Opinion: Maine Congress Members — Keep Your Hands off Our Social Security

Let me say this, if you are a US Congress member from Maine, either in the House or Senate, DO NOT propose cuts to Social Security benefit payments.

The Capitol Building.Photo byOlivier Le Queinec from Dreamstime.

If you want to fill your bank account with money from special interests and foreign countries in exchange for your vote on corporate tax incentives and foreign aid — don’t mess with our Social Security!

Likewise, if you're the POTUS and propose cuts to Social Security and Medicare in your proposed budget, don’t expect a second term. Seniors vote!

Don't give me those lame excuses about Social Security becoming insolvent. Why is there no talk of welfare becoming insolvent? I’ll tell you why. Because the theft from our paychecks is not equal. Yes, I said theft. Did anyone ask us if we wanted to contribute to the Social Security system?

I understand the need to tax the citizenry to provide social programs like police, fire, roads, and bridges. However, everyone needs to pay the same percentage of income for those services.

First, everyone should pay 6.2% of their ENTIRE income, not just the first $160,200. The maximum earnings for 2023 that are subject to Social Security tax increased from $142,800 a year in 2022. That’s an increase of $13,200 per individual earner. Is it enough to keep Social Security solvent?

Everybody is talking about income inequality. How about taxation equality?

Put in another context, more than 90% of all working Americans pay into Social Security for every dollar they earn, whereas the well-to-do, the top 10% of earners may have some -- or most -- of their income exempted from the Social Security tax. It isn't right because if they need it, they get disabled and can’t work. They get a benefit equal to what the rest of us would get — for life.

Some do not pay the Social Security Tax on their entire Income

If you work for one or two years and make $20 or $30 million per year and then become totally disabled, will you only collect Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) program for a year or two? Of course, not.

In America, you have athletes and CEOs earning $20 or $30 million a year, who are only paying $9,932.40 per year into Social Security, but if they become disabled, they will collect the maximum benefit for the rest of their lives. You do the math! No wonder the program is headed toward insolvency.

Senators Sanders and Warren have already sponsored the Expand Social Security Caucus in 2018. If you are not a caucus member, do not come asking for my support for your campaign or my vote. You, by your inaction, have already told me you do not care about me or my senior peers.

What’s more, the chained CPI concept is ridiculous. You give us an 8.7% raise for 2023. Bringing the average up to $1,693.88. Congress members get a minimum salary of $174,000 annually, plus expenses for working about 111 days a year.

Yet, the price of our prescription medicine doubles or triples. You raise the co-pay on Medicare and the rise in heating oil cuts into our allowance for groceries! Get your head out of your butts, and stop trying to freeze us to death or make us ration medicine to eat.

Yes, some national news outlets that many Americans have on 24/7 to get their “news” have managed to brainwash the American worker about the evils of Socialism. I get it. You do not want to pay for anyone else’s retirement benefits, but this program ensures all of us an equal opportunity for a retirement income. However, collecting taxes to keep the program solvent is done equally. Let’s change that.

“Maine the Way Life Should Be!”

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About the author

Stephen Dalton is a native of Old Town, ME, and a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland. He is a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor. Top Writer in Travel, Food, Fiction, Transportation, VR, NFL, Design, Creativity, Short Story, and a NewsBreak Community Voice Pro.