Carol Overland - Legalectric
When I’m 65…
Are you depending on Social Security to be there for you when you retire? Are you, a family member, friend, receiving Social Security disability payments? Pay attention, because Social Security has been defunded, “temporarily,” and tRump wants to make it permanent. What would that mean to you?
You can find tRump’s Memorandum and Guidance for defunding Social Security here:
Friday – Defunding Soc Sec – U.S. Treasury Guidance for Payroll Tax DeductionMy Letter to the Editor was published in the Red Wing Republican Eagle a couple weeks ago, forgot to put it up here!
When I’m 65…
Yeah, there’s a song, but that was last year. This year, yeah, boomer, I’m 65, and must enroll in Medicare. Nope, not happy about this at all. So much isn’t covered, basic things like glasses, hearing aids, what is covered is only 80% covered, and there’s an annual deductible. Insurance companies flood my mailbox wanting to take my money to cover the gaps. Neither party supports single-payer health care. They’re beholden to the insurance companies.
And approaching 65, consider Social Security. Most of us will need it. Based on the numbers, I’ll hold off collecting for a few years to have a higher payout. But with the defunding of Social Security last week, Social Security will be broke long before I drop dead!
Defunding Social Security? Yes, the “payroll tax cut.” Do you understand what this means? As someone who’s paid in, and as someone with grey hair, I’m horrified!
Cutting the “payroll tax” that funds Social Security means that the money funding Social Security would no longer be paid by employees and employers into the Social Security trust. That “payroll tax cut” means Social Security withholding would end. Social Security will be drained – all outgo and no income.
Enacted at the end of July, it allows, but does not require, employers to not withhold Social Security “payroll tax” from your check. If employers don’t withhold it from your check, they also do not have to pay their half, because withholding triggers employer payments. Again, Social Security would be all outgo and no income. How’ll that work for us? It won’t.
This “payroll tax cut” is in effect through year end. Missed “payroll tax” payments would be made up starting 2021, though how it happens isn’t explained. Many employers aren’t happy about this, because it’s an accounting hassle, and recouping those Social Security payments not made, by whatever scheme, would be a significant expense for employers and employees. A permanent cut has been proposed. Just NO!
Defund Social Security? We’ve paid in all our working lives. I’ve paid in since my Department of Agriculture summer job at 15. How many years have you paid in? Will you need Social Security? I sure will.
Yes, it’s an “entitlement.” We’re entitled to receive the benefits after we’ve paid in for so long. Cut the “payroll tax?” Defund Social Security? NO! You’ll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands!
Carol A. Overland, Red Wing
Good riddance, Donny!
Time out!
There’s a lot to be said for taking a “Time Out!” First trip of the year was up to Tettegouche for solstice, and it was too crowded and people were uniformly non-observent of COVID precautions. After that, we declined two camp hosting gigs, no way was I up for dealing with people and cleaning and stocking bathrooms in that situation.
I am on several camping lists, one of which is the North Dakota State Parks, which sends out a list of weekend sites available. Little Missouri State Park ALWAYS had sites. It looked interesting, was a horse camp with 2 assigned corrals for each site (!) so I called, and horses aren’t required. So I grabbed the best site starting after Labor Day – 13e!
Site 13e in the background, from the road into the park (photo taken by someone in my camping group who was there the week after I’d booked our reservation. on the way… Flaring at sunset… Flaring in the distance – 15+ visible at night.Sunset, right? Well, it is that time, but that’s an oil well flare. The campground was surrounded by oil wells (satellite view here).
North Dakota oil production on the upswing again but may plateau this fall
Some nights, they were audible, both a sound like a jet taking off and a very high pitched whistle. That was countered by the coyotes yipping and howling at sunset and an hour before sunrise.
Little Sadie loves to travel, and she’s learned to be cool around strangers and wildlife.
We took a trip to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, South Unit one day, North Unit the next. Campgrounds are closed at both. From the looks of it, the wildlife is benefiting from not having people around.
The picnic ground was FULL of buffalo!
The buffalo walking along the road found a snake, and stomped it but didn’t kill it, and they took turns checking it out, the snake opened its mouth wide, hissing, they’d dance away, and come around again for a look-see. It was as if it was bison school, to learn how to recognize danger and what to do about it.
And the joys of zooming on the internet!ALJ “INVESTIGATIVE REPORT PURSUANT TO MINN. STAT. § 216A.037”
Association of Freeborn County Landowners had filed a Complaint against Public Utilities Commissioner John Tuma and Chair Katie Sieben:
AFCL files Complaint against Tuma & SiebenThey filed their response and shipped it off to Office of Administrative Hearings for an investigation (note statute says “hearing” … oh well…):
AFCL Complaint forwarded to OAH for hearing
Here’s the result, hot off the press:
INVESTIGATIVE-REPORT_20209-166533-01DownloadThere’s no requirement of public participation? Minn. Stat. 216E.08, Subd. 2. And parties? No mention. What’s the point of being a party? And following that Office of Legislative Auditor report, guess it doesn’t matter, no one is paying attention.:
Public Utilities Commission’s Public Participation Processes – OLA-Report
Notice of a new topic on the agenda isn’t required? Yeah, I guess the notice statutes don’t matter.
Talking to a participant is not ex party contact? The County is indeed a participant…
Next step is that it goes to the Commission to rubber stamp it.
Who cares? Listen to this:
Contact Kenosha – City and County
Don’t need more tRump inciting — look how tRump’s invasion of Portland and the TRUMP caravan through town this weekend went. More divisiveness, more incitement, more tension, more outrage? That’s the last thing Kenosha needs. Too many ugly and sometimes threatening comments on my thorough post the other day. White supremacist vigilante kills 2 in Kenosha
https://www.startribune.com/police-most-arrested-during-kenosha-protests-not-from-city/572272042/Send emails (easy-peasy cut & paste) to:
City of Kenosha Common Council and City Attorney:
webcityattorney@kenosha.org, district1@kenosha.org, district2@kenosha.org, district3@kenosha.org, district4@kenosha.org, district5@kenosha.org, district6@kenosha.org, district7@kenosha.org, district8@kenosha.org, district9@kenosha.org, district10@kenosha.org, district11@kenosha.org, district12@kenosha.org, district13@kenosha.org, district14@kenosha.org, district15@kenosha.org, district16@kenosha.org, district17@kenosha.org
Kenosha County Board of Supervisors:
William.Grady@kenoshacounty.org, Terry.Rose@kenoshacounty.org, Jeffrey.Gentz@kenoshacounty.org, Laura.Belsky@kenoshacounty.org, David.Celebre@kenoshacounty.org, Edward.Kubicki@kenoshacounty.org, daniel.gaschke@kenoshacounty.org, Zach.Rodriguez@kenoshacounty.org, john.franco@kenoshacounty.org, andy.berg@kenoshacounty.org, Ronald.Frederick@kenoshacounty.org, Gabe.Nudo@kenoshacounty.org, John.Oday@kenoshacounty.org, Boyd.Frederick@kenoshacounty.org, amy.maurer@kenoshacounty.org, Jerry.Gulley@kenoshacounty.org, jeff.wamboldt@kenoshacounty.org, Monica.Yuhas@kenoshacounty.org, Sandra.Beth@kenoshacounty.org, Sharon.Pomaville@kenoshacounty.org, Mark.Nordigian@kenoshacounty.org, Erin.Decker@kenoshacounty.org, Lon.Wienke@kenoshacounty.org
Governor Tony Evers told tRump to STAY HOME! That’s the most sensible thing to come out of Wisconsin for weeks. And a missive of support to Gov. Tony Evers would be helpful:
Friday – Defunding Soc Sec – U.S. Treasury Guidance for Payroll Tax Deduction
STrib article: Trump administration allows deferral of Social Security tax
It’s real – the U.S. Department of the Treasury has issued guidance allowing employers to not withhold the 6.2% for Social Security AND employer share will not be paid in either.
Social Security_Guidance_Payroll Tax WIthholding irs.gov_pub_irs-drop_n-20-65Download Trump August 8, 2020 Memorandum_Payroll-Deduction_2020-17899DownloadWithin this notice above, IN A FOOTNOTE (!), is a heads up that employers also do not have to pony up their share:
The deposit obligation for employee social security tax does not arise until the tax is withheld. Accordingly, by postponing the time for withholding the employee social security tax, the deposit obligation is delayed by operation of the regulations. Thus, this notice does not separately postpone the deposit obligation.
So not only is this not deducted from an employee’s paycheck, but the employer does not pay in either. If every employer did this, that would mean that the employer and employee funding for Social Security would drop to zero and end!
It would? Check this “analysis of the implications of hypothetical legislation that would change the tax rate paid by employers, employees, and self-employed individuals to zero percent for the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) payroll taxes and Self-Employment Contributions Act (SECA) taxes that fund Social Security’s Old Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund and Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund.”
Social Security_2023 – Analysis to Senators VanHollen Sanders Wyden Schumer_20200824DownloadWhere does Social Security stand, what’s the income, outgo, Trust Fund balance? From the Wiki on Social Security:
Note income and outgo are evenly tied now. There’s a lot of $$$ that the government owes the Trust Fund, and it can’t make interest on what isn’t there (not that interest rates now mean anything). What’s expected to happen? Unless something changes, it goes into the negative circa 2034:
Where does Social Security get its revenue from? According to the Social Security Administration:
In 2019, $944.5 billion (89 percent) of total Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance income came from payroll taxes. The remainder was provided by interest earnings $80.8 billion (7.6 percent) and revenue from taxation of OASDI benefits $36.5 billion (3.4 percent).
Removing $944.5 billion PLUS (presuming it’s ever increasing) from the Social Security income stream, EIGHTY-NINE PERCENT, would have a tremendous impact on both revenue and the interest earnings.
From Reuters:
Trump’s coronavirus payroll tax cut would punch hole in Social Security, Medicare budgets
AND what they’re not saying in BIG BOLD FONT is that this money has to be recouped in 2021. This “tax cut” really isn’t, and employees and employers would have to take a significant hit in 2021, paying their current 6.2% plus another sum to make up for the cut. How do they propose to do that? Not said… and if tRump had his way, he’d cut the payroll tax altogether.
As one who is 65 next year, and as one who is self-employed paying in the full 12.4% share for Social Security, putting the Social Security system at risk like this is not acceptable. Just NO! I’ll keep up with my pay-ins to Social Security, no balloon payment for me, but as one who will have to keep working forever before starting to collect Social Security, I’m royally pissed at these efforts to undermine Social Security. What they should be doing is putting back the money that has been borrowed, increase the income ceiling for Social Security deductions, and eliminate Social Security payments to those who have no need of it (that’s the “entitlement” that should be cut, the 1%, the 5%, the 10%, why on earth would they need Social Security payments?)
Destabilizing Social Security? This is something you’d think working stiffs and those collecting Social Security and Social Security Disability would care about.
When I’m 65?