Smaller Paycheck

[fishonline]

Huh.. I just got my first paycheck for 2013 and it went down by about 60 bucks due to tax increases. I guess there will be less wine in my cellar now.

 

[btom2004]

ahhh. The old age antics. The more you make the more they take. Just make smaller batches. Wine making must go on.

 

[fishonline]

The problem is that I'm not making any more $$.. The tax cuts expired. Has anyone else noticed that their paycheck decreased? That's like a Super Tuscan kit a month gone.. poof. For nothing.

 

[ibglowin]

SS went back up to what is was for the oh last 30 years or so. Everybody sure got used to not paying the full amount.

 

[fishonline]

I'm sure the gov will squander it on something other than Social Security.

 

[Boatboy24]

Gonna get worse. BOHICA!

 

[Thig]

SS went back up to what is was for the oh last 30 years or so. Everybody sure got used to not paying the full amount.

That is one of the problems with the government trying to "stimulate" the economy. After a year or two we tend to think we are entitled to it and forget we used to pay it.

 

[ibglowin]

Its sorta like overtime pay. You better not get used to it because as soon as you do it will all go away. Back to reality....

 

[Tripplett]

Dropped $103 per the wife but she didn't clarify if that was each or both of us combined. I think it was combined.

 

[fishonline]

Well I wouldn't say I feel entitled to my own money.. lol! Which I'm sure SS will be gone by the time I'm 65 or 67 or 72. I sure get used to having a budget and having to live within my budget. Unlike the government. So when I lose 120 per month it hurts.

 

[Thig]

Yeah I guess entitlement was not exactly the right word. If we thought 7.65% of our pay was OK to pay for SS and Medicare and then the gov said Ok to help the economy we are going to cut that by 2% for one year. Then at the end of that year the gov said Ok, the economy is still bad so we going to leave the 2% cut for one more year. Then at the end of that year they said we have to stop this because SS and Medicare were not financially sustainable even at 7.65% so sure can't do it at 5.65%.

By that time we think we should only be paying 5.65%. Like I said when the gov gives you something, even if it is your own money, and then takes it away we think we have been wronged.

 

[Hokapsig]

I'd like to see the govt come out and say that SS and Medicare will go away in 50 years. Those that are collecting SS will continue to do so. Those that are young have time to plan and save. Then start to reduce the SS 2% per year for the next 50 years. Those that fail to plan to get old will have to work or rely on charity. People need to learn personal responsibility.

 

[grapeman]

We don't want to turn this political here, but we all pay Social Security whether we like it or not. It could be worse. If you are self employed you will pay both the employee and employer amount yourself, up to I believe 13.3% . There is a cap to it. These are the rules we have to live by and all hope there is something there for us when we need it. I would love to be able to collect SS Disability now since I haven't had much income since 3 months ago when learning I will have to live with cancer the rest of my life. My type of cancer is one that is included as a disabling one, but not until I have the need to have more than one treatment series in a year- so I basically don't quality.

 

[Wade E]

Yeah, it hurts especially when Im already only living on 1 paycheck now until the lawyers and state decide when my wifes perm. disability can be graded. Its been 1 1/2 years now and on top of that I took a 10% pay cut when the economy went in the sh!tter. Do the math there!!! Its why I fish a lot, its the only thing I can afford to do for fun.

 

[dangerdave]

Everyone has a story!

Four years ago, my wife and I got married and we bought a house---second marriage for both of us after dating for seven years. No kids in the house and two nice incomes. We were living very well when the Recession hit. We were a very active couple. Two years later, Johnna's back started bothing her regularly. As a restaurant manager, she was on her feet 12-14 hours a day. She loved her job and was exceptional at it. She got to the point she just couldn't do it anymore. X-rays showed bad degenerative disc disease (DDD). The only thing that saved us and our home was the disability insurance policy she was working under when she was labelled as disabled. She only lost half of her income instead of all of it. We have been fighting for her SSD ever since. We are currently on our third or fourth appeal---I've lost count. Johnna is unable to work, and the doctors told her to go home until she gets worse, so they can do surgery!

As a unified group, the firefighter's union of Chillicothe agreed to defer pay raises for two years and give up some other forms of pay in order to prevent the layoff of some of the younger members. I struggle constantly trying to keep our household on budget in the face of these cuts. We make a couple of steps foreward, only to be shoved back a few more. Now the federal government is messing with what little we have left, all so that the rich folks can keep more of theirs. Repeatedly denying my wife's disability claim is just another insult from the feds. In the next election, I am not voting for a single one of those idiots currently in office in Washington. Vote them all out and give a new bunch a try! That's what I say!

On a positive note, all of this is why I got started making wine. It helps with Johnna's pain, and gives me something to do, now that I don't get out as much.

 

[Wade E]

I HEAR you about the disability appeals. My wifes been through 3 surgeries already!

 

[2PUPs]

We don't want to turn this political here, but we all pay Social Security whether we like it or not. It could be worse. If you are self employed you will pay both the employee and employer amount yourself, up to I believe 13.3% . There is a cap to it. These are the rules we have to live by and all hope there is something there for us when we need it. I would love to be able to collect SS Disability now since I haven't had much income since 3 months ago when learning I will have to live with cancer the rest of my life. My type of cancer is one that is included as a disabling one, but not until I have the need to have more than one treatment series in a year- so I basically don't quality.

I hate to say it grapeman , but you are wrong about we all pay social security . I , as a railroad worker , pay into what we call , railroad retirement , not social security . Just a bit of info , not trying to cause trouble .

 

[joeswine]

Amazing

IT'S AMAZING HOW WE COME FROM ALL PARTS OF THIS COUNTRY AND WALKS OF LIFE, YET ARE AFFECT BY OTHER PEOPLE who MAKE DECISIONS FOR US.


I'm WILL BE STARTING TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS SO,IM RETIRING IN MAY...LETS SEE WHAT TIME HAS BESTOW UPON ME.... and yes some politics is good talk as long as it 's under control....

 

[grapeman]

I hate to say it grapeman , but you are wrong about we all pay social security . I , as a railroad worker , pay into what we call , railroad retirement , not social security . Just a bit of info , not trying to cause trouble .

Interesting. Did you guys get the 2% reduction the last couple years also since the tax rate for Railroad Retirement is tied to the SS tax rate? There always seem to be exceptions to almost everything. Of course if you are retired, hopefully you are getting paid back some of your retirement funds like we all hope to some day.

 

[ibglowin]

So how long have you been working on the railroad? All the live long day?

Is this some ancient holdover from when the railroads where the only way to travel? Do new hires still have this option or has it been long closed for years now?

When I first came to work for DOE (1986) I was surprised that all of the "old timers" did not pay into SS. Of course that option had been closed for years when I came on board.

I hate to say it grapeman , but you are wrong about we all pay social security . I , as a railroad worker , pay into what we call , railroad retirement , not social security . Just a bit of info , not trying to cause trouble .