Seniors To Be Tossed Under The Bus - No COLA in 2016

(Chart made from figures provided at ssa.gov.)

It's already tough enough for retired Americans to live -- especially those who rely entirely on Social Security monthly payments. The average Social Security benefit is about $1300 a month (or about $15,600 a year) -- and half of the recipients get less than that.

Recipients are supposed to be given a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to their benefit payment each year. But the government has announced that their will be no COLA for 2016. This marks the third time in the last eight years that no COLA will be provided for retired seniors.

The COLA is supposed to be based on the rise in inflation. So, it's fair to have no COLA since inflation didn't rise overall -- right? NO. The only reason inflation didn't rise was because of the huge drop in oil prices (which drove gas prices down). The problem is that doesn't help seniors nearly as much as many other Americans.

Seniors no longer have to drive to work every day. And they no longer have to drive their kids to school, extracurricular practices, and many other places. Seniors do very little driving. But their other expenses are going up -- things they must continue to pay for (rent, food, clothing, medicine and medical care, etc). While gas prices went down, those other expenses are still going up.

This means the buying power of the small Social Security payment received by many seniors will continue to go down -- as prices for what they really need rise without a corresponding rise in the benefit they get. It's just not right!

And now we hear the congressional Republicans want to make it even worse. To avoid a government default or shutdown, they are going to demand a change in the way the COLA is figured. They want it to be figured in a way that will insure a lower COLA is given each year. That won't affect them (since most of them are rich anyway), but it could be disastrous for those living on a Social Security benefit. It means they will lose buying power even faster than they currently lose it.

This is ridiculous. Instead of cutting the COLA, we should be raising the monthly Social Security benefit -- especially for those making less than the average benefit. But that won't be done as long as the Republicans control Congress. That makes it important to vote them out of office next November.