Aug 17, 2020
POLITICS
Trump’s Sneaky Work-Around
How Trump wants to terminate Social Security and it just might work
I really try not to let politics get to me. I’ve spent three and a half years trying to ignore most of what goes on in Washington. However, when something affects me this personally, I can no longer be silent.
So what bee has crawled inside my bonnet? Trump’s Executive Order that gives workers a temporary payroll tax holiday. I no longer work or pay taxes, so why should I be upset about this? Well, if he is re-elected, he says he will make this permanent. Again, why should this bother me? If he makes it permanent, it will terminate Social Security. My survival depends on Social Security Disability.
Republicans like to call Social Security an entitlement with a negative connotation. Did I pay into this my entire working life? Yes, so damn right I am entitled to the benefits of it. And so long as Americans are working and paying into it through payroll taxes, the money will always be there.
Ah, now are you seeing the rub here? Many Americans are currently without a job and on top of that, Trump wants to do away with payroll taxes — temporarily — for those who are working. If he gets re-elected and does away with payroll taxes permanently, poof! There goes Social Security — something Republicans have wanted for a very long time — since its creation in 1935. Of course, they’ve used the term “reform” in the past and have even talked about privatizing the program, but what they really want is for it to just completely go away.
Republicans have had a long history of excuses for wanting to end the program. And they’ve done a good job getting older Americans to keep voting for them with that looming threat perched over their heads, but what will happen if they finally make good on their threat? How will the disabled and the elderly live without their Social Security checks? Not all of us have trust funds or will receive lumps of money from dead relatives. Oh, the poor wealthy people who have to pay the death tax — but only if the estate is over $11.4m! Talk about entitlements!
Every time we have a Republican president or Senate, I have to deal with the anxiety over losing my SSDI. Want to know why I am disabled? Because I have mental illnesses and one of them is high anxiety issues! If I could have but one wish, it would be for every Republican serving or has served in office who has ever thought of gutting or doing away with Social Security to have to live off of my benefits for a year with no assistance from any other programs. Then maybe they would think twice about doing away with it. Somehow though, I doubt it.
©2020 Lori Carlson. All Rights Reserved.
Articles that sparked this opinion piece:
Trump’s payroll tax cut would ‘terminate’ Social Security, critics say @ cnbc.com
Republicans’ Public Opposition To Social Security And Medicare @ forbes.com
Eight Things You Need To Know About The Death Tax Before You Die @ forbes.com
I want to thank Scott Tarlo for adding some extra information to my opinion piece here that is important:
Agreed. It gets even uglier — that payroll tax break is just a postponement. Remember how IRS moved the tax filing deadline from April to July? The executive order did the same thing. Temporary payroll tax holiday! Meaning that at the end of the year, all that should have been withheld would then NEED to be withheld. So while people would have gotten a temporary boost in their income, somehow, they would still have have to pay. Most companies are not equipped to handle that, but that’s not even the worst issue.
Trump said that IF he is re-elected, he will forgive the payroll taxes permanently. Am I the only one who thinks this is a bribe? Vote for me and you won’t have to pay those pesky payroll taxes anymore!
He was elected to office because his base thought he was looking out for them. Really? Wonder how they will feel when they realize he snatched Social Security out from under their noses?
Lori Carlson writes poetry, fiction, articles and personal essays. Most of her topics are centered around Relationships, Spirituality, Life Lessons, Mental Health, and the LGBTQ+ community. Check out her personal Medium blog — Ravyne’s Nest.
