The Social Security Administration is under the department of the Treasury, so you get to deal with Secret Service Agents. My attorney and I met with the Secret Service at their Phoenix, AZ office. After explaining the circumstances the Secret Service were cool with the whole thing.
Thinking that would be the end of the matter, I was quite surprised when the SSA started making their harassing phone calls. The Secret Service agents were aghast and promised to handle the calls. Guess what? SIX years later I was still being harassed and threatened with Federal prison time by the SSA. The agents, who by now were personal friends (really!), couldn't stop the harassment and expressed contempt for the whole system.
For six years I was bombarded with calls from semi-literate SSA clerks, and wondered every day if I was going to be hauled off in handcuffs, even though the Secret Service assured me that would never happen.
My attorney actually felt so bad he returned almost the entire fee I had paid him (when the hell does that ever happen?), but to this day I am phone phobic and almost never answer the phone.
But, guess what? I won. I'm sure many others are not so lucky. My attorney described the whole thing like being caught in a giant meat grinder that was not equipped with an off switch. Remember that old adage, "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help?" Don't ever, ever believe that. And these are the people that will be handling your health care if Obama gets his way. Be afraid, be very afraid!
Why Fear Big Government?
by Victor Davis Hanson
There is no reason to review all the standard reasons why the American people are terrified of an all-powerful federal or state government. The case has been made in thousands of elegant treatises and books, and is best reflected in the Constitution and the written work of the Founding Fathers.
But let me list a few other, less elegantly expressed worries, many anecdotal in nature. read the rest
Are you getting your Lenten reading all lined up? Only one week until Ash Wednesday.
May I suggest:
4 comments:
Well Adrienne, if there is a Silver Lining in your SS cloud I guess you can be thankful you didn't have to go up against the IRS. Now that is a scary thought.
Anecdote: About twelve years ago I had to get a printout from the Unemployment Dept here in Kalifornia to verify some info for a student grant in my local community college.
Well low and behold the printout showed someone was using my SS number on a job. I had the name of the company where the guy worked, his full name, and the location of the company. Well after about two hours on the phone with the SS people the best help I could get out of them was the fact this guy was actually helping me by funding my SS witholding and contributing to my eventual retirement. When I countered with an argument that the IRS would take a dim view of his adding to my SS account via fake wages I had never claimed they stonewalled me.
It is Impossible to deal with a government Beaurocracy. I went a couple of rounds with these nitwits and I gave up. Of course now identity theft is a huge industry but twelve years ago they did not want to even discuss it.
I am so sorry that you had to go through that and I'm happy that it has finally come to a halt. I know what you mean about the phone phobia. I had a bill collector that used to call me four to five times a day, insisting that I was not who I said I was but I was really "Christine Molina" who apparently owed money to someone. The harassment actually involved threats to repo my car! I was afraid to leave it in the drive-way...even though I didn't owe a penny on it, it was paid for years before. I finally started blowing a very loud shrill whistle into the phone when he called and the calls stopped.
Regarding the book...THANK YOU! It sounds really good and I was just about to order some books on line, so I'll add that to the list. I'll let you know how I liked it when I'm finished. :-)
Can you elaborate more on the situation with your mother's Social Security checks. I understand your mother's Social Security funds were misappropriated. Can you tell me how that happened?
Kathleen Nelson - I have no problem talking about the situation except for specifics. It sounds like you may need some help. Feel free to email me at adrienne@icehouse.net
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