
Have you applied for SS? If you are legitimately entitled to SS (age and income eligible, have documentation, and have two functioning neurons) you make a phone call (or go online), send in the required docs (which are returned within 48 hrs), and confirm with a SS rep via second phone call. .
Check... but they keep moving the goalposts on me. First from 65 to 67... and I hear talk that there are even those who want to move it to 70 now... And ironically enough... my neighbor just went and signed up.. she got three different workers who calculated it three different ways, and when she actually got her first check... it wasn't the amount any of the three told her it would be. Yep... such a well run machine...
It doesn't matter if any of the programs are run efficiently. They are there to help people in need that the private sector would leave to die. That is why we need them.
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