Pearls of Wisdom

“I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters."

- Frank Lloyd Wright (1868-1959)

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Born on  September 2, 1931, Alan Kooi Simpson is an 80-year-old ex-United States Republican Senator from Wyoming, who currently is the co-chair of President Obama’s deficit commission. 

Alan Simpson wrote that he has "spent many years in public life trying to stabilize" Social Security. However, he wrote, "Yes, I've made some plenty smart cracks about people on Social Security who milk it to the last degree. You know 'em too. It's the same with any system in America. We've reached a point now where it's like a milk cow with 310 million tits!"

In response to Simpson’s indelicate oratory, Ashley Carson, executive director of the National Older Women's League (OWL), a group representing middle-aged and elderly women, responded in the Huffington Post, "Mr. Simpson continues to paint the picture that everyone receiving Social Security benefits is living the high life - driving luxury cars, dining out and living in gated communities."

In reality, Carson wrote, the average Social Security beneficiary in America receives $13,900 annually -- providing a lifeline for the many older women living in poverty. She cites the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities to show that the Bush tax cuts and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are largely responsible for the nation's deficit problems, not Social Security.

A published  excerpt from one highly incensed Montana resident: “My Social Security payments, and those of millions of other Americans, were safely tucked away in an interest bearing account for decades until you political pukes decided to raid the account and give OUR money to a bunch of zero ambition losers in return for votes, thus bankrupting the system and turning Social Security into a Ponzi scheme that would have made Bernie Madoff proud…"

Ex-Senator Simpson, who served from 1979 to 1997, collected approximately $1,567,962 in salary plus expenses, according to published tables (Senate Historical Office). How much he “earned” is a matter open for discussion as with so many of our so-called "representatives." 

Alan Simpson’s net worth is not published. However, the average net worth of a U.S. Senator in 2010 was $ 2.63 million.

Question (1):  how many Senators started their careers worth anywhere near that amount? 

Question (2):  How many of them make millions more as a lobbyist or as a political appointee after their political career?

Question (3) How many make millions more with book deals and speaking engagements?

So, finally, how many ex-Senators are worried about living off their Social Security income?!

As someone who works professionally in Eldercare, I find Mr. Simpson’s remarks particularly offensive, displaying a contempt for individuals who have been unable to “milk” the system by serving as a “U.S. Senator.” I work every single day with elderly  individuals barely getting by on their Social Security benefits. Many of these individuals live in sub-standard housing conditions, receive meals-on-wheels for survival and cannot even afford Medigap insurance to cover health care costs not covered by Medicare. 

The question that remains is whether someone who clearly suffers from an obvious “mental deficit” should be a co-chair of a “budget deficit” commission!