Posts by Ken Marks
Budget Cuts Have Liberals Up In Arms
With President Obama’s budget due early next month, many progressives in and out of congress are already vehemently pushing against one potential line in the document. Social Security cuts, in the form of “chained CPI”, have been included in Obama’s budget several times in the past, and are expected to show up on the new…
Read MoreOpinion Piece: Jon Hall on Social Security
Federal finance consists of the federal government “lending” itself money and then paying itself interest on those “loans”. An example of this can be seen by the surpluses generated by the Social Security portion of the payroll tax that are then “lent’ to the general fund. The interest rate paid by the federal government in…
Read MoreWas Social Security Created to Encourage People To Quit Working?
Last week, the Congressional Budget Office released a report predicting that Obama’s healthcare law would lead people to work less, because it claims that the law will kill more than 2 million jobs. Obama supporters suggested that the ability to buy health insurance outside of the workforce would give more flexibility to workers who felt…
Read MoreA Workshop To Help Maximize Your Social Security Benefits
With the economy and needs of consumers changing, it’s becoming more and more important to make the most of Social Security benefits. A few simple tips may help those preparing to start their Social Security benefits save thousands of dollars, and for those already receiving their benefits, there may be ways to increase benefits in…
Read MoreWithout Paid Maternity Leave, U.S. Women’s Workforce Continues to Shrink
According to the U.S. Labor Department, only 12% of workers get paid time off to care for their babies or a sick parent. There are currently only three states that have a paid family leave insurance program, but a bill was recently introduced to Congress that would create a similar model on a national level.…
Read MoreSenators Lobbies for Illegal Immigrant Healthcare
State Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, who is the chairman of the California Legislative Latino Caucus, is working with a broad coalition of organizations to propose a new law that would allow all Californians access to health insurance, including those living in the country illegally. California has made historic progress by passing a slew of…
Read MoreOrange County Social Services Office Compromises Applicant Personal Information
The Orange County Social Services Office accidentally sent out a list of 30 welfare applicants, complete with their Social Security numbers and other personal information to an applicant for HEAP heating assistance. Joseph Vetimiglia, who had been turned down for a heating grant, had asked for his file so that he could appeal the decision.…
Read MoreHow Obesity Factors Into Social Security Disability Benefit Claims
If current trends continue, the obesity rate in California is expected to increase from 23.8 percent in 2011 to 46.6 percent in 2030. This epidemic is a growing concern in the United States, with an estimated 30 percent of the adult population suffering from obesity. This poses major health risks- in California alone, 800,000 cases…
Read MoreExtended Unemployment Benefits Slow Economic Growth
President Obama is urging to reinstate emergency unemployment benefits but doing so would slow growth and impose a great burden on the working poor. Usually, state governments provide a basic benefit for 26 weeks, averaging $300 a week. Washington authorized additional benefits during the Great Recession for as long as 99 weeks. Recovery is in…
Read More9/11 Related Disability Fraud Shakes Social Security Administration
In the wake of 9/11, some retired New York City police and firefighters filed fraudulent disability claims. Social Security Inspector General Patrick O’Carrol told a House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security about a lucrative Social Security scheme masterminded by four Long Island, NY, men. Executed search warrants on these four men turned up…
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