A Viewer Writes: Social Security and Your Money

By: Alan R. Bowmaster

Like most of you, I have been paying into Social Security ever since I started working. For me that was at the age of fourteen. I am 59 now and that means, they have been taking a portion of my income for forty-four years. If you are so inclined, you can figure out exactly what you have paid I over the years. I have looked at mine and I started paying in since 1973.

I personally have paid Forty, three thousand dollars with an equal contribution form my employers. If you ad interest to that for forty-four years, it is not a bad chunk of change. And many of us want to know where that money is, and we all know that congress has decided that they could spend some of that money supporting “non-citizens” however you are not supposed to know this.

Guess what you are supporting “non-citizens” and if that were not the case why would they require the following provision and I quote.

“In most cases, we stop payments to noncitizens after they are outside the United States for six calendar months in a row. If we stop your payments, we will not start them again until you return to the United States and remain for a full calendar month. We may
continue to pay benefits to noncitizens outside of the United States if they meet certain conditions.

Additionally, if you are in an SSA-restricted country, we can only send payment to you under restricted conditions if you qualify for an exception. Use our Payments Abroad Screening Tool to find out if you can continue to get benefits while outside the United States.”

I copied that provision directly from the Social Security web site, it took less than three minutes to find it. Now if the “non-citizen” put nothing in, why are they collecting anything at all.

Who decided to give your money away to people that never paid in a dime? And if this is not enough to infuriate you perhaps this is, again I have taken this directly from the Social Security Website.

Many noncitizens living in the U.S. can get Social Security benefits

Being a U.S. citizen isn't a requirement for receiving Social Security. According to the Social Security Administration, noncitizens who are "lawfully in the United States and meet all eligibility requirements" can get benefits. That includes not only those admitted for permanent residence under the Immigration and Nationality Act, but also those who qualify under provisions for family unity and for immediate relatives to live within the U.S. as well.

Even noncitizens who leave the U.S. can still get Social Security benefits under certain circumstances

Typically, the SSA stops making payments to noncitizens after they have remained outside the U.S. for six months in a row. In order to restart those payments, though, all you have to do is return to the U.S. for a full calendar month.

Moreover, the U.S. has international agreements with a number of countries under which noncitizens can keep getting Social Security even if they live abroad permanently. Most of the countries covered under those provisions are in Europe, but others include Australia, Canada, Japan, Chile, and South Korea. For more information on particular countries, take a look at this SSA website for specifics.

As for me, I have had some very serious health issues as of late, and I have been treated like a thief by the Social Security Administration. They are late, on a regular basis. Deductions taken out long before you are notified. They decide how much money you need to live on. And without missing a beat will tell you to sell any assets “they”
consider to be non-essential.

It is time to stand up to a system that considers us inconsequential and we pay them to do this. Remember, of the people by the people and for the people.

Are you pissed yet? If so and I hope you are, contact your congressman and Local Senator, this must stop.