Ray Hanania
Pols have always lied to seniors
By Ray Hanania
Seniors are the most important vote in Illinois and in the United States, and yet they are taken for granted, marginalized and misled by everyone.
Seniors have been co-opted nationally and in Springfield by lobbyist lowlifes who determine policy by funding campaigns of elected officials.
When an elected official leaves office, most are hired by the lobbyists they helped. Lobbyist salaries and benefits soar in the hundreds and millions of dollars.
Social Security was originally excluded from taxation, regardless of whether you continued to work.
But in 1982, lobbyists convinced then U.S. Congressman Dan Rostenkowski to change the law and tax Social Security.
Lobbyists were told if they wanted federal funds to underwrite their programs, they had to come up with new funding sources. Lobbyists and Rostenkowski fear-mongered, asserting Social Security was collapsing. Congress went along with the lie to tax Social Security “for the wealthy” to save it.
How can this be when every senior paid thousands of dollars over a lifetime of earnings to fund Social Security? Interest on that money should have been more than enough to cover the annuity system forever.
But the federal government looked at the Social Security trust fund like wolves in a chicken coop, and used the money to underwrite lobbyist projects.
In 1983, pushed by Rostenkowski, the law was passed to tax all kinds of things, including Social Security.
They said, and it remains until today, that if you earned “total income” of between $24,000 and $34,000 as a single person or $24,000 and $44,000 as a couple, you would pay taxes on 50% of your Social Security. If you made more than $34,000 as a single person or $44,000 as a couple, you would pay taxes on 85% of your Social Security income.
Do the math. In 1980, the typical Social Security payment was about $700 a year or $8,400. You could earn $16,000 more before they hit your Social Security with taxes.
That has not changed in 40 years and applies to today, except that the highest level of Social Security is $48,000 a year, which is more than the highest limit.
Instead of adjusting the ceilings upwards before you have to pay taxes, they have left them the same. The ceiling should have gone up. An income of $24,000 in 1983 is the equivalent to about $72,000 today. So, it should be that if you collect the highest level of Social Security of $48,000 and earn an additional $24,000 in outside supplemental income, you shouldn’t have to pay any taxes on your Social Security.
In fact, the amount of money seniors receive through Social Security has never kept up with inflation. The only time you hear about big Social Security adjustments is when the elected officials need your votes. After elections, those increases disappear.
They have been lying to seniors since Day One.
They have been lying about the weakness of the Social Security system, failing to tell you it is crippled because they borrowed from it and failed to pay it back.
They have been lying about the need to tax your Social Security income by failing to adjust the “tax levels” for cost of living along with everything else. No one earning a total of $100,000 should have to pay taxes on Social Security.
As seniors, we need to fight for our rights.
AARP (The American Association of Retired Persons) does a terrible job of fighting for our rights. I joined one year and all I got were ad promotions from health providers who paid AARP to advertise. They used me to earn their money. AARP executives earn more than $230,000 a year.
Medicare was intentionally made to be a complicated process so that the government could minimize actual benefits while falsely claiming they were providing healthcare to seniors.
The prescription “Donut Hole” should be a holiday for seniors. Instead, it’s a money holiday for the pharmaceutical companies that squeeze senior incomes to death each year.
The senior citizens are the most vulnerable. As we get older, we become easy targets for scams—both from the criminals and from those who want our votes.
Gov. JB Pritzker hasn’t done a damn thing for seniors in Illinois, and neither has any president including my favorite, Ronald Reagan.
You can give them all your votes. Or, you can put your interests as seniors at the front of the line, and tell them all to shove it until they do something to protect Social Security.
We need a senior revolution!
Check out Ray Hanania’s columns and political podcasts at hanania.com.
Local News
Here’s a sure sign of spring
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com Hi everyone. How have you been surviving January? This is one month I always hope flies by. If the sun is out, the temperatures are, or feel like they are in the subzero range. If it’s cloudy, which is most…
Justice swears in new police officer
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan The Justice Village Board approved the recommendation of the Justice Fire and Police Commission to hire Police Officer Kady Sassenger at its January 10 meeting. Her move from the Coal City Police Department to Justice is considered a lateral move, which means the officer transfers from one department to another…
Medeisis promoted to fire battalion chief in Bridgeview
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch The Bridgeview Fire Department has a new battalion chief. Michael Medeisis, 55, was promoted from the rank of lieutenant at the Jan. 5 meeting of the Bridgeview Village Board. “Hey, hot diggity dog, we’ve got a great guy (promoted),” village Trustee Michael Pticek said. Trustee James Cecott said the promotion…
Retired village employee appointed to Lyons ZBA
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch The Karasek family has a long history of working for the village of Lyons dating back decades. And that history is getting a new chapter. Steven Karasek, 60, who two years ago retired after 36 years in the public works department, has been appointed by Mayor Christopher Getty to serve…
Walker teacher Eva Manzke honored by farm bureau
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan School District 104 teacher Eva Manzke was recently honored by the Cook County Farm Bureau for her work with teaching students about agriculture. Students at Walker Elementary in Bedford Park, and Manzke herself were surprised when Principal Amanda Venegonia said they were gathered to honor Manzke, as she had been…
Moraine Valley’s Tom Diaz earns All-Conference honors
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan Tom Diaz is a freshman at Moraine Valley Community College, and is making big strides with their cross country team. Diaz is also a 2021 graduate of Argo Community High School, and is the first Argonaut to earn All Region honors while pursuing his cross country career. MVCC’s Men’s an&…
Summit native marks decade with the Harlem Globetrotters
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan Saul White Jr., better known as Flip White to basketball fans, has been with the famed Harlem Globetrotters for just over 10 years, and has no intention of stopping the entertainment he provides for his fans. White, who grew up in Summit, attended Wharton School and Graves Junior High (now…
A heavenly sound
Spread the love In what is arguably the most ornate and beautiful house of worship on the Southwest Side—St. Joseph Church in Back of the Yards–the Polonijna Orkiestra Chicago played liturgical music selections last Sunday. Founded in 2011, the orchestra is designed to teach young musicians Polish music and culture. St. Joseph parishioner Konrad Pawelek…
Crime images spark outrage in Gage Park
Spread the loveRobbed at gunpoint in his own garage By Tim Hadac Home-security camera images of a 48-year-old Gage Park man being robbed at gunpoint in his own garage outraged a number of Southwest Siders this week. Images showed the man driving his car down the alley in the 5500 block of South Richmond at…
Here’s the skinny: Trimmed-down Lawrence helps Oak Lawn top Evergreen
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Oak Lawn senior basketball player Davion Lawrence is 45 pounds lighter than he was last season, but insists his eating habits are the same. He has, however, changed up his training habits. Heading into football last fall, Lawrence and a few fellow seniors wanted to get in the…
Neighbors
Mother’s Day is truly a day to be celebrated
Spread the love. Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . Mother’s Day happens on Sunday, May 12. If this isn’t something to celebrate, I don’t know what is. Motherhood means new life, new beginnings, new possibilities. Even if you won’t be seeing your mom, you can still…
Saint Xavier men’s volleyball finishes historic season in nation’s top 4
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Saint Xavier men’s volleyball team made history by advancing to the semifinals of the NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship. But the Cougars fell to eventual national champion Georgetown (Kentucky), 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 21-25, 15-10, on May 3 at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Although there was…
St. Francis first baseman Nate Maliska earns conference POW honors
Spread the loveBy Mike Walsh Correspondent The University of St. Francis sophomore first baseman Nate Maliska was chosen the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference’s Player of the Week in baseball for April 7. In helping the Saints to four wins that week, Maliska went 9-for-15 (.600) with eight RBI and seven runs scored. The St. Laurence…
Baseball | Marist claws way back to .500
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent This season has thus far not been what Marist had expected, but the RedHawks came into this week at .500. Marist was 2-8 after 10 games this season, with three of those first eight losses coming via shutout. But the RedHawks turned things around with a stretch of eight…
Red Stars fall to Spirit for third loss in past four matches
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent After enjoying one of their best starts in franchise history, the Chicago Red Stars have slid to the middle of the NWSL standings, with the latest setback being a 4-2 loss to Washington at SeatGeek Stadium. The Stars (3-3-1) entered this week having dropped three of their past four…
Red Stars take aim at NWSL attendance record with Wrigley game
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Red Stars are thinking big when it comes to their upcoming game at Wrigley Field. The team is taking aim at the NWSL record for single-game attendance when it hosts Bay FC at the historic home of the Chicago Cubs on June 8. The record is held…
IHSA announces boys volleyball postseason assignments
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Last year, the area sent a pair of boys volleyball teams to state as Lyons finished runner-up to champion Glenbard South and Brother Rice lost in the quarterfinals. This year, both could face each other in the sectional finals. The Lions picked up the second seed and the Crusaders…
Badminton players from Reavis and Lyons going to state
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Reavis singles player Dania Amjad finished third in the Bolingbrook Sectional on May 2 to qualify for the IHSA state tournament. The Lyons doubles team of Simone Brown and Mia Graziano finished fourth in the York Sectional to qualify for state. The state finals are May 10-11 at DeKalb…
Brother Rice, Sandburg sending boats to bass fishing state tourney
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Brother Rice is sending two boats to the IHSA state bass fishing tournament. The Crusaders had first- and third-place finishes at the Des Plaines River Big Basin Marina Sectional on May 2. Sandwiched in between the Brother Rice boats was a group from Sandburg in second place. The Crusaders’…