RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE!                                                       Today, Tuesday, February 10th from 7 to 8:30pm EST, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discuss '2028…America First or Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest'; 'A 2.8% COLA Is Simply Not Enough'; Iran's Red Line; Epstein bombshell regarding Trump call to the police; and Trump's latest immigration win. On https://rspradio1.com Click 'LISTEN LIVE.' 

Op-ed: 

A 2.8% COLA Is Simply Not Enough 

By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor

The article posted here is the authors opinion alone, and does not necessarily represent the views of blogspot.com or Google     

 

....Now add in the fact that the value of the U.S. dollar against major foreign currencies dropped about 11% in the first half of this year...the biggest decline in more than 50 years...which now has some economists saying that the U.S. dollar could well lose, despite this past July's recovery of 3.2%, yet another 10% by the end of 2026. And if that be the case, the 2.8% COLA increase Social Security beneficiaries will soon be receiving will basically be negated as it does little to nothing to address the still rising grocery prices or the previous stated fact that Medicare has raised its Part B monthly premiums across the board, and they can do so again next year.

And here is where a major portion of the problem arises because Medicare can and does raise its premiums no matter that a COLA is in effect, And while what's known as a “hold harmless” rule does protect most Medicare beneficiaries by ensuring the premium hike does not reduce their net Social Security check below the previous year's amount, that in no way negates the fact that ones COLA might still be negated by the now higher Medicare monthly premiums,thus meaning monies available for groceries, etc., might still come up short...Read entire article here.

RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE!                                                              Today, Tuesday, January 6th from 7 to 8:30pm EST, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discuss 'A 2,8% COLA Is Simply Not Enough'; 'Liberalism-The Definition of Gaslighting'; the Maduro take-down/capture, and the Iranian protests continue. On https://rspradio1.com Click 'LISTEN LIVE' starting at 6:50pm EST, show begins at 7pm EST.

Op-ed: 

A 2.8% COLA Is Simply Not Enough 

By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor

The article posted here is the authors opinion alone, and does not necessarily represent the views of blogspot.com or Google     

Last month on Facebook I posted about one of my senior friends who receives both Social Security and Medicare, and how disappointed he is regarding the new 2.8% COLA increase he will soon be receiving, because said increase is now being countered by a $30 dollar increase in his Medicare Part B monthly premium. And when he figured out the actual numbers involved based upon his current monthly Social Security check, my friend's monthly COLA increase comes out to an extra $43 per month before taking into account his $30 increase in Medicare insurance each month, which actually reduced his total increased income to a mere $13 per month.

Guess my friend can now buy an additional carton of eggs and a gallon of milk each month...if even that.

What a sad commentary indeed for a man who has worked and paid into the Social Security system for years. And my friend is not alone in his feelings for Social Security COLAS (Cost of Living Adjustments) have always tended not to be enough to meet the growing needs of older Americans on what is now a lower level “fixed income.”

And when the joke of his having an extra $13 per month really sunk in, I decided to look into this because a 2.8% COLA increase did seem to be both an insult and quite unfair to me.

And so I asked others that I know who are on both Social Security and Medicare to see if their COLA increases were any better than my friend's $13 per month, and it's sad to say but the highest number I got was from someone who after taking the Medicare increase into account will see an increase of about $40 more per month in 2026. And while this is better then my friend's laughable $13 per month increase, even their $40 increase can barely keep up with their monthly raise in Medicare Part B's premium, let alone make a substantial difference in their weekly grocery bill or price at the pump.

Simply, and it's really no surprise here, but thanks to the actions of the Obama and Biden administrations, illegals do seem to be treated better, monetarily wise, than are many American senior citizens and retirees. How so...because Social Security monthly benefits are based upon one's earnings and work history whether the individual paid taxes or not. And this becomes an issue because earnings are held by Social Security in what is called an “Earnings Suspense file,” which does mean that illegals can actually gain access to benefits based on illegal earnings, thus taking away much needed monies from senior Americans...Americans with a legitimate work history,

Also, remember that COLA's are based on set rates of inflation, with inflation being measured by the “Consumer Price Index” (CPI). And it's here where the U.S. Department of Labor calculates any change to be made based specifically on what's called the “Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers” (CPI-W) which extends from the third quarter average of the previous year to the third quarter average for the current year. And while these calculations should work to help benefits keep pace with rising prices of goods and services, at least on the surface that is, it now seems not to work for many on a “fixed” Social Security income.

Why so? First, because being forgotten by those who actually set COLA's finalized rates is the fact that the dollar today does not buy what it once did, which does directly affect both seniors and retirees more so than it does working class or younger people. And second, because the CPI only reflects prices paid for goods and services purchased by an average household, and not by any specific individual, or by the average person in a certain age or income group. In fact, reality itself now shows that most people are affected by price changes that are either higher or lower than is being reported in the CPI, with those on Social Security being more negatively affected than are most others.

Now add in the fact that the value of the U.S. dollar against major foreign currencies dropped about 11% in the first half of this year...the biggest decline in more than 50 years...which now has some economists saying that the U.S. dollar could well lose, despite this past July's recovery of 3.2%, yet another 10% by the end of 2026. And if that be the case, the 2.8% COLA increase Social Security beneficiaries will soon be receiving will basically be negated as it does little to nothing to address the still rising grocery prices or the previous stated fact that Medicare has raised its Part B monthly premiums across the board, and they can do so again next year.

And here is where a major portion of the problem arises because Medicare can and does raise its premiums no matter that a COLA is in effect, And while what's known as a “hold harmless” rule does protect most Medicare beneficiaries by ensuring the premium hike does not reduce their net Social Security check below the previous year's amount, that in no way negates the fact that ones COLA might still be negated by the now higher Medicare monthly premiums,thus meaning monies available for groceries, etc., might still come up short.

So what would be considered a fair COLA in today's America given the fact that in today's economy a 2.8% increase in monthly checks really is a joke? While a COLA increase in the range of 2.8% to 3.0% has been deemed to be the number for actually maintaining purchasing power in regards to today's economic climate, most Social Security beneficiaries...as in the 75 million people, including somewhat younger retirees and individuals with disabilities, that receive Social Security benefits...I believe a COLA increase of 5%, 8% or even10% would not only outweigh Medicare's always increasing monthly premiums, but would give every Social Security beneficiary at least a fighting chance to build up some monetary reserve that could be used in case of an emergency.

Think of it this way...my friend mentioned at the beginning of this article will soon, based upon his current monthly Social Security check, be receiving a $43 COLA increase which in reality amounts to a monthly $13 increase after his allowing for the $30 increase in Medicare. However, if the COLA increase had been 5% he would have received a $56 COLA increase which in reality amounts to a $26 increase after having to deduct the $30 increase in Medicare.

Now if his COLA increase had been 8% my friend would have received an $89 monthly increase which would then drop down to $59 when the $30 increase in Medicare is taken in to account, And lastly, if the 2026 COLA had been set at a more helpful 10% my friend would have received, again based upon his current Social Security check, an additional $112 per month which too would have fallen to $82 because of the $30 monthly increase to Medicare.

Simply, my friend and so many others like him, are not seeing enough of a COLA increase** in monthly monies to really make a long term difference in their lives.

And while others who worked longer and/or made more money did pay more dollars into the Social Security system, and thus will see a larger increase in their monthly checks even with their Medicare costs rising, the fact remains that those with lower monthly checks are the very ones not only hurting the most, but are the ones who at least should see a large enough monthly increase to counter their rising Medicare costs.

But here you might ask, and rightfully so, where would these additional monies for a proper raise in the COLA come from? That answer is two fold with the first possibility being...according to some experts...that Social Security should stop using what many consider to be outdated monetary measures that actually drive up benefit costs (like Medicare for instance) instead of lowering them or leaving them as is. Recommended instead is using what is referred to as the “Chained Consumer Price Index” (C-CPI-U), which is simply an alternative and supposedly a more reliable measure of inflation.

Put out by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the key differences arise in the fact that C-CPI-U accounts for how consumers now are being forced to substitute cheaper goods for more expensive ones, where as CPI uses what is called a fixed “basket of goods," where prices are set without taking into account “substitution.” Also, the chained CPI uses data from adjacent periods to adjust spending patterns monthly, thus leading to a slower growth rate that its proponents claim now better reflects what are real-world needed budget adjustments minus the artificially inflated estimates that worsen Social Security's what is already its possible future of unsustainable finances.

But the problem here is that using a “Chained Consumer Price Index” to determine COLAS also comes replete with its own set of negatives which includes the fact that while it is a more accurate measure of the cost of living, it tends to understates the actual inflation experienced by Social Security beneficiaries. How so...because it assumes a greater ability to substitute cheaper goods than is realistic for that population. Remember, the elderly do tend to be “more set” in their ways including in how they shop and what they purchase,

In other words, neither the currently used COLA determining system nor the proposed by some alternative “chained” system works or would work to realistically help raise COLAS to more welcomed and needed levels. Only one of two things would work with the first being to actually switch the actual “tracking index” from CPI-W (urban wage earners) to CPI-E (elderly consumers), which would better reflect the higher inflation in senior-specific expenses like healthcare and rising prescription drug costs.

And the second option would be to do what has been needed to be done since the time of Obama, as in purge the Social Security and Medicare rolls of illegals who should never have been allowed on said rolls in the first place. Giving monies to illegals is paramount to rewarding criminals...criminals who knowingly and willingly broke our laws to come here...criminals now being rewarded for having done so.

And some will say that removing illegals from the Social Security rolls would harm the system not help it because less while monies would then be coming into said system, I look at it another way, as in all the monies illegals receive could then be divvied up and funneled out to elder American citizens to help make their “golden years” both more enjoyable and cost friendly. It really is time that we take care of our own and not “nickle and dime” them with a mere 2.8% COLA increase that cannot even negate their now rise in monthly Medicare premiums. If we truly want to “Make America Great Again” let's start with those who gave to America not those who tried and continue to try to rob her blind. Case closed.

____________________________________________________

Footnotes

* Any American citizen or legal resident that has accumulated 40 quarters (ten years) of legal employment is eligible to collect premium free Medicare Part A at age 65. However, one must understand that Medicare Parts A and B are funded differently. Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) is free. Medicare Part B (out of hospital) is not fully funded by past payroll taxes. This premium is an ongoing cost for your current coverage. Most beneficiaries pay a standard monthly premium for Part B, which is often automatically deducted from ones Social Security benefits. This is where the increased premiums cut into the COLA. 

** The highest Social Security “Cost-of-Living Adjustment” (COLA) was 14.3% in 1980, and was driven by the high inflation in the late 1970s, with significant COLA increases also seen in 1981 (11.2%) and 1979 (9.9%), If that kind of adjustment was done then, there is no reason why it cannot be done now.

 Copyright © 2026 Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / All rights reserved. 

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For more political commentary please visit my RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS partner Craig Andresen's blog The National Patriot to read his latest article Liberalism The Definition of Gaslighting.

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RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE!                                                              Tomorrow, Tuesday, January 6th from 7 to 8:30pm EST, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discuss 'A 2,8% COLA Is Simply Not Enough'; 'Liberalism-The Definition of Gaslighting'; and important news of the day. Hope you can tune in to RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS on https://rspradio1.com Click 'LISTEN LIVE' starting at 6:50pm EST, show begins at 7pm EST.

Op-ed: 

Americans First...No Ifs, Ands, or Buts

By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots / Right Side Patriots Radio

The Op-ed posted here is this authors opinion alone, and does not necessarily represent the views of blogspot.com or Google.

..But know that when said deportations do come to an end so too will the monies being spent to feed, house, clothe, educate, and medically take care of those who had no business coming here in the first place. A good thing indeed for the monies spent on those crossing our border illegally can now, if properly managed, be returned to the American people, most especially our seniors and our military veterans who seem to get the monetary shaft every time there is a “monetary crisis.”

Simply, a “monetary crisis“ was what we had been facing when Joe Biden was in office, what with the federal government giving out more dollars and cents than it took in. But now with DOGE exposing what is a truly massive amount of governmental monetary waste, the only fair thing to do is take the monies that will be saved when the deportations are complete and either put those monies back into the programs that saw Biden putting American citizens last or simply give it back to we taxpayers...call it “personal stimulus checks“ if need be. But either way a fair amount of those saved monies should also be used to aid our veterans in need for it's shameful that there are close to 33,000 homeless veterans in our country today...veterans who served our country well. It's way past time that the federal government...as well as state and local governments...start spending more monetarily to help serve our veterans and their needs instead of serving those who...and I cannot say this enough...should never have been allowed to come here in the first place... Read entire article here.

Op-ed: 

Americans First...No Ifs, Ands, or Buts

By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots / Right Side Patriots Radio

The Op-ed posted here is this authors opinion alone, and does not necessarily represent the views of blogspot.com or Google.

Whether some like it or not the deportation of illegals is well under way thanks to President Trump. And while it currently involves only those with criminal records, eventually it will expand to encompass what I call the “rank and file” illegals, as in those who came here solely for their promised “free stuff”...”stuff” which in reality is anything but “free.” Why so...because it's our taxpayer dollars that help to fund all the programs and goodies the illegals receive while Americans are hurting financially due to the four disastrous Biden/Harris years.

But know that when said deportations do come to an end so too will the monies being spent to feed, house, clothe, educate, and medically take care of those who had no business coming here in the first place. A good thing indeed for the monies spent on those crossing our border illegally can now, if properly managed, be returned to the American people, most especially our seniors and our military veterans who seem to get the monetary shaft every time there is a “monetary crisis.”

Simply, a “monetary crisis“ was what we had been facing when Joe Biden was in office, what with the federal government giving out more dollars and cents than it took in. But now with DOGE exposing what is a truly massive amount of governmental monetary waste, the only fair thing to do is take the monies that will be saved when the deportations are complete and either put those monies back into the programs that saw Biden putting American citizens last or simply give it back to we taxpayers...call it “personal stimulus checks“ if need be. But either way a fair amount of those saved monies should also be used to aid our veterans in need for it's shameful that there are close to 33,000 homeless veterans in our country today...veterans who served our country well. It's way past time that the federal government...as well as state and local governments...start spending more monetarily to help serve our veterans and their needs instead of serving those who...and I cannot say this enough...should never have been allowed to come here in the first place.

So what are some of the programs and services that our federal taxpayer dollars are being spent on to aid those entering our country illegally? To start with know that, in general, most of the welfare programs that are focused on illegals, costs us billions of dollars each year...billions of dollars that should be going to help struggling middle and lower class American citizens. And also know that in many cases the particular benefits in question sometimes sees illegals receiving cash payments or “direct deposit checks” courtesy of our currently written “Tax Code” laws. Maybe the DOGE needs to start looking into these codes for who wouldn't want to come here knowing that “Uncle Sam” seems more than willing to “foot the bill,” and in return all that's asked is to always vote the Democrat party line.

And while we all tend to laugh at the political bureaucracy and their “rub-it-into-our-faces” shenanigans, if truth be told those who are part and parcel of said bureaucracy are smart enough to know that few, if any, illegals will ever bite the hand of those who seemingly attend to their every need, want, and wish..

Now, here are but three of the specific federal programs catering to illegals along with the sums of monies having been laid out in each case. Those three federal programs are welfare, Medicare, and Medicaid, the program where illegals receive medical benefits for emergency services. 

In fact, in 2023...the year I've based most of this article's figures on because it was one of the busiest years ever for illegal crossings...our federal government did spend almost $66.5 billion on these folks. This includes the more than $23 billion in federal medical expenditures spent on illegals...spent while many Americans, even to this day, still cannot afford health insurance...along with $11.6 billion in welfare benefits ranging from food stamps to, in some cases, SSI (Supplemental Security Income) additions, while many Americans continued living from paycheck to paycheck.

And dare not forget that our Social Security system... what was originally set up to be “ensured income” security for retired older American replete with “inflation-adjusted payments”...still finds fraud being committed by illegals as well, which when added into the cost of Medicare and Medicaid fraud, sees we taxpayers being forced, in one way or another, to bear that monetary burden as well. In fact, when you add in all “improper payments” issued by Social Security...including the cost incurred when illegals either steal a Social Security card or create a false identity to obtain said card and corresponding benefits...said monies equate to about $3 billion per year. And when you then add together all the above stated numbers, you'll see that close to $70 billion dollars of our taxpayer funded monies went to illegals in 2023 not to “We the American People” who in many cases are still economically hurting. Remember, even a change in presidency for the better does not always mean that the changes promised can be achieved within the first “one hundred” days.

Now here's something interesting regarding Social Security fraud itself for while the fraud committed by illegals might not be that big in number, illegals in general do affect Social Security, and hence its monthly payouts. How so...because illegals not only take jobs away from American citizens but by their getting paid less than citizens do, and with Social Security being funded by “dedicated payroll taxes” paid by both employees and their employers as well as by income taxes paid by some beneficiaries...less monies go into the “Social Security Trust Fund” then normally would. Simple math then dictates that less monies coming in proportionately translates into less monies proportionately being paid out to legal beneficiaries.

And this you, dear reader, might also find interesting, In 2024 alone...as per the Social Security Administration (SSA)...about 68 million Americans received Social Security benefits each month which resulted in about $1.5 trillion in benefits being paid out last year, So how were those monies being divvied out? The average monthly benefit for retired workers in 2024 was estimated at $1,927, which included a 3.2% cost-of-living (COLA) adjustment with the benefit rising to to $1,976 at the beginning of 2025, which equates to roughly a $50 increase per month per beneficiary.

Wow! A whopping extra $50 per month per beneficiary... now retirees, the disabled (who also do receive Social Security benefits), and America's elderly can either go buy an extra carton of eggs and an extra loaf of bread or maybe turn up the heat in their homes...while illegals (in NYC for example) relax in luxury hotels with their bodies warm and bellies full...sarcastically and very angrily said of course.

And approximately how much does “each” illegal border crosser cost us for their anything but “free stuff”...in 2024, how about $8,776. And when you multiply that number by the number of persons in an illegal family...lets say a mother, father, and two children...that number equals $35,104 annually which divided by 12 months equals $2,925 per month which is more than the average monthly Social Security check is for one who has paid into the system their entire working life.

But this monetary disaster is not only being committed on the federal level, but on the state and local levels as well, especially in “blue” states and cities. Here are but a few examples with the first being, as per DOGE, that in 2023 alone, the Biden/Harris administration saw both inflation and the cost of food staples rising...saw $150.7 billion of our hard earned taxpayer dollars being spent on giving illegals a continuation of their “free ride”...with said cost inching even higher in 2024. And to make a bad situation even worse, many major blue state liberal cities were catering to illegals as well while turning their backs on needy Americans, our homeless veterans included.

Here are but three examples:

1. Since 2022, New York City has spent over $5.22 billion to provide shelter, food, and other so deemed “essential” services on the almost quarter of a million illegals now still overwhelming the city. 

2. The sanctuary city of Chicago...a city currently facing a budget shortfall of $1 billion...saw its mayor spending over $574.5 million on the 51,643 illegals that Texas Gov. Abbott rightfully bused to them. 

3. The city of Denver...yet another sanctuary city...has spent $356+ million to “accommodate” the needs of the the 42,911 illegals also bused there from Texas.

And all the examples I just stated are but the tip of the illegals monetary “free stuff” iceberg... an iceberg where “Peter is being robbed to pay Paul,” with “Peter” in many cases being we taxpayers pocketbooks. Simply, these are monies that would be better spent on programs for elderly American citizens, our homeless veterans in need, and on those of “We the People” who still do live paycheck to paycheck, and who collectively still see no end in sight to the illegal nightmare we might never wake up from. Let the deportations continue on...let the monies saved be used to help American citizens...American citizens alone. Case closed.

Copyright © 2025 / Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / All rights reserved.

 

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For more political commentary please visit my RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS partner Craig Andresen's blog The National Patriot to read his latest article, The Second American Revolution 2.0.

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RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE!                                           

Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 25th  from 7pm to 8:30pm EST, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discuss 'Americans First...No Ifs, Ands, or Buts'; 'The Second American Revolution 2.0'; and important news of the day. Hope you can tune in to RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS on https://rspradio1.com Click 'LISTEN LIVE' starting at 6:50pm EST, show begins at 7pm EST.