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Old 01-09-2016, 07:57 AM
 
41,111 posts, read 25,671,868 times
Reputation: 13868

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nightengale212 View Post
I continue to be a frugal spender because what I pay in combined Federal, State, and property taxes

With heavily saving for retirement combined with paying my household expenses, what is left does not fund a very extravagant lifestyle.
Yep ^^^



Quote:
Originally Posted by Nightengale212 View Post
What I have a real issue with is my tax dollars funding those with abled bodies and minds through lack of initiative and or a history of chronic poor choices expecting my tax dollars to fund a lifestyle and retirement identical to mine without they having invested any of the same sacrifices that I did.
^^^ They rant against people who make more and living a better lifestyle all their lives, why would they think any different in their retirement years?
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Old 01-09-2016, 08:12 AM
 
24,541 posts, read 18,124,000 times
Reputation: 40231
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nightengale212 View Post
Even though I have earned a very good salary for the last several years I continue to be a frugal spender because what I pay in combined Federal, State, and property taxes is a bit higher than your annual salary. With heavily saving for retirement combined with paying my household expenses, what is left does not fund a very extravagant lifestyle. I have no problem paying the amount of taxes I do, and as for someone who never had children, I look up an down my street a feel a sense of pride that I financially contributed to all my neighbor's children's education that now are in college pursuing careers as doctors, engineers, nurses, teachers, military, electricians as well as enhance the lives of the two children across the street that have MD and will never be able to work. What I have a real issue with is my tax dollars funding those with abled bodies and minds through lack of initiative and or a history of chronic poor choices expecting my tax dollars to fund a lifestyle and retirement identical to mine without they having invested any of the same sacrifices that I did.
The realty is that most people make bad choices their whole life. When they get to their 60's and are unable to work, they exist on a small Social Security check that might be topped up with SSI if they were low income their whole lives. There isn't enough wealth in the country to prop them up to the median household income so they're bumping along at near-poverty level. That's what the safety net in the United States funds and I think it's appropriate. Ignoring the Bernie campaign rhetoric, the country is going to struggle maintaining even that level of safety net. Social Security is underfunded by about 30%. Medicare and Medicaid are imploding. It's pretty obvious that payroll taxes are going up, the earnings cap on Social Security is going to be lifted, and the benefits provided by Medicare and Medicaid are going to be scaled back. Don't worry about those people who made all those bad decisions. They're basically F'ed. Worry about yourself. If you "made sacrifices" to create wealth, you'll be fine. Those who didn't do that are going to be eating dog food because there isn't enough money to do more than that.
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Old 01-09-2016, 08:18 AM
 
31,680 posts, read 40,976,802 times
Reputation: 14424
Quote:
Originally Posted by freemkt View Post
So what would they say to people living on ONLY SS under $1000? The 'retirement crisis' is all in your head?
How does that compare with their pre-retirement income and lifestyle? Any different? How is your current lifestyle and how does it compare to your projected retirement life?
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Old 01-09-2016, 08:30 AM
 
41,111 posts, read 25,671,868 times
Reputation: 13868
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoffD View Post
The realty is that most people make bad choices their whole life. When they get to their 60's and are unable to work, they exist on a small Social Security check that might be topped up with SSI if they were low income their whole lives. There isn't enough wealth in the country to prop them up to the median household income so they're bumping along at near-poverty level. That's what the safety net in the United States funds and I think it's appropriate. Ignoring the Bernie campaign rhetoric, the country is going to struggle maintaining even that level of safety net. Social Security is underfunded by about 30%. Medicare and Medicaid are imploding. It's pretty obvious that payroll taxes are going up, the earnings cap on Social Security is going to be lifted, and the benefits provided by Medicare and Medicaid are going to be scaled back. Don't worry about those people who made all those bad decisions. They're basically F'ed. Worry about yourself. If you "made sacrifices" to create wealth, you'll be fine. Those who didn't do that are going to be eating dog food because there isn't enough money to do more than that.
Finally, someone who gets it. We hear so much about "what about the poor". It's time the middle class start worrying about themselves because you'll find that those safety nets are NOT for you. The poor will be taken care, you won't because of the ridiculously low income limits. The middle class will pay full ticket price.

While they take your money away to pay for them you're also supposed to save for you and your family. While the poor complain they want more, you already struggle to save for you. It's time for people who get the handouts to stop complaining. Maybe even thank your fellow American who do without so you have.
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Old 01-09-2016, 09:12 AM
 
Location: Living rent free in your head
42,783 posts, read 26,093,782 times
Reputation: 33927
Quote:
Originally Posted by Burkmere View Post
Well, no worries "THE GUBMNT" is supposed to take care of every last need.
Did you even bother to read the post I was responding to? It had nothing to do with the government taking care of every last need, let's try this again: This is what was posted
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlaskaErik View Post
There really isn't a whole lot to say. If you find yourself in retirement with less than $1000 in SS as your only income it's pretty obvious that you didn't plan very well.
and this was my response:
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2sleepy View Post
Or maybe they were like my great aunt who died last year at 103 after having lived for 40 years on her husband's SS and a small pension which amounted to a total of $800 a month. Shame on her for not planning better.
capiche?
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Old 01-09-2016, 10:42 AM
 
Location: Living rent free in your head
42,783 posts, read 26,093,782 times
Reputation: 33927
Quote:
Originally Posted by petch751 View Post
You qualify for Medicaid. I pay over $800 a month for that benefit. = $1,800.00. The tax payer pays your bill if you go to a nursing home while they will be forced to spend down to poverty. Some of us, even though we pay your bill will never qualify for assistance due to income limits. I believe the current income limit is $2,500 a month.

There is a big push to transition people from the nursing home into the community (home), you'll qualify for rental assistance ($800), home modifications ($Thousands) and nursing home care plus ($thousands a month), food. Medicaid will follow you home, no medical bills or free medications. A lot of benefits that people like me paying your bill will have to pay for out of our own pocket.

The middle class will not qualify for a lot of help that you'll get, they are heading for a train wreck and don't know it, but they pay to make sure you will be taken care of. YOU will actually do much better than people who worked and paid taxes and who's kids are paying your bill instead of keeping that money to help their own.

And you and people like you are complaining???? Maybe you should be thanking the taxpayer?
Is the $800 rental assistance a new program? A link would be greatly appreciated
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Old 01-09-2016, 11:11 AM
 
Location: Los Angeles area
14,017 posts, read 20,871,119 times
Reputation: 32530
Quote:
Originally Posted by petch751 View Post
You qualify for Medicaid. I pay over $800 a month for that benefit. = $1,800.00. The tax payer pays your bill if you go to a nursing home while they will be forced to spend down to poverty. Some of us, even though we pay your bill will never qualify for assistance due to income limits. I believe the current income limit is $2,500 a month.

There is a big push to transition people from the nursing home into the community (home), you'll qualify for rental assistance ($800), home modifications ($Thousands) and nursing home care plus ($thousands a month), food. Medicaid will follow you home, no medical bills or free medications. A lot of benefits that people like me paying your bill will have to pay for out of our own pocket.

The middle class will not qualify for a lot of help that you'll get, they are heading for a train wreck and don't know it, but they pay to make sure you will be taken care of. YOU will actually do much better than people who worked and paid taxes and who's kids are paying your bill instead of keeping that money to help their own.

And you and people like you are complaining???? Maybe you should be thanking the taxpayer?
Your final sentence in bold (your bolding, not mine) caught my eye because it reminded me of a very spirited exchange of views in some thread (don't remember which thread) some six months or maybe even a year or more ago. Someone made a remark to the effect of "and you didn't even bother to say thank you". Did that ever provoke some extremely angry responses from people who were taking advantage of various aspects of the safety net. (If memory serves the immediate issue had to do with subsidized senior housing).

One especially militant poster pointed out that she had paid taxes for years when she was younger and still working, so she was not getting a "freebie" just because she was now poor and by God, she didn't feel one iota of guilt. Another poster pointed out that she had been in a car accident (not her fault) which had screwed up her back badly and she could no longer work. (I had great sympathy for that latter person). Others chimed in that the remark about being thankful to the taxpayers was cruel and insensitive. (I mentally placed those protesters in the bleeding-heart liberal/politically correct camp).

In any case, it was a full-on, angry, major debate. I tend to agree more with you, Petch, while realizing that among the recipients of the taxpayer largesse are some people who, "there but for the grace of God go I". In other words, it's something that I personally can argue either way.
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Old 01-09-2016, 11:11 AM
 
Location: Amongst the AZ Cactus
7,068 posts, read 6,447,935 times
Reputation: 7730
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nightengale212 View Post
What I have a real issue with is my tax dollars funding those with abled bodies and minds through lack of initiative and or a history of chronic poor choices expecting my tax dollars to fund a lifestyle and retirement identical to mine without they having invested any of the same sacrifices that I did.
Exactly. To me in a fair world/if anything, good behavior would be rewarded, ie one providing for themselves and not relying on other people's money. As you say by rewarding chronic poor life choices no matter what they are, that to me only enables poor life choices/bad behavior.

Me thinks we have it all a little backwards.
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Old 01-09-2016, 11:40 AM
 
Location: SoCal
20,160 posts, read 12,713,073 times
Reputation: 16993
My father had the lowest check from SS because he had to start over again at 70, the check was enough to cover nursing home, he did fine in a nursing home even after a stroke. He didn't complain, liked the place he was in.
My mom was paralyzed with polio at the age 18. She was strong as a horse before that. Life was never fair, but did carry on at had 3 more kids and died at age 63.
I think SS was their safety net.
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Old 01-09-2016, 11:58 AM
 
2,560 posts, read 2,295,267 times
Reputation: 3214
Quote:
Originally Posted by petch751 View Post
You qualify for Medicaid. I pay over $800 a month for that benefit. = $1,800.00. The tax payer pays your bill if you go to a nursing home while they will be forced to spend down to poverty. Some of us, even though we pay your bill will never qualify for assistance due to income limits. I believe the current income limit is $2,500 a month.

There is a big push to transition people from the nursing home into the community (home), you'll qualify for rental assistance ($800), home modifications ($Thousands) and nursing home care plus ($thousands a month), food. Medicaid will follow you home, no medical bills or free medications. A lot of benefits that people like me paying your bill will have to pay for out of our own pocket.

The middle class will not qualify for a lot of help that you'll get, they are heading for a train wreck and don't know it, but they pay to make sure you will be taken care of. YOU will actually do much better than people who worked and paid taxes and who's kids are paying your bill instead of keeping that money to help their own.

And you and people like you are complaining???? Maybe you should be thanking the taxpayer?
And exactly why not only do I have no sympathy for him (assuming he's not in a bad health situation, etc.) but I have anger.
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