[MelodyL]

I think I just might throw up.

Get a load of this. It was on the front page of Yahoo today.

http://finance.yahoo.com/retirement/...etire-planning

Melody

[knittenkitten]

I know I'm at risk of starting a war but I say, "good for them!"

I paid my school loans, I paid my mortgage, I pay my credit cards off every month. I paid for all of my cars. I am tired of bailing out everyone who did not. Where is my reward for doing what I am supposed to do? If everyone else gets a break I deserve something too.

[Christian]

Originally Posted by knittenkitten

I know I'm at risk of starting a war but I say, "good for them!"

I paid my school loans, I paid my mortgage, I pay my credit cards off every month. I paid for all of my cars. I am tired of bailing out everyone who did not. Where is my reward for doing what I am supposed to do? If everyone else gets a break I deserve something too.

Well, if you're collecting SSDI you're already way, way ahead of the game aren't you now?

[Chemar]

this thread looks like it could quickly get heated as members come to the topic with strong opinions, as with most political discussions.

if it is to stay open, I am going to have to ask please that disagreement should be kept agreeable, without negative comments *at* one another and within the guidelines that call for *limited* political discussion on the forums

here again are the guidelines
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=1293

[Kathi49]

Well, this is my idea of true reform! I am behind it 100%!

[JD]

I have two immediate thoughts on this:

I wonder how many of our legislators actually read this "farm bill" and realized this was in there ...

And ... I don't see how this will help. Okay, it extended the time it could go back and collect (from ten years to forever?) If someone hasn't paid their debt in 10 years, odds are they won't ever, imo. How are they going to collect from those who at this time have no job, are probably underwater with their residence, and possibly ill in health? If it's truly the "farmers" it's going after ... well, the majority of them have been run out of business in the last 10 years anyway. I don't get it. I think the expense of paying for extra government workers to try and collect will greatly offset any monies collected. But then, that might be the idea: another reason to enlarge the government?

[finz]

I agree JD that if someone hasn't paid old debts within 10 years, they probably aren't able to or intending to, but I disagree that the government should then give them more money via SSDI.

In theory I absolutely agree that SSDI should withhold monies to pay off some debts. If I scammed out of paying back my student loans, they should take money away from my monthly SSDI amount, IMO. BUT......and this is a huge BUT...they do need to have some kind of provisions in place for loans that are still in dispute, like the ones listed in that article. I don't think SSDI should be able to say......."Oh yeah, we just discovered this old debt from fraud from 20 years ago that you are just hearing about now and we are going to withhold money from your check next month."

Just to lighten the mood......I would pay big money to see an episode of Judge Judy going off on that scummy grandaughter who forged grandma's name !

There were things I didn't understand about that case. I understand the difference between the forgery and the identity theft issue, but when was this discovered ? I think if Grandma discovered the forgery and tried to press charges, but couldn't because the statute of limitations was up, then the loan company should have to go after granddaughter. If Grandma learned about it and said "Oh well, she was just a kid" and ignored the requests for payment, then maybe she should be responsible for part of the loan.

[echoes long ago]

exactly, there should be due process. Many mistakes are made by government agencies, banks, insurance companies in billing etc. How many people get notices from the IRS that they owe money and it turns out that they dont. This happened to me two years in a row and the IRS was mistaken both times, same mistake as a matter of fact. The whole student loan thing is rife with inaccurate information and many people are billed even after the loan is paid off. Everybody thinks something like this is a good idea until they are the ones who all of a sudden have to prove that they dont owe money from 20 years ago.

[Kathi49]

Having been a federal employee, now retired, I can state with fact, you owe...you pay up. It happened to me one time in my career. I was accidently overpaid by one pay period. The difference was, I caught it and returned it. In any case, a person could go on and on about the various agencies. There are overpayments, there are also underpayments. The goal is to collect back what is owed. And if that means reducing your disability annuity, then so be it. I personally can't fathom why people don't read the fine print so to say nor plan better for the future. And btw, there are articles about rounding up federal employees who have not paid their taxes. My thing is...round them up too and then fire them as far as I am concerned. But they need to start at the top with other tax cheats and also round up civilians in the process. What some of you may not also understand is that the systems are massive and a lot of the time do not communicate with each other. That in large part is part of the problem with contractors and Iraq. Just know oversight is in place and always has been. But you need to realize too a lot of this paper documentation. Not everything is electronic. BUT...it all catches up in the long run. It may take awhile. But again, if you owe...you pay up. And again, might be a reduction in your pension or disability annuity, might be a garnishment or even a lump sum payment. But people need to understand that they can't skate.

[MelodyL]

Originally Posted by finz

I agree JD that if someone hasn't paid old debts within 10 years, they probably aren't able to or intending to, but I disagree that the government should then give them more money via SSDI.

In theory I absolutely agree that SSDI should withhold monies to pay off some debts. If I scammed out of paying back my student loans, they should take money away from my monthly SSDI amount, IMO. BUT......and this is a huge BUT...they do need to have some kind of provisions in place for loans that are still in dispute, like the ones listed in that article. I don't think SSDI should be able to say......."Oh yeah, we just discovered this old debt from fraud from 20 years ago that you are just hearing about now and we are going to withhold money from your check next month."

Just to lighten the mood......I would pay big money to see an episode of Judge Judy going off on that scummy grandaughter who forged grandma's name !

There were things I didn't understand about that case. I understand the difference between the forgery and the identity theft issue, but when was this discovered ? I think if Grandma discovered the forgery and tried to press charges, but couldn't because the statute of limitations was up, then the loan company should have to go after granddaughter. If Grandma learned about it and said "Oh well, she was just a kid" and ignored the requests for payment, then maybe she should be responsible for part of the loan.

There isn't a grandmother on this planet that would take their grandchild to Court (exempt for Judge Judy and the like because your debts are wiped out after you appear on these shows and you are paid a fee to go on them).

But in actual cases, grandmothers, well, they are grandmothers. I know several who WOULD NEVER prosecute, try and re-gain the money taken from them, etc. etc. etc.

I know of 3 personally who let their grandchildren live rent free in apartments, and live lifestyles that grandma WOULD NEVER HAVE LET THEIR OWN CHILDREN DO, when they were younger.

When I asked one grandma "why do you allow this, what if she never pays the rent, you would do NOTHING??"

Her answer was: (and it's always the same answer) "Well, what am I supposed to do , she's my grandaughter, and I know she's safe and if she doesn't pay rent, you can't get blood from a stone".

I simply look at these people and I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THAT WAY OF THINKING.

I don't think like that. But these people DO think like that. As a matter of fact, the mother of the grandaughter took her own mother to task for allowing the grandaughter to get away with murder, and the grandmother pooh poohed it and said 'What would you have me do, put her on the street?:"

How does one answer that question without sounding like a righteous fool?

If all the grandmothers in the world stopped doing this, you'd have more responsible people but alas, this is not going to happen.

I bet that grandmother, once she heard that her granddaughter forged her name on those studen loan documents, well, she just sighed and said: "she's not well, we have to understand this".

I know people who say this all the time. "she's not well, she's not responsible".

Oh really?? the girl works, has a great job, pays no rent, BUT SHE'S NOT WELL???. I think granny is the one who is not well.

We have to start making people more responsible for their situations.

I'm getting off my soap-box now.

lol

melody