A discussion about the big picture, very relevant to aged care and health, though perhaps about politics. The news tells us that the USA has always had a problem will a very large bureaucracy, and neither political party has made much of an improvement. The USA has over 50 states and territories. Australia has less than 7, with a smaller population but a similar area and equally wide climate variations. Though less, Oz has ongoing issues in the funding of health and welfare. States fund hospitals, the Commonwealth funds medical, and state and CW jointly fund aged care. Lots and lots of problems in working together, always a political hot potato. The USA has the added issue that every state seems to ‘tweak’ their own local aged care options, though based on a Federal substructure. No wonder there are lots and lots of public servants in there! It’s hard for us to understand and advise about, and must be a nightmare to administer.
Constitutions were written for current issues at the time, with best attempts to foresee the future. Oz’s division into states is now not helpful – for example it would make more sense to have one state for the tropical north, perhaps one for the desert, and put Brisbane in with the temperate states. In the USA it could make more sense to have fewer states, based on climate or industry or anything else sensible.
I wonder if a good aspect of the current shake-up would be to start a USA constitutional review. It couldn’t be completed in the current presidential term, and might achieve some useful things.
Is there any discussion in the USA along these lines? I’d love to know!
That would require we the people to elect politicians who have integrity , who value truth, honesty , fairness, and compromise, without a felony record .
Today’s plan is to tank the stock market so the rich can buy a ton of stock while it’s down .
But is anyone going hungry today ? These people don’t care .
We are living in evil times .
Anyone here who's loved ones or neighbors rely on meals on wheels or energy assistance?
https://www.livenowfox.com/news/hhs-layoffs-workers-meals-on-wheels
It's one of the things I was thinking of volunteering for when mom, dies and I need to fill up my time.
The menus and meals are made on the community level . Some communities have volunteers make food at a soup kitchen/pantry , others use a catering service .
Thank you for clarifying it’s a pause . However , I said funding “ will be stopped”. I did not say “ officially ended”.
During a pause fundings will be stopped .
So it is going to be next to impossible to continue this forum , without politics coming up, because of it's effects on health care and the aging
Well the fact that Federal funding for meals on wheels and senior centers will be stopped should answer your question here about any planning for senior care .
And the fact that this loss of funding apparently can not be discussed ( how we got here ) on a caregiver Forum is another indication that seniors are going to lose . Certain posts can always be removed , but still allow to keep the thread open . Honestly it makes no sense that this thread is still open if the Meals on Wheels thread was closed . 🤷♀️🤷♀️
The problem needing to be solved is for Americans to be told honest information .
Then planning and compromise can follow .
Yup ,
The other scare tactic that DH gets angry about is when politicians claim that the other candidate or party wants to increase Federal inheritance tax . Unless you inherit over $13.99 MILLION dollars from a really super wealthy person , you aren’t going to pay federal inheritance tax . Only 0.2 percent of estates are large enough to have to pay Federal inheritance tax .
State inheritance tax is different of course .
People need to get educated . Casole is right . Here we are again where changes being made to make rich more wealthy , and the not rich , including elderly who need care will suffer .
And people are being fooled into believing that letting go of Federal employees will save a lot of money . Federal employees are only about 5-6 % of the entire Federal government spending . And again SS cuts DOES not have any bearing on the Federal government budget .
Raising the wage ceiling that SS tax is withheld at , only makes the wealthy pay their fair share .
For 2025 , only earnings up to 176,100 will have to pay SS tax . Any earnings over that is not taxed. That wage ceiling gets increased each year , but not enough to fix SS .
Politicians do not explain that . They cause people who make LESS than that amount think that SS reform ( more significantly raise , or eliminate , that wage ceiling ) will affect them , but it wouldn’t .
And yes, for sure, borrowing from SS? Not a good thing. That money could have grown tucked away.
And I do get what you say/mean about it not being an "entitlement program" as that is defined governmentally.
N.'s eldest daughter doesn't pay into SS. She is on Cal-pro teacher's retirement program. It is by far better in benefits than SS. However, not backed by the good faith of the federal government, so if the whole thing, mostly invested I think in stocks, went South I am honestly uncertain of what would happen. She retired last year.
But there we are.
To alleviate the SS benefit cut back that is scheduled to occur in 2035, the solution is to more significantly raise ( or eliminate ) the wage ceiling that SS tax is withheld at .
He’s says it an easy fix but obviously not popular with rich people and would cause some politicians to lose re-election .
He says the nearly 3 trillion dollars the government “ borrowed “ from SS and never returned , is what got us where we are now , not necessarily that people are having less kids . Low birth rate effect would be later .
Social Security is NOT tax money paid to the government . The problem is People believe that it is . It’s paid solely by the employee and the employer to a trust fund . And yes we are entitled to it because we paid into it .
SS is NOT a government funded entitlement program , and should never have been borrowed from by past Presidents ( from both parties ) . That money solely belongs to the employees who paid into it .
As far as definition . An ENTITLEMENT PROGRAM is a government funded program . That is a different definition than entitlement . I double checked that before my post .
Social Security is NOT tax money for the government to borrow , use , spend . That is the point I am making . People don’t understand that . Social Security should never have been ( taken from ) touched to use as government budget funding .
SS is NOT tax money and should not be part of the general dipping that you mention . Ignorance or acceptance of this is just wrong . Citizens need to be educated and stop letting politicians lie and steal from this trust fund .
The claims that SS cuts are needed to balance the government budget is lies .
Politicians are taking advantage of the fact that people are not distinguishing the difference between being entitiled to SS and the fact that it’s not a government funded entitlement program . It’s in fact a big difference .
This isn’t even an opinion of mine . These are facts . My DH was a government auditor for years . He says people are lied to by politicians . SS is not even a line item in the government budget because SS checks do not come out of the government budget .
All the threats etc over cutting SS, have no bearing on the government budget . It’s all politics to push an agenda .
It simply means by definition "something you are entitled to".
That is to say something you have a right to, because you paid into that system. Because you earned that right. Either by having paid into a system, or as a citizen in need.
Truth is that we are outliving anything we might have put into the system, and currently our kids are not having as many kids. One wonders how that will work. At age 83 now, and having taken early retirement at 62, I have taken back everything I put into SS and then some. Just a fact.
I was always happy to put in my SS, pay my taxes; San Francisco RNs were, when I worked, the highest paid in the country. But for all I put in, we live now so very long that I am already kind of here at the mercy of the taxpayer.
So yes, I felt entitled. And don't mind the word "entitlement". But am now taking money I never put in to anything, realistically.
I am unlikely to, but some are now living to 100. My daughter's MIL is mid 90s as is her beau. She never worked in a job outside keeping her home and her children, but her husband, before dying, had a very good SS check. Her son is already 71.
The system is precarious. It is the more so for being used as a sort of "general fund" to dip into when wanting to borrow program to program. That ANY OF IT WORKS often seems somewhat a minor miracle to me. And of course, it kind of DOESN'T as we are greatly in debt.
As citizens we all have differing views of where our tax money should go and where it should not go. We can discuss it, sure, but we won't agree on it. So on we go.
Such a change would require the collective will of the people.
Simply put, right now we are perfectly DIVIDED, with no common purpose or common goal or common will.
These things always change. And our Constitution may as well; but I think now is perhaps not to be the time. Just my humble opinion.
SS as well is in danger . SS is NOT an entitlement like welfare , although that is the narrative that is being told . SS is funded by employer and employee contributions only . This includes all benefit and administrative costs associated with the SS program .
SS is not part of the government budget reconciliation process . This false narrative has been talked about for so long that people believe it. The current administration is looking to privatize SS for the benefit of his rich benefactors .
SS is NOT and NEVER was an entitlement program . Nor was it ever funded by the government . Ronald Reagan even said it’s not an entitlement program .
Cutting SS does not cut the budget deficit . It’s so frustrating that people do not realize this .
Part of the problem is that several presidents have raided SS in order to avoid raising income taxes . Close to 3 trillion dollars total has been taken from the SS trust fund . That money has never been payed back to the SS trust fund .