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MIKE OF THE NORTH

Just another guy trying to make his way.
Articles Posted: 25  Links Seeded: 8
Member Since: 12/2008  Last Seen: 5/15/2012

Entitlement Reform Now

Wed Aug 31, 2011 5:32 AM EDT
By Mike of the North
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When you mention reform of entitlement programs, there are those on the left who will accuse you of some form of 'ism', dependant on the beneficiary of said program. But there are systematic problems with entitlements that need to be addressed or the real losers will be the ones the anti reformists are desperately trying to save.

I'll take from recent experiences of people I know to exploit just a few of the problems and waste our system has. (Names chaged to protect the guilty, or innocent, depending on how you look at it.)

Omar is Somalian, came to the U.S. about 12 yrs ago on a special visa for Somalian refugees. I'm not sure if he actually obtained U.S. citizenship but I do know he retains his Somalian citizenship. He is a janitor in a high school where he has been employed for 10 years and recently announced his plan to retire. After 10 years of full time work he is eligible to collect his maximum monthly social security benefit amount. Omar doesn't plan on retiring to Florida, Texas or Arizona... Omar is taking his Social Security back to Somalia where, on that monthly income, he can live like a virtual king.

Mark is my brother. Laid off from his job over 2 years ago this past spring he decided he'd 'take the summer off' and live in his unemployment benefits. Now that his 99 weeks have run out he's decided HE will file for disability due to his bad back, a condition that precludes him from any heavy lifting with a few exceptions like getting his beer gut out of bed, lifting kegs into his truck and putting his 21ft boat in and out of the water. He too, recently got his seal of approval.

Sara is my ex wife. She is anorexic and at 34 yrs old has been battling the psychiatric disorder on and off for 22 years. Last April she hit a literal rock bottom and it nearly killed her. She was within hours of her life and needed emergency surgery to correct an intestinal problem created by her eating disorder. Facing months of in patient psychiatric treatment and well as a physical rehabilitation due to the surgery, she applied for Social Security Disability benefits. She is now out of the treatment center and planning on returning to work full time next week and yesterday just got word that she was approved and will receive benefits, starting in OCTOBER.

We are shipping billions of dollars overseas to non U.S. citizens after working here just a few short years, subsidizing the lazy and inept and all the while making the application process tedious and painstakingly show so that when people need temporary help, by the time they get it that don't need it. I wish I could say I made these stories up but I didn't. I wish I could believe these were simple rarities in a well oiled machine but I can't. I cannot help but believe there are serious problems, serious waste and serious issues. If 1 in every 100 similar stories I hear on a continuous basis have any semblance of truth, we are in trouble. Very big trouble.

And all of this only takes from the ones who REALLY need it.

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Mike of the North

COH enforced, compliance appreciated.

  • 2 votes
Reply#1 - Wed Aug 31, 2011 5:29 AM EDT
Vlad's dog

You know, there will always be scammers everywhere you go. The problem is the lack of real enforcement here. If these programs spent more on looking into each individual applying for this money then we might be able to get a handle on things.

This is not just a problem in these programs it is wide spread throughout the government. Corporations also scam our government.

So you say we need reform then what does that word reform mean to you?

When I see the word reform being used it usually means cutting money from the program.

  • 4 votes
Reply#2 - Wed Aug 31, 2011 7:50 AM EDT
Mike of the North

First of all, none of these are really 'abuses' and no one mentioned here is 'scamming' the system. Ten years is all it takes to get your maximum Social Security benefit if you are of age to collect and they will send it to just about any corner of the globe. My brother has a legitimate back injury which might prevent him from doing some jobs but he is obviously capable of doing many others. My ex had a legitimate claim but took so long that she no longer needed it when she was approved.

These are operational problems. Not problems with enforcement. No one here is breaking any rules or laws. Systematic design flaws if you will.

And yes, reform can and should mean eventually cutting money from the system. Once you cut waste and get a program into the black and have a adjusted legitimate spending accordingly, there's no reason not to cut.

Social Security benefits should be reserved for those who maintain a permanent residence in the U.S. and are actually in the U.S. at at least some point in time each year. It should not be for those who with to retire permanently overseas.

Disability should should require an actual work impeding disability which honestly, takes a lot. At least when you apply for food stamps or other county benefits you must actually apply in person, not so for disability. In many cases, no one has ever seen these 'disabled' people.

I don't know what the fix is but I thought I'd share a few stories. I figure others may have stories too. Maybe even some where seemingly legitimate claims are denied and people have had to hire lawyers to get or others where people are taking advantage of a lax system.

If there is one indication that there is a problem it is in the fact that there are lawyers who specialize in disability claims just as there are tax lawyers. The tax code should not be so complicated that the person of average intellect cannot understand it and neither should be filing for federal benefits.

  • 1 vote
#2.1 - Wed Aug 31, 2011 5:22 PM EDT
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mike from wisc

Mike thanks for the seed. This is a very serious issue. I see abuses of the system on a regular basis. The way I see it, if everyone knows one person abusing the system that would mean there are millions of cases to be looked into and fixed.

  • 3 votes
Reply#3 - Wed Aug 31, 2011 8:27 AM EDT
Mike of the North

This is a serious issue and I wish I could say these were abuses that simply got through by lack of available enforcement but they're not. They are surprisingly legitimate cases the system allows. They would all pass the sniff test under the rules, it's the rules themselves that need to be changed.

  • 1 vote
#3.1 - Wed Aug 31, 2011 5:28 PM EDT
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