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Editorials
Boston Globe Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Ellen Goodman recently wrote on President Obama requesting Congress allocate $250 to the 57 million beneficiaries of Social Security and other federal entitlement programs, regardless of income to compensate for the fact that older Americans will not get a cost-of-living increase in their 2010 checks.
Goodman writes that this will be the first time in 34 years that seniors will not find a raise in their checks. “They are not getting a cost-of-living increase for one simple reason: The cost of living has decreased. The checks that rose 5.8 percent last year - largely on energy costs - are already buying more this year. As for the idea that those on Social Security were “hardest hit’’ by the recession, not so fast. There’s evidence that older Americans suffered fewer mortgage foreclosures. They were no more affected by the stock market meltdown than other age groups, and retirees were obviously less affected by unemployment. And while, yes, they were hit by rising health care costs, were they hit harder than, say, citizens with no health insurance? Indeed, poverty among the elderly has gone down from 35 percent in 1959 to 10 percent in 2008. Today, elders are half as likely to be poor as are children.”
“Wouldn’t it be something if those of us on Social Security looked this particular gift horse in the mouth and said no to Congress? And if a check arrives in the mail, wouldn’t it be something if elders who are able, endorsed it to schools that are meagerly training the next generation of Social Security supporters?”
“I’ve always thought that elders were the ones designated by society to take the long view - back to the past and forward to a future when we won’t even be around. In that long view, caring flows down the generations. So, why exactly would we give $250 to every senior at every income while poor children remain in deep trouble? How do we justify the transfer of $13 billion or $14 billion to seniors?”
Comments
It appears Goodman is speaking of seniors with considerable wealth and/or those not residing in New York State. If the cost of living for seniors decreased for seniors in 2009, I have not found that to be the case on a personal level, nor heard that from fellow seniors. Being a retired senior on Social Security for ten years I can attest to that. Perhaps it’s because New York State seniors, like all other state residents, are taxed to the max by state, county and local governments alike.
Is it fair that all Social Security recipients, regardless of income level, receive like compensation? Why not, as participants in a program like everyone else, they are entitled to any increase. Spread the wealth!
At no other time in recent American history have seniors who learned the value of the dollar from parents who went through the great depression and garnered some savings to tide them through their retirement years been more pressed to help others in need. Whereas parents in the past looked to children to help them through their golden years, too often it is the senior parents of today who are expected and/or out of necessity called upon to help provide financial or care–taking assistance.
Seniors of today are once again baby sitters for two-member working families; oft times providing food, clothing and school aid assistance. Children are living longer with parents and/or moving back after divorces or when experiencing hardships in the working environment.
Seniors often provide financial assistance to children purchasing homes, cars, and for grandchildren educational needs. Seniors having means to provide help do so with love and with no expectation of return except the joy that comes from being able to provide their children and their children’s children a better quality of life.
I don’t know who Ellen Goodman spends time with, but the seniors I know are all too willing to share their good fortune with their children; more so, with their grandchildren.
It was offensive to hear that seniors are not entitled to any 2010 increase in Social Security because the cost of living decreased when at the same time Congress gave itself a raise and when every public sector employee in New York received salary increases. Offensive considering we are the highest taxed state in the nation with the most inept and dysfunctional state, county and local governments that continue to increase/find new fees and/or taxes and are still running heavily in the red.
A $250 donation? Like hell it is! But, I would be more than willing to donate my $250 check (if I get one) back to the government if every politician and public sector employee gives up their salary increase for 2010.
But I will not donate my $250 stipend to the Lancaster Central School District since hearing that teachers receive a guaranteed automatic step pay increase of 3.3%, and are now at “impasse” in the negotiating process and asking for more. “Greedy geezers”, Ms. Goodman? I think not! Enough is enough.
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