Authorities say they’re investigating a small explosion that happened at the back entrance of a Social Security Administration office in a small town about 50 miles south of Phoenix.
Casa Grande Fire Marshal Barbara Rice says the explosion was reported just before 8:30 a.m. Friday and no one was injured.
In a Capitol meeting with House Speaker John Boehner Thursday, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner submitted the Obama administration’s proposal for addressing medium term deficits, and avoiding across the board tax increases and spending cuts at the end of the year.
Republicans called the proposal outlandish and brushed it aside as unserious. But it’s almost entirely comprised of policies Obama campaigned on and included in his budget for the current fiscal year....
The administration asked Republicans to boost the economy, too, by either extending the payroll tax cut, or replace the holiday with a similar stimulus, such as the Making Work Pay tax credit in the Recovery Act.
The Social Security Administration is warning that Social Security beneficiaries have recently been the intended targets of an identity theft scheme.
During a tour of the storm ravaged parts of the state Wednesday that began in Staten Island, the commissioner of the federal agency reminded borough residents to be extra vigilant.
"I urge all Staten Islanders to take precautions when asked for personal information," said Commissioner Michael J. Astrue. "You should never provide your Social Security number, bank account numbers, or other personal information unless you are extremely confident about the identity of the person to whom you are providing the information.
There is only one way to make the medicine of tax hikes go down easier for Republicans: specific cuts to entitlement spending. ...Note that Republicans are trying hard to avoid responsibility for Social Security or Medicare cuts. They want the President and Democrats to "own" those cuts even though it is the Republicans who are demanding them. Republicans want to continue to call, in the abstract, for cuts in "entitlements" while demanding that Democrats propose the actual cuts to Social Security and Medicare. The public doesn't oppose cuts to "entitlements" since the public has little idea what that term means. If anything, most of the public seems to think that "entitlements" are some form of "welfare" that doesn't go to people like them. The public does strongly oppose cuts in Social Security and Medicare, however, since the public, in general, is either receiving Social Security and Medicare or expects to.
A top Democratic official said talks have stalled on this question ... Rob Nabors [the White House negotiator], has been saying: ‘This is what we want on revenues on the down payment. What’s you guys’ ask on the entitlement side?’ And they keep looking back at us and saying: ‘We want you to come up with that and pitch us.’ That’s not going to happen.” ...
It is possible Social Security gets tossed into the mix, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) plans to fight that, if he has to yield on other spending fronts. ...
[T]hat will most likely be the deal Republicans will be staring at: tax hikes now in exchange for Medicare changes way later.
If you need to visit a Social Security office, plan to get there early. Starting next week, the public can visit Social Security offices only between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays. Beginning in January, the facilities will close at noon on Wednesdays.
Social Security officials complain Congress has not given them enough money to administer the program. In fact, the $10.7 billion Congress provided for administration is $287 million less than for the previous year.
So, like many businesses and households in the United States, the Social Security Administration is having to find ways to tighten its belt. Agency officials have chosen to take their anger out on the public, including the millions of older Americans who rely on Social Security.
Could the agency have not done what many businesses have - stagger employee hours to keep stores and offices open as much as possible for their customers?
Almost undoubtedly, the agency could have found ways to avoid reducing office hours. But, like so many government bureaus, the knee-jerk reaction to spending discipline seems to have been to take out frustrations on taxpayers. No wonder some of them are angry.
A former Missouri lawmaker was indicted Tuesday on theft and Social Security fraud charges after receiving nearly $60,000 in federal disability payments while also getting paid for his work as a state House member.
The indictment alleges that former Democratic Rep. Ray Salva failed to notify the federal government of his employment as a legislator and thus received Social Security disability payments that he wasn't entitled to get. Salva served as a representative from the Kansas City suburb of Sugar Creek from January 2003 until January 2011, earning an annual salary of more than $30,000.
