Last edited Tue Sep 4, 2018, 05:34 PM - Edit history (1)
My Social Security check is (a little) larger than it was 2 years ago.
My Medicare premiums are up only modestly in the past 2 years. {1}
For most elderly, that's the only programs they are impacted by.
As far as proposals for work requirements for food stamps, they all exempt the elderly and disabled that I've seen (although proving disability is very long and time-consuming and will have the impact of cutting many from food help that they need and deserve). I'm betting most elderly would say it's about time that non-elderly able-bodied people looked for work or enrolled in job training etc. before "asking for welfare". And how they worked since they were 14 and blah blah blah and never took a handout and blah blah blah.
Republican-controlled states have been cutting Medicaid for years and refusing the ACA's Medicaid expansion (which began in 2014), and yet (overall on average) the elderly voted for Trump by 7 points in 2016. I've seen midterm numbers that are even worse.
I was sitting next to a 75 yo white guy (he told me his age). Eventually the conversation got around to politics, he says he hopes this time we'll turn Minnesota red (background: Minnesota went for Hillary by only 1.5 percentage points, and both chambers of the state legislature are red).
I said I sure hope not ... I mentioned (considering his and my age) that Democrats gave us Social Security and Medicare. He replied with something about Lyndon Johnson doing such and so to Social Security. I cut him off after less than a sentence, telling him that I've heard that one before. I said that's just Internet / chain email garbage, and then I left (I was getting ready to go anyway). {2}
I realize everyone over 65 isn't a 75 yo white male fuckhead, and that this is just one anecdote, but it's a scary reminder (to me anyway). (And to be clear, not all 75 yo white men are fuckheads).
Oh, key detail: he was wearing a t-shirt that was very very worn -- little holes all over the place. Sigh. I'll never understand the mentaility (or lack thereof).
{1} The Republican health care plan (AHCA) had a number of provisions eroding Medicare, and even though AHCA failed to pass, they have managed to harm Medicare in a number of ways -- https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=10743006
On EDIT: But there was very little media coverage of these attempted and actual Medicare changess, and I'd guess that only a small minority of people are aware of them.
{2} This debunks this and other Social Security Internet myths -- http://www.snopes.com/fact-check/social-security-changes/
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