The Treasury Secretary said this morning that there would be no Social Security cuts proposed "now" in this Administration's first budget. I would caution that Republicans sometimes think that Social Security Disability benefits aren't really Social Security and, of course, they never regard Supplemental Security Income benefits as Social Security.
24 comments:
The new Administration does not need to cut ANY Social Security benefits for budgetary reasons. To the contrary, the ONLY thing they should do ASAP is remove many of the top Agency executives who have been a constant drain on the Agency’s budget in terms of their excessive, unearned salaries, and extremely high litigation costs their actions have caused the Agency, i.e., taxpayers, to endure over a period of several years. Instead of being held accountable for their known misconduct, their superiors have routinely patted them on the back.
Take former Atlanta ROCALJ Ollie Garmon, III, for example. He has been frequently referenced and outed in this blog, and other media, for misconduct pertaining to his treatment of numerous, career SSA employees over a period of several years. Although he was finally forced to leave his ROCALJ position in Region IV, he was rewarded by his superiors who agreed to relocate an ODAR Hearings Office near his home in a wealthy suburb of Atlanta, inconvenient to claimants, their representatives, SSA employees, and everyone but him. Further, he was allowed first choice of office space in said building, even though he works out of headquarters in Falls Church, VA, thereby depriving an ALJ who routinely holds hearings in the building of an office.
This is not all, folks. Here’s the real clincher: Former Atlanta ROCALJ Garmon’s superiors demonstrated their inept management of the Agency by placing Garmon in an official position with the Office of Labor Management Employee Relations (OLMER)! OMG! This is the equivalent of placing a fox in a hen house. These top officials who pat one another on the back and refuse to hold one another accountable for known misconduct and wrongdoing, are the perfect illustration of what the new Administration referenced when it said, “Drain the Swamp.” For heaven's sake, please drain this swamp!
I hear that Judge Garmon is the source of all evil in the world. And he cheats at golf.
oh my gahhhh!!!! please take some ZANAX or something else--anything-- to keep you from typing the same thing over and over UHHHGAIN!!!
we get it you hate them. here's a thought, start typing about some innovative approach or a 6-point plan to improve/better the process.
we implore you, please put that brain of yours to work for something other than "Drain the Swamp" ranting or just plain venting about how you hate the management.
BRAVO, 4:31!
Apparently some are OK with waste, fraud and abuse among Agency executives. I, for one, am not, and I appreciate it being pointed by @4:31.
I, too, would like to applaud 4:31 for her brave and anonymous stand against administrative corruption. I'd also like to nominate SA 27 for Commissioner. And I can assure you that 4:31, 6:10, 6:41, and I are all different people.
Garman hides the moon in his robes and steals babies from the local village. It is well know that subverts the King, but Athos, Porthos, and Aramis are aware while d'Artagnan rides to the rescue of SA 27 and all her multiple self supporting posts!
I love how SA 27 is a meme here now. Rightfully so. His (her?) rants are always weapons-grade and hilarious.
I listened to NOSSCR's Washington Happenings webinar last week. Their Washington insider expects the SSI program to be on the chopping block in the new budget as a "pay for" to balance the defense increases and tax cuts. Evidently, congressional republicans had the CBO score the savings of cutting the SSI program, including replacing it with block grants to the states, maximum family cap of benefits, and even eliminating the entire program. Additionally, Ryan has already indicated a wish to eliminate the child SSI program and replace it with paying for certain services.
Evidently, many republicans don't see SSI as Social Security because it is not an earned benefit and thus not an entitlement like regular Social Security or Medicare.
Let's hope NOSSCR is wrong because this cruelly harms the most vulnerable of our society. Plus, many people don't know the difference between SSI and SSD (I consistently have people calling my office asking for help with their "SSI case" when they really mean SSD). Many of Trump's supporters will feel betrayed and see it as "cutting Social Security" if they only go after the SSI program.
An easy way to cut costs would be to decrease all attorney positions to GS9. The market is flooded with unemployed/underemployed attorneys. We'd still get 100+ applications for each job posting.
Fixed!
Say what you want, but 4:31 not only got it right, but has all the evidence to support their assertion. None of your so called memes hold a candle to that.
As for 5:24 who suggested 4:31 set forth an innovative, "6-point plan" to improve ODAR, SA-27 and others with many years of Agency experience have already done so on this blog the past few years only to be met with sarcasm, blatant rejection, repudiation, denigration, and personal attacks on character and integrity from TPTB and their minions whose noses are glued to their a$$'s.
Want to save money? Replace DDS with a computer program that only looks for compassionate allowances. After all, that's mostly what they approve.
You're entitled to an opinion 12:21, but Sa 27 has not presented any facts or evidence of anything. Nor should he. Whatever happened to him should play out in a court of law and it should stay there. Wanna prove anything? Cite to a case that we can look up.
"No Social Security cuts" is not the same as no cuts to Social Security Administrative expense. First the hiring freeze, then the promises of savings through attrition. What about a reduction in the administrative budget? Welcome to the RIF.
@8:42
SA 27 here. No evidence? Are you blind man?
All one need do is read through this blog the past year. You have TV News Reports from Atlanta interviewing in person, 3 career employees, (2 Regional Attorneys and a former Personal Assistant of Garmon's), who unquestionably documented his repeated engagement in PPP's, blatant disability discrimination, harassment and created a hostile work environment. You also have comments I have made citing specific evidence in my case, and further corroboration from other career SSA/ODAR employees Garmon knowingly mistreated in the same manner dating back several years.
Despite all this EVIDENCE, and more, the Agency has cow towed to Garmon as though he is some sort of a Saint deserving of praise. Instead of firing him like they should have many years ago, the Agency relocated an entire ODAR Hearings Office near his home, and has shockingly placed him as a top executive in the Office of Labor Management and Employee Relations. Do you have any idea how much of our taxpayers dollars have gone to fund his bloated salary and bonuses over the years, not to mention incredible litigation costs he has personally caused the Agency to endure?
If you want to find such idiocy, that is your right. But, many of us are outraged the Agency not only tolerates such illegal behavior from a management official, but bends over backwards to prevent him from being held accountable.
I will argue my case in courts of law, in myriad media, and testimony to Congress if that is what it takes to finally hold Garmon accountable. Those of you who profess to support Garmon and his ilk, are just as guilty as he, and are dragging the Agency even further into the ground. You might want to think about who is behind the punitive management as of late, i.e., threatening to deny telework, Reprimand and even suspend ALJ's who do not schedule 50 cases a month, and similar punitive threats made to decision writers for not making unreasonable quotas/numbers, etc. This type of punitive management is in direct opposition to everything OPM wants for the Federal workforce, i.e., employee engagement, inclusion, diversity, etc.
This is not evidence of anything that happened to you specifically. Your own statements on a blog comment section are not evidence.
Don't think of it so much as evidence, but more like alternative facts. Its a Post Truth Society, just say it and it is true.
@11:29 and 9:40
It is evidence which shows a pattern/practice of conduct over a period of several years affecting numerous career SSA/ODAR employees, i e., a SYSTEMIC PROBLEM WITH DISCRIMINATION, HARASSMENT, CREATION OF A HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT, REPEATED ENGAGEMENT IN PPP's, BLATANT REFUSAL TO ADHERE TO MERIT SYSTEM PRINCIPLES, AND ENLISTMENT OF OTHER EMPLOYEES TO CARRY OUT THE MISDEEDS. The common denominator among all of us is former Atlanta ROCALJ Ollie Garmon, III, the ultimate power broker and drama queen according to his former Personal Assistant.
FYI, the Atlanta Region, or Region IV, is huge and encompasses the entire southeastern US. So, yes, what happened to me, SA2-27, and so many other employees at the hands of Garmon is a VERY BIG DEAL and reveals there is a SYSTEMIC PROBLEM in the Agency, and specifically with those officials who enable and reward the misconduct and wrongdoing he has engaged since the beginning of his tenure as ROCALJ in Region IV. Garmon alone is responsible for destroying the lives of numerous career SSA/ODAR employees. To think this Agency had placated him by relocating an entire ODAR Hearings Office close to his home, and placed him as a Top Executive in the Office of Labor Management Relations is not only outrageous, but the epitome of CORRUPTION at the highest levels.
Those of you who choose to support and enable Garmon and his ilk are just as guilty as he. A RIF among the SSA/ODAR Administration would drain much of the swamp. It cannot start soon enough.
@8:42 - Case law is not evidence, you jerk!
Research shows that using ALL CAPITAL LETTERS makes you sound MORE CREDIBLE!
Source: Donald Trump's Twitter feed and the election results
Ahh the Alt Caps effect.
12:09 and 12:12 you are both very funny (to me).
But seriously, Alpharetta isn't a logical location for an ODAR office.
11:22, case law consists of findings of fact, and then conclusions of law. A judge or judges would have evaluated the record and then made a ruling on what actually happened. The fact that you don't understand the difference between your rants versus facts speaks volumes about your reasoning ability.
And the fact that we might criticize your reasoning ability doesn't mean we support SSA. (But it does show yet another problem with your reasoning ability.)
@3:53
While you are entitled to your opinion, there is nothing wrong with my reasoning. You do not think I understand case law includes findings of fact and conclusions of law? Oh please, admit all you wish to do is malign me in any way you can. Apparently, you and those like you get some sort of an ego boost from doing this. For the record, your denigrating remarks about my character and reasoning do nothing more than make you, and others like you, appear as cowards and insecure. You darn well know I was referring to objective evidence, not case law.
I challenge you to identify what facts I have recited which are not true because I am aware on none. Further, your characterization of my comments as "rants," is consistent with your cowardice and insecurity. If I thought for one minute my comments were not truthful to the best of my knowledge and ability, I certainly would not be wasting my time. You assert you do not necessarily support SSA, but yet, you want to attack me? This makes no sense. Everything I have said is to your benefit. If I say something which is not correct, than please correct it and tell us all the truth. Every time I, and others have said this before, no one ever comes forward and does this. All you do is attack my character and reasoning ability, or that of other commenters like me. If you know something, say it. Otherwise, stop the personal attacks on my integrity. The only thing you accomplish is putting your cowardice and insecurity on full display for all to see.
It is my understanding that Garman has so much power they even got a chick fil a relocated to his house as well as. EVERYONE knows how much power the agency wields!
“Have more than thou showest,
Speak less than thou knowest,
Lend less than thou owest,
Ride more than thou goest,
Learn more than thou trowest,
Set less than thou throwest.”
—The Fool in King Lear
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