On 10/12/2010 10:15 AM, Nancy2 wrote:
> On Oct 12, 8:03 am, "James >
> wrote:
>> Christopher wrote on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 05:43:00 -0700 (PDT):
>>
>>> On Oct 12, 6:58 am, walt > wrote:
>>>> On Oct 12, 2:43 am, "Lawrence Akutagawa"
>>>> > wrote:
>>
>>>>> Funny - stuff like water rates still keep going up
>>>>> hereabouts.
>>
>>>>> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101011/...al_security_no...
>>
>>>>> Seniors prepared to cut back on everything from food to
>>>>> charitable donations to whiskey as word spread Monday that
>>>>> they will have to wait until at least 2012 to see their
>>>>> Social Security checks increase.
>>
>> There is an evident contradiction here. Why should cut-backs be needed
>> when Social Security is pegged to the CPI which has hardly changed. Does
>> the CPI not measure the cost of living and thus a need for increases?
>>
>> --
>>
>> James Silverton
>> Potomac, Maryland
>>
>> Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not
>
> Yes, you're right about when the COL on SS income kicks in; however,
> the CPI may not change overall, but certain items within it do - like
> medical costs, which rise for no reason whatsoever. Many expenses
> like medical expenses are ones that seniors cannot do without. Also,
> utilities continue to rise. OTOH, maybe clothing doesn't, or one's
> housing cost doesn't (and, in fact, interest rates are down). The CPI
> is an overall figure, not one that takes individual increases
> affecting seniors into account.
>
> N.

Not that it makes much difference but there was no increase in SS
payments last January either.