Thread: Totalization Agreement with Mexico.

I got this in my email this morning . . . has anybody else heard about this:

Dear Mrs. XXXX,

It's a sad day for me when I have to authorize a lawsuit against our own government.

But that's what I had to do today. Was it the right thing? I hope you'll let me know by signing our petition to the State Department and the Social Security Administration to get them to release the information on the so-called Totalization Agreement with Mexico.

For three years, TSCL has been warning you about a possible treaty-like agreement with Mexico that will grant Social Security benefits to more Mexican citizens who work in this country, even if they retire back to Mexico, and even if they work here illegally!

Naturally, when you hear of something this silly, it's hard to believe. So I wanted to see a copy of the agreement for myself, and review it with TSCL's legal and Social Security experts. But the Social Security Administration and the US Department of State won't even let us look at the agreement!

Nor will they share their estimates of the costs on American taxpayers. You see, if even hundreds of thousands more people -- not even American citizens -- are allowed to collect Social Security benefits, then that cost will have to be borne by us and our children, probably in the form of reduced benefits for us.

After three years of asking, it's time to get tough. So today we filed two lawsuits to get to the truth. The suits demand that the State Department and the Social Security Administration turn over the documents we've been asking for.

What can you do? Plenty.

First, please read the lawsuits if you care to, and a public statement, that are all on our web site as of this morning (we don't hide things here at TSCL!).

Second, please sign the petition in support of the lawsuit and urging these agencies to release the information we believe they're required to under the law.

And third, lawsuits are expensive. If you've got a spare $10 or $25 that you can contribute to help us pay for the legal help we need, I'd really appreciate it.

I don't expect these agencies to roll over easily. We'll probably have a protracted fight on our hands. But we'll persevere, and hopefully we'll triumph. Together.

Thank you for your help.
God Bless,

Ralph McCutchen
TSCL Chairman

TSCL is a nonprofit organization whose members are active senior citizens concerned about the protection of their Social Security, Medicare, and veteran or military retiree benefits. We get no government support of any kind.

Please click the following link if you would like to unsubscribe or change your information: http://www.tscl.org/Subscription.asp

TREA Senior Citizens League, 909 N. Washington St., #300 Alexandria, VA 22314

Does anyone know anything more about this?

Yes it is true about the totalization agreement. Go to this site and you can read about it.


http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/back904.html

Social Security 'Totalization'
Examining a Lopsided Agreement with Mexico

September 2004

Oh my God. This is absolutely awful. We've to got stop this.

This is EXACTLY the policy that woke me up to the problem of illegal immigration. I found out what I needed on the gov't web site and thinking about the ramifications.

I typed Social Security Totalization with Mexico into my browser...it led to this link... http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pressoffi ... co-alt.htm

Fact Sheet
Social Security
UNITED STATES/MEXICO TOTALIZATION AGREEMENT
(Aquí en Español)

Totalization
Since the late 1970’s, the U.S. has established international social security agreements that coordinate the U.S. Social Security program with the comparable programs of other countries.

These international social security agreements are called “totalization agreements” and have two main purposes:

Eliminate dual social security taxation that occurs when a worker from one country works in another country and is required to pay social security taxes to both countries on the same earnings. As a result of existing totalization agreements, U.S. workers and employers currently are saving about $800 million annually in foreign taxes they do not have to pay.

Help fill gaps in benefit protection for workers who have divided their careers between the U.S. and another country, but who have not worked long enough in one or both countries to qualify for social security benefits. With totalization, workers are allowed to combine work credits from both countries to become eligible for benefits. The benefit amount paid is proportional to the amount of credits earned in the paying country.

An agreement with Mexico
An agreement with Mexico would save U.S. workers and their employers about $140 million in Mexican social security and health insurance taxes over the first 5 years of the agreement.

An agreement would also fill the gaps in benefit protection for U.S. workers who have worked in both countries, but not long enough in one or both countries to qualify for benefits.

Mexico is the second largest trading partner with the U.S. Agreements are already in effect with Canada, the largest trading partner with the U.S., and 19 other countries.

With Mexico, the U.S. now has signed agreements with eight of its top ten trading partners. Many of these agreements have been in effect for nearly two decades. The two exceptions are China and Taiwan. By law, the U.S. could not enter into agreements with these two countries because they do not have generally applicable social security systems that pay periodic benefits or the actuarial equivalent.
Costs of an agreement with Mexico
Social Security actuaries estimate that a totalization agreement with Mexico would have a negligible long-range effect on the Trust Funds.

Costs to the U.S. Social Security system are estimated to average about $105 million per year over the first five years. These costs are for additional benefits to eligible U.S. and Mexican workers and reduced Social Security tax contributions under the dual taxation exemption.

To put this in perspective, in 2002, costs to the U.S. system for the existing agreement with Canada were about $197 million.

Effective date of an agreement with Mexico
In the United States, once the agreement is signed, the President will submit the agreement to Congress where it must sit in review for 60 session days. If Congress takes no action during this time, the agreement can move forward.

In Mexico, once the agreement is signed, the Mexican Senate must approve it.

Countries already having totalization agreements with the U.S.
The United States currently has Social Security agreements with Canada, Chile, South Korea, Australia and most of Western Europe.

Country Effective Date Country Effective Date
Italy November 1, 1978 Portugal August 1, 1989
Germany December 1, 1979 Netherlands November 1, 1990
Switzerland November 1, 1980 Austria November 1, 1991
Belgium July 1, 1984 Finland November 1, 1992
Norway July 1, 1984 Ireland September 1, 1993
Canada August 1, 1984 Luxembourg November 1, 1993
United Kingdom January 1, 1985 Greece September 1, 1994
Sweden January 1, 1987 South Korea April 1, 2001
Spain April 1, 1988 Chile December 1, 2001
France July 1, 1988 Australia October 1, 2002



More detailed information about these totalization agreements can be found at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/international/.


(Toll-Free) 800-772-1213 www.socialsecurity.gov (Toll-Free) TTY 800-325-0778

June 2004

THIS IS WHAT I READ THAT GOT ME ACTIVE AND STARTED ME SEARCHING WHICH LED TO ALIPAC!

Somebody should sue that idiot in the White House.

CheyenneWoman:

I really like your avatar.

dman1200: Thank you. That was very nice.

Can we sue that idiot in the White House.

How did it happen that we got the village idiot into the White House?

Well, I hope those people TSCL manage to get that lawsuit filed. And what's more important, I hope it hits the national news (as if they'd actually profile it) - I am a silly girl, aren't I?

I would ask everyone to get the the TSCL website and sign that petiition. This gives us another venue for telling the politicians how we feel.

on it

How did it happen that we got the village idiot into the White House?

Oops, the fault would lie with me (and others like me). If it would make you feel better though, I do regret voting for President Bush twice!

Some interesting reading on the TSCL website. Below is a little factoid I found there that, once again, demonstates just how eager our president and his globalist puppeteers are to "re-distribute" the dwindling wealth of hardworking Americans.

Ask the Advisor: How Can Illegal Immigrants Legally Receive Social Security?

Q: How can illegal immigrants legally receive Social Security? They don’t even pay payroll taxes!


A: To receive benefits from Social Security, immigrants must first become legally authorized to work in the United States or a receive a work-authorized Social Security number. That would happen under "guest worker" immigration legislation that’s moving in Congress, or the pending U.S./Mexico Social Security Totalization Agreement.Once immigrants have a valid work-authorized Social Security number, both legally and illegally earned wages may be used to determine benefit eligibility.

In other words, plan A. is getting a guest worker/amnesty bill passed, with plan B., the pending U.S./Mexico Social Security Totalization Agreement, is the back up should the former fail.

By hook or by crook...

Signed the petition