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Why Social Security must be strengthened
Let’s say neither the 2008 crash nor Chinese slave labor got your job. Or you’re a Maryland public employee whose Democratic legislature and governor are committed to saving the economy by saving jobs. (In Republican-run states, those geniuses think the…
Government attempts to rein in disability fraud
Facing backlash from scandals and the specter of running out of money, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is making changes in 2014 to curb fraud in its disability programs. Today, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) has roughly 11 million beneficiaries receiving $140…
Wealthiest Americans exempted from paying 2014 Social Security past Jan. 2
Nearly all working Americans will continue to pay the social security tax through the duration of 2014. The 900 wealthiest, however, have fulfilled their responsibility for the whole year on Thursday by earning $117,000 – the maximum total social security…
Obama to pressure GOP to extend unemployment benefits
WASHINGTON – President Obama will meet on Tuesday in Washington with some long-term unemployed Americans, as the White House ramps up pressure on Congress to extend unemployment insurance benefits that expired for 1.3 million Americans last week. The White House’s announcement…
Report: 2012 Grads Have Highest-Ever Student Debt
The Institute for College Access & Success, an independent nonprofit organization based in Oakland, California, recently released its eighth annular report on average student loan debt in the United States, and its findings are dire. College graduates who borrowed for…
Chained CPI Could Cut Social Security Benefits
“Chained CPI” is a phrase floating around the Social Security debate that is important to current and future Social Security beneficiaries. Chained CPI would change the way cost of living adjustments (COLA) for Social Security and other other government programs are…
Republicans not in sync with most people on some issues, poll shows
All the pushing by conservatives for cuts in so-called entitlement programs in order to reduce the federal deficit apparently lacks popular support — by a wide margin A national survey by the Pew Research Center showed a surprising — to me…
Upcoming AEI event: “More Social Security or better Social Security?”
The American Enterprise Institute presents More or better? Rethinking Social Security for the 21st century–Wednesday, January 15, 2014 | 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. Social Security reform is back in the news, but this time it’s about more than just fixing the program’s…
Conservatives, prepare for battle
As 2014 begins, it’s as good a time as any to do some national soul searching. Polls show that three out of four Americans say the nation is on the wrong track. Disapproval ratings of our president are lodged above 50…
The VA Industry
This column advocates one of the most unpopular stances in America: giving lawyers more money. But hear me out. Medicare, Medicaid, Unemployment, and Social Security all have provisions to pay legal fees for helping those owed benefits navigate the system…