Clinton tells organized labor she would enhance Social Security for some

[PoliticAverse]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton has told the AFL-CIO she wants to improve Social Security benefits for women and lower-income seniors, offering a glimpse of the Democratic presidential front-runner's thinking on a topic she has rarely addressed on the campaign trail.

In a questionnaire on labor issues from April that has not been made public, Clinton said she would defend Social Security from Republican attacks and "enhance it to meet new realities."

...

"I'm especially focused on the fact that we need to improve how Social Security works for women," she wrote in the questionnaire, which was seen by Reuters and confirmed by three union sources.

Read the rest at: http://news.yahoo.com/clinton-points-social-security-changes-afl-cio-questionnaire-050441631--business.html

[HassleCat]

1. What?

For women? Which women? I hope she's talking about working women. Part of the problem we have now is rich widows who collect the maximum SS benefit from their deceased husbands' SS accounts. This is thin ice, shaky ground, because we have to reduce benefits for some women, and increase them for other women. It will be interesting to hear the candidates discuss this and see if they dare differentiate between working women and wealthy widows. I bet none of them has the courage to go there.

[jwirr]

8. There is a third category of women that has not been mentioned yet.

I worked for 45 years as a caretaker for my severely disabled daughter. Because I was her mother what I did was not considered work so we lived on welfare. If I had traded places with another mother doing the same thing they would have paid us $12 an hour.

Today I get $278 Social Security a month for part time jobs like bus attendant on her bus. Yet if I had not been willing to do what I did someone else would have gotten at least $12 an hour 24/7 year round.

The only thing that makes a difference for me and others like me is that SSI (not SSDI) adds enough to make the monthly total $753. It would be nice if someone could find a way so that work like mine could be seen as real work. Or even just credit us with having earned social security.

One funny thing that happened. The state once accidently sent me a questionnaire about state employees who did the same thing. Asking them how much they made and hour. I filled it out and sent it back explaining who I was. I told them that I made $.35 an hour. Needless to say I did not get an answer back.

[tularetom]

2. "enhance it to meet new realities." is Clinton speak for "find a way to give some of it to Wall St."

That's a weaselly statement if I ever heard one. So if she gets elected she can raise the age for receiving SS benefits or even cut benefits and say "The new reality is that people are living longer and retiring younger".

Of course if she did that she'd pretty much guarantee that she'd be a one term president.

[djean111]

3. "enhance it to meet new realities." - gee, this sounds like a gussied up version of "eat yer peas".

That statement really needs a LOT more detail. My rule of thumb - if a politician says anything like that - run.
I would like to know exactly what that means.

[Autumn]

4. Oh great, "enhance it to meet new realities."

It never stops.

[sadoldgirl]

5. Well, it might fit in with income testing,

which would take SS down the road to the welfare
condition, ie. it would not be equally applied to all,
and therefore could come under congressional
supervision.

Of course, I don't know whether this is really
what she is talking about. The statements are
rather nebulous.

[PoliticAverse]

6. We'll find out more with her proposals "in the weeks and months ahead." n/t

[CharlotteVale]

7. I simply can't trust anyone so wishy washy on

what is a life or death issue for so many seniors.

[Robbins]

9. and if you believe this

I've got a house to sell you.

[cali]

10. more hill-speak: language that obfuscates rather than clarifies

And that is the intent

[cyberswede]

11. Bernie Sanders: Raise taxes on the wealthy to save Social Security

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/232297-sen-sanders-offers-plan-to-extend-life-of-social-security

In a 12-page report, Sanders, the ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee and possible presidential candidate in 2016, argued Social Security's solvency problems could be solved if lawmakers simply lifted the cap on the tax that funds the program.

“If Republicans are serious about extending the solvency of Social Security beyond 2033, I hope they will join me in scrapping the cap that allows multi-millionaires to pay a much smaller percentage of their income into Social Security than the middle class,” Sanders said.

The Social Security trust fund that provides benefits to retired and disabled people is largely funded by the payroll tax. Right now, 6.2 percent of the payroll tax income from employees and employers is allotted to Social Security, and then that revenue is divided between the two funds.

The amount of earnings that are subject to the payroll tax each year is capped, however, at $118,500.

Income above that level is not subject to the tax, which means an individual who makes more than $11 million a year, for example, would only pay into the fund on the first $118,500 of income.

“That is patently unfair,” Sanders said. “If we apply the Social Security payroll tax to income above $250,000, we could immediately bring in enough revenue to the Social Security trust fund to extend it for decades and also be able to increase benefits.”

The Social Security actuary, Sanders said, has projected that an increase of that size in the cap would extend the program past 2060.

[madville]

12. The snag with raising the cap is do you also raise benefits?

The contributions are stopped after a certain income but so are the benefits. The way the program is designed (written into law) the more you put in, the more you get out and that amount is capped as well.

[cyberswede]

13. In my ideal world, the cap is raised, and those most in need receive increased benefits...

those without need wouldn't have to get bennies at all.

But, that's probably not gonna happen.

[PoliticAverse]

14. That is why raising the cap doesn't bring in as much net revenue as many people think it would. n/t

[mmonk]

15. Who are the some? The issue is life or slow death for some.