Trump Proposes $72 Billion in SSI Disability Cuts

[Tired of the Nonsense]

JP Cusick has indicated that he recently went out on a disability. Trump is proposing a massive disability cut to the SSDI program for the exact purpose of putting disabled people back to work. How do you like him now?

CBS NEWS
The cuts to a major disability program in Trump's budget

When Budget Director Mick Mulvaney assumed the podium in the White House briefing room last week and previewed the administration's 2018 budget, Heather Block's fears quickly turned to outrage.

Block, a 54-year-old former international aid worker from Lewes, Delaware, listened with growing anger as Mulvaney promised to slice $72 billion dollars from Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) over the next ten years. The cuts are among $1.74 trillion in social welfare cuts proposed by the Trump administration, a sweeping plan that could kick people like Block off a program, known as SSDI, that keeps her financially afloat.
posting.php?mode=newtopic&f=16&sid=bdce ... 5b82c1894f

Draining the swamp?

[Clownboat]

JP Cusick has indicated that he recently went out on a disability. Trump is proposing a massive disability cut to the SSDI program for the exact purpose of putting disabled people back to work. How do you like him now?

CBS NEWS
The cuts to a major disability program in Trump's budget

When Budget Director Mick Mulvaney assumed the podium in the White House briefing room last week and previewed the administration's 2018 budget, Heather Block's fears quickly turned to outrage.

Block, a 54-year-old former international aid worker from Lewes, Delaware, listened with growing anger as Mulvaney promised to slice $72 billion dollars from Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) over the next ten years. The cuts are among $1.74 trillion in social welfare cuts proposed by the Trump administration, a sweeping plan that could kick people like Block off a program, known as SSDI, that keeps her financially afloat.
posting.php?mode=newtopic&f=16&sid=bdce ... 5b82c1894f

Draining the swamp?

Do we know why she would be kicked off?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothec ... 096a6c4b6d
How Americans Game the $200 Billion-a-Year 'Disability-Industrial Complex'

there is a fourth program, that pays disability benefits through the Social Security Administration, that is also growing at an alarming pace.

Congress has dramatically expanded the definition of who gets called “disabled.� As a result, many able-bodied Americans have been granted government paychecks for life, crowding out our ability to direct needed resources to the genuinely infirm.

Today, the United States spends around $200 billion a year, literally paying Americans not to work.

Disability insurance has replaced welfare:

As the below chart shows, the last three times the unemployment rate has gone up due to recession—in the early 1990s, the early 2000s, and the late 2000s—applications for Social Security Disability Insurance have spiked.

I am not pointing to this article as an authority and I certainly am not one either. Just trying to get a better understanding, because at this point, my understanding is lacking.

[Tired of the Nonsense]

JP Cusick has indicated that he recently went out on a disability. Trump is proposing a massive disability cut to the SSDI program for the exact purpose of putting disabled people back to work. How do you like him now?

CBS NEWS
The cuts to a major disability program in Trump's budget

When Budget Director Mick Mulvaney assumed the podium in the White House briefing room last week and previewed the administration's 2018 budget, Heather Block's fears quickly turned to outrage.

Block, a 54-year-old former international aid worker from Lewes, Delaware, listened with growing anger as Mulvaney promised to slice $72 billion dollars from Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) over the next ten years. The cuts are among $1.74 trillion in social welfare cuts proposed by the Trump administration, a sweeping plan that could kick people like Block off a program, known as SSDI, that keeps her financially afloat.
posting.php?mode=newtopic&f=16&sid=bdce ... 5b82c1894f

Draining the swamp?

Do we know why she would be kicked off?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothec ... 096a6c4b6d
How Americans Game the $200 Billion-a-Year 'Disability-Industrial Complex'

there is a fourth program, that pays disability benefits through the Social Security Administration, that is also growing at an alarming pace.

Congress has dramatically expanded the definition of who gets called “disabled.� As a result, many able-bodied Americans have been granted government paychecks for life, crowding out our ability to direct needed resources to the genuinely infirm.

Today, the United States spends around $200 billion a year, literally paying Americans not to work.

Disability insurance has replaced welfare:

As the below chart shows, the last three times the unemployment rate has gone up due to recession—in the early 1990s, the early 2000s, and the late 2000s—applications for Social Security Disability Insurance have spiked.

I am not pointing to this article as an authority and I certainly am not one either. Just trying to get a better understanding, because at this point, my understanding is lacking.

There was a time when people actually had life long professions. And these professions offered medical insurance and pensions to their workforce as a part of the package. But a business friendly congress has made it more profitable for businesses to offer only part time positions, thereby avoiding offering medical insurance and pensions to their employees. And so the workforce is increasingly turning to government programs as they age and begin to break down physically. Without these government programs, the option is millions of the old and disabled living, and dying, in tent cities.

[Clownboat]

JP Cusick has indicated that he recently went out on a disability. Trump is proposing a massive disability cut to the SSDI program for the exact purpose of putting disabled people back to work. How do you like him now?

CBS NEWS
The cuts to a major disability program in Trump's budget

When Budget Director Mick Mulvaney assumed the podium in the White House briefing room last week and previewed the administration's 2018 budget, Heather Block's fears quickly turned to outrage.

Block, a 54-year-old former international aid worker from Lewes, Delaware, listened with growing anger as Mulvaney promised to slice $72 billion dollars from Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) over the next ten years. The cuts are among $1.74 trillion in social welfare cuts proposed by the Trump administration, a sweeping plan that could kick people like Block off a program, known as SSDI, that keeps her financially afloat.
posting.php?mode=newtopic&f=16&sid=bdce ... 5b82c1894f

Draining the swamp?

Do we know why she would be kicked off?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothec ... 096a6c4b6d
How Americans Game the $200 Billion-a-Year 'Disability-Industrial Complex'

there is a fourth program, that pays disability benefits through the Social Security Administration, that is also growing at an alarming pace.

Congress has dramatically expanded the definition of who gets called “disabled.� As a result, many able-bodied Americans have been granted government paychecks for life, crowding out our ability to direct needed resources to the genuinely infirm.

Today, the United States spends around $200 billion a year, literally paying Americans not to work.

Disability insurance has replaced welfare:

As the below chart shows, the last three times the unemployment rate has gone up due to recession—in the early 1990s, the early 2000s, and the late 2000s—applications for Social Security Disability Insurance have spiked.

I am not pointing to this article as an authority and I certainly am not one either. Just trying to get a better understanding, because at this point, my understanding is lacking.

There was a time when people actually had life long professions. And these professions offered medical insurance and pensions to their workforce as a part of the package. But a business friendly congress has made it more profitable for businesses to offer only part time positions, thereby avoiding offering medical insurance and pensions to their employees. And so the workforce is increasingly turning to government programs as they age and begin to break down physically. Without these government programs, the option is millions of the old and disabled living, and dying, in tent cities.

Do you know why she would be kicked off SSDI?
Is she in need of the insurance, or is she one that is taking advantage of it?

Again, I know nothing of Block and admit I am fairly ignorant on this topic as a whole, so please put on your kiddy gloves.

[Tired of the Nonsense]

JP Cusick has indicated that he recently went out on a disability. Trump is proposing a massive disability cut to the SSDI program for the exact purpose of putting disabled people back to work. How do you like him now?

CBS NEWS
The cuts to a major disability program in Trump's budget

When Budget Director Mick Mulvaney assumed the podium in the White House briefing room last week and previewed the administration's 2018 budget, Heather Block's fears quickly turned to outrage.

Block, a 54-year-old former international aid worker from Lewes, Delaware, listened with growing anger as Mulvaney promised to slice $72 billion dollars from Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) over the next ten years. The cuts are among $1.74 trillion in social welfare cuts proposed by the Trump administration, a sweeping plan that could kick people like Block off a program, known as SSDI, that keeps her financially afloat.
posting.php?mode=newtopic&f=16&sid=bdce ... 5b82c1894f

Draining the swamp?

Do we know why she would be kicked off?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothec ... 096a6c4b6d
How Americans Game the $200 Billion-a-Year 'Disability-Industrial Complex'

there is a fourth program, that pays disability benefits through the Social Security Administration, that is also growing at an alarming pace.

Congress has dramatically expanded the definition of who gets called “disabled.� As a result, many able-bodied Americans have been granted government paychecks for life, crowding out our ability to direct needed resources to the genuinely infirm.

Today, the United States spends around $200 billion a year, literally paying Americans not to work.

Disability insurance has replaced welfare:

As the below chart shows, the last three times the unemployment rate has gone up due to recession—in the early 1990s, the early 2000s, and the late 2000s—applications for Social Security Disability Insurance have spiked.

I am not pointing to this article as an authority and I certainly am not one either. Just trying to get a better understanding, because at this point, my understanding is lacking.

There was a time when people actually had life long professions. And these professions offered medical insurance and pensions to their workforce as a part of the package. But a business friendly congress has made it more profitable for businesses to offer only part time positions, thereby avoiding offering medical insurance and pensions to their employees. And so the workforce is increasingly turning to government programs as they age and begin to break down physically. Without these government programs, the option is millions of the old and disabled living, and dying, in tent cities.

Do you know why she would be kicked off SSDI?
Is she in need of the insurance, or is she one that is taking advantage of it?

Again, I know nothing of Block and admit I am fairly ignorant on this topic as a whole, so please put on your kiddy gloves.

I don't know that she would be kicked off and I don't think that the article knows this for a fact either. The point is that Trump wants to cut the budget for SSDI by a whopping $72 BILLION. Which is clearly going to effect a whole lot of people. Those not removed entirely would almost certainly see their benefits drastically reduced. If a person is barely making ends meet at $1300, they might well find themselves living on the streets at $500 a month.

I should probably point out that this proposal has very little chance of getting through Congress. The Democrats won't support it, and it would almost certainly mean the total demise of the Republican party.

Another thing I should point out is that $72 Billion is roughly the estimate of what the Mexican border wall would cost. If Trump doesn't get his wall he will point to Congress and blame them.

[bluethread]

I don't know that she would be kicked off and I don't think that the article knows this for a fact either.

So, you begin your argument with an anecdotal case, that you know nothing about, and say that the person you are using as an authority may not know either? What is it that you consider to be actual nonsense?

[Tired of the Nonsense]

I don't know that she would be kicked off and I don't think that the article knows this for a fact either.

So, you begin your argument with an anecdotal case, that you know nothing about, and say that the person you are using as an authority may not know either? What is it that you consider to be actual nonsense?

The Trump administration is proposing cutting a total of $1.74 TRILLION from social welfare, cuts which are aimed directly at the old and disabled, and you are wondering what we should consider nonsense? Trump proposes instead that we spend the money erecting a fence along the entire Mexican border, at an estimated cost of $65-70 billion dollars. And you see no nonsense YET?

This plan has little realistic chance of getting through Congress. But then, I never for a moment suspected that the American public would actually pick an orange buffoon for president.

But here is a money making tip for you. If Trump actually gets his way, cuts the money from social welfare programs and and spends it instead on a wall... invest in companies that make portable plasma cutters.



At about $650 a pop for a decent one, they are perfect for easily making a $65 billion wall into Swiss cheese. Not to mention making Trump look like the idiot that he has always been.

[benchwarmer]

But here is a money making tip for you. If Trump actually gets his way, cuts the money from social welfare programs and and spends it instead on a wall... invest in companies that make portable plasma cutters.

Or invest in Mexican shovel companies to cash in on all the tunnels.
Or invest in Mexican floatation device companies to cash in on all the people simply swimming around the edges.
Or invest in Mexican ladder companies to cash in on those simply climbing over.

So many investment opportunities

[WinePusher]

There was a time when people actually had life long professions. And these professions offered medical insurance and pensions to their workforce as a part of the package.

It really depends on what "profession" you're talking about though. If you look at the medical industry, or the financial services industry or the technology industry, you'll see that there are literally dozens upon dozens of companies offering very generous benefits and compensation packages. I have several peers who managed to land entry level jobs at tech firms like Apple and Google, and they have excellent, AMAZING benefits packages along with competitive salaries.

So it isn't entirely accurate to suggest that it's become harder to find jobs that offer insurance and pension plans. There are thousands of tech jobs that exist and cannot be filled because American students are adverse to majoring in STEM fields. If you're willing to put in the work and study a valuable subject and attain skills that are in demand then you're going to make a decent living for yourself.

I will agree with you that, sadly, there is a large majority of the population that work in horrible jobs that pay crap and offer no benefits. I started out working in the restaurant business during high school, and many of my co workers were in their 40s and 50s making minimum wage.

But a business friendly congress has made it more profitable for businesses to offer only part time positions, thereby avoiding offering medical insurance and pensions to their employees. And so the workforce is increasingly turning to government programs as they age and begin to break down physically. Without these government programs, the option is millions of the old and disabled living, and dying, in tent cities.

I argued against this sentiment for years on this forum, but I am beginning to change my mind. I think that you're partly right, in that huge corporations like Walmart could raise their employees wages without raising prices or cutting back on hiring. The increase in wages could theoretically come out of corporate earnings, thereby reducing Walmart's bottom line.

The problem is that there are many small businesses who cannot afford to pay high wages for low skilled labor. Walmart obviously can, and I think they should, but the mom and pop shop down the street can't.

The Trump administration is proposing cutting a total of $1.74 TRILLION from social welfare, cuts which are aimed directly at the old and disabled, and you are wondering what we should consider nonsense? Trump proposes instead that we spend the money erecting a fence along the entire Mexican border, at an estimated cost of $65-70 billion dollars. And you see no nonsense YET?

Again, in the past I would've argued against what you're saying, but I am gradually changing my mind on this topic. Do I think that we should cut social security and medicare to pay for a border wall? No. I think that many people have paid into social security their entire lives and have the right to receive payments relative to what they put in.

In the grand scheme of things, it would be far better to allow people to opt out of SS and put that into money into a private IRA where they could earn substantially more.

[Tired of the Nonsense]

[Replying to post 9 by WinePusher]

It really depends on what "profession" you're talking about though. If you look at the medical industry, or the financial services industry or the technology industry, you'll see that there are literally dozens upon dozens of companies offering very generous benefits and compensation packages. I have several peers who managed to land entry level jobs at tech firms like Apple and Google, and they have excellent, AMAZING benefits packages along with competitive salaries.

So it isn't entirely accurate to suggest that it's become harder to find jobs that offer insurance and pension plans. There are thousands of tech jobs that exist and cannot be filled because American students are adverse to majoring in STEM fields. If you're willing to put in the work and study a valuable subject and attain skills that are in demand then you're going to make a decent living for yourself.

I will agree with you that, sadly, there is a large majority of the population that work in horrible jobs that pay crap and offer no benefits. I started out working in the restaurant business during high school, and many of my co workers were in their 40s and 50s making minimum wage.

I already got mine. I have been comfortably retired for several years now. But I was part of the old system, and there is a great deal of resentment among younger workers who have nothing better than a personal 401K, at best, and SSI to look forward to. And the feeling that they will have to work until they either die, or become physically disabled.

I argued against this sentiment for years on this forum, but I am beginning to change my mind. I think that you're partly right, in that huge corporations like Walmart could raise their employees wages without raising prices or cutting back on hiring. The increase in wages could theoretically come out of corporate earnings, thereby reducing Walmart's bottom line.

The problem is that there are many small businesses who cannot afford to pay high wages for low skilled labor. Walmart obviously can, and I think they should, but the mom and pop shop down the street can't.

The incentive for business is to maximize profits. Not to do the right thing by its employees. Employees are expendable commodities. So government programs are the safety net for many. And now Trump, who is nothing but a rich corporate CEO, wants to cut government involvement to the bone. I don't actually see it getting through Congress, but if it did the long term result could well be massive homelessness among the old and infirm. Ironically, older Americans make up much of Trump's core support. So in some ways they would be getting what they deserve. Of course they are often too dimwitted to ever understand that. But even truly stupid people are going to begin to understand at some point that the nosedive in their fortunes can no longer be blamed on Hillary and Obama. Once they have lost their homes, finally getting a clue is not really going to matter much.

Again, in the past I would've argued against what you're saying, but I am gradually changing my mind on this topic. Do I think that we should cut social security and medicare to pay for a border wall? No. I think that many people have paid into social security their entire lives and have the right to receive payments relative to what they put in.

In the grand scheme of things, it would be far better to allow people to opt out of SS and put that into money into a private IRA where they could earn substantially more.

This is simply betting one's future on the stock market. Even people who know and understand the stock market, sometimes lose their shirts. Clueless people expecting the stock market to provide for their old age is simply a set up for millions of destitute old folks.

The idea that a border wall is going to stop illegal immigration is the greatest example possible of a very stupid man feeding a very stupid idea to large numbers of very stupid gullible people. The only thing that will stop illegal immigration is when moving north of the border becomes no longer a lucrative option. A country of millions of destitute old folks, with a huge disparity between rich few, the poor majority, and a vastly shrunken middle class might be the very disincentive that does the job. And even then people won't understand that they have been lied to.