Half of seniors rely on Social Security for AT LEAST HALF of their income.

[highplainsdem]

https://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/policy-basics-top-ten-facts-about-social-security

Fact #7: Most elderly beneficiaries rely on Social Security for the majority of their income.

Social Security provides the majority of income to most elderly Americans. For about half of seniors, it provides at least 50 percent of their income, and for about 1 in 4 seniors, it provides at least 90 percent of income, across multiple surveys and the study that matches survey and administrative data.

I was talking, the other day to a former Democrat who'd become something of a conspiracy theorist in recent years and voted for Trump in 2016. Once he was told Trump's proposed payroll tax cut would wipe out Social Security by 2023, he suddenly became much more skeptical of Trump. I did tell him that Trump was claiming he'd replace the revenue from the general fund, but I added that there was no chance of getting Republicans in the Senate to okay a tax increase equivalent to 14% on everyone's gross income (to match employer/employee FICA). He agreed.


Democrats have to use Trump's crazy talk of eliminating the payroll tax, much more than they've used it so far.

[SamKnause]

1. It is my only income.

[not_the_one]

4. Other than a teeny tiny state pension, it is also my only income.

This alone should deliver Florida and Arizona as landslides for Biden.

But it won't.

I don't get it.

[Blecht]

13. Remember the golf cart parade for Trump?

"White power!"

That's what it's all about to them.

[SWBTATTReg]

2. Yes, Biden needs to push this very possible scenario so seniors will be scared,

TRUMP = No Social Security

[Turbineguy]

3. They have to be alive to collect it.

The GOP wants to kill them.

[not_the_one]

8. True. But much to his dismay, we aren't going to all die within two to three years.

You can also be damned sure that every single one of his white senior citizen supporters is "on the dole". They just can't see past their blind hatred to realize he is hurting them, too.

But yes, he wants to kill all the poor senior citizens, poor people of color. All the right people.

There should be billboards with the names of all the people who enabled this. With the turd and the turtle at the top of the list.

[BlueDawn]

5. It is my mother's.....

.....only income. She is soon to be 89 years old in two weeks.

[magicarpet]

6. The Democrats should beat this drum loudly and relentlessly between now and election day.

The oldster voters are a big chunk of trDumpie's base. If they realized the reality that the King of Orange intends to peal away and gut Social Security may older voters would quickly jump ship. Social Security is the life blood for many elders,... they would be destitute without it. If sufficiently informed they would not think kindly of this plan.

[Ohiogal]

10. This.

[crickets]

20. +1

[Chainfire]

7. If the government breaks the contract with the American people

you could look for a rise of the gray panthers. Noting is more dangerous than a healthy old person with nothing else to lose.

SS is insurance policy paid over a lifetime of work. To renege on it long after it is too late to recover would be the US government defaulting on a promise to it's citizens. To reduce or eliminate the benefits I worked for and paid for would make me mean as hell.

[gulliver]

9. With Seniors starting to turn against Trump, I think he could try to suppress their vote.

It could be one of the reasons he's trying to suppress mail-in voting. Seniors who have turned on him might be afraid to vote in person.

[panader0]

11. It's my only income, except for my "cash crop" once a year.

And that can be iffy. Still, I'm good. House and land long paid off. Land taxes are my biggest
expense and my crop has paid that every year for quite a while. Wait, do I hear a helicopter?

[haele]

12. I don't think enough retired seniors understand how much of their comfortable old age

Depends on that extra $1500 -$2000 mostly state tax free supplemental plus the reduced medical bills and insurance costs that Medi-care provides on a monthly basis. I'd say it's more like 80%of seniors would suddenly find themselves in financial trouble if it all suddenly went away, no matter how good their pensions, investments, or other "retirement vehicles" seem to be.

[judesedit]

24. Sorry, but that's a high sum. I only get $1100+ for all of those years of work and paying into it.

[roamer65]

26. Also depends on the cost of living where they reside and their investments.

There are some retirees to which the SS check is simply petty cash. Sad, but true.

[onethatcares]

14. go to your email address book and

write your friends that support him a e mail. Tell them you'll be moving in with them as soon as he cuts the taxes and kills Social Security.

Hell, tell them you're going to buy a tent to pitch in their yard in preparation for that day.

Stand up/Speak up at every opportunity or this will get lost in the shitstream from this administration.

[ProfessorGAC]

15. Linked That Same Site Earlier

The other line in your excerpt is 25% of seniors get 90% or more of income from SocSec.
The average benefit is around 21k, so those 1 in 4 could go from 23k to 2.
Nobody could live on $166 per month.

[BamaRefugee]

16. Dems need to make ads telling young people that if SS and Medicare go away, THEY will have to have

their parents living with them, and feeding them, and buying clothes for them AND paying all of their medical bills!
Otherwise, THEY will be the ones who condemn their parents to a slow and agonizing death living on the sidewalk.
I honestly think millions of young people will jump at the chance to have less money taken out of their paychecks, because rightwingers will come up with countless *BUMPER STICKER* type phrases that convince them it's in their best interest.
Seriously, SCARE TACTICS may be the only defense we have against the war on SS and Medicare.
And yes, I recieve both and my ENTIRE SS check goes to my rent every month, and I definitely do not live in luxury. Without SS and Medicare my life savings will be gone in no time and any semblance of "normal" life for me will be gone forever.

[lamp_shade]

17. It's ALL of my income.

[nancy1942]

18. My whole income....

without it I will just have to die. This is apparently what we're expected to do now.

[kskiska]

19. My rent eats up half of my SS payment, and it keeps rising.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

21. I'm disabled it's my only income too

Alot of disabled folks rely on SSI and we'd be screwed with everyone else that relies on SS

[Cha]

22. And, there's those whose only income is their Social Security!

Which is exactly what it says. Security!

[judesedit]

23. Social Security is 100% of my income. Thank you very much.

[roamer65]

25. Social security will be easier to maintain in the future.

Why?

Because we are creating money out of thin air to pay for it and other expenditures.

YoY M1 money supply is up nearly 40 percent and shows no sign of slowing. Social security will be easy to maintain when daily goods take a $500 or $1000 bill to purchase.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

27. I will say I'm horrified at how many people depend on SS for all or almost

all of their income.