So what to senior citizens think about this? Let’s check in at the AARP message boards:

I am a senior and am just appalled that the president would even consider giving every senior (only) $250, which equals a little over $20 monthly. This does not begin to cover the increase in Medicare and the $41.42 increase in my Medicare supplement insurance, plus prescription drug increased premiums. I receive $779 from Medicare, not enough to live on.
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Are your food bills going down? Not mine, I just see all my bills getting higher. Can I use an extra $250? Yes I can. Do you think your Senator or Congressman will turn down their annual cost of living increase? It’s automatic $3000-4000 unless they vote it down. What do you think the chances of that are?
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Call or write your congressman or senator, ask if they will take the raise and not give a thing to seniors. Quit crying, do something, we seniors need the $250.
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$250 is not going to be much good if no COLA & they raise Medicare payments.

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What makes Obama think that we need no cost of living allowance? Does he want all of the disabled people and retired people to have to go back to work?

———————————————————————————————————————–As As usual, the seniors… are at the bottom of the totem pole. We are considered has-beens…We the Seniors have given 65-plus years to the expensive good health and good living of the members of congress. It’s time for them to get off their lucrative posteriors and start giving back to the ones who place them in their lucrative positions. If it was not for our vote where would you be? Start listening to us, we are still alive.
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I’m going to sent my 250 to the GOP.
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It’s totally unfair to blame President Obama for their being no COLA this year. He did not make the decision. Had McCain been President, the exact same thing would have happened. Blame the recession and the accompanying deflation if you want to blame something. As President, Obama is doing all he can — support legislation for a one-time payment to offset the blow that increasing Medicare Part B premiums will cause, a decrease in net SS payments for 2010.
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What has AARP actually done for seniors, especially those on Social Security and disability? I keep hearing about all the things the organization is doing for us, but have they exerted any real clout? The government gives billions in aid to other people in other countries. How about getting some of that money to help out here at home, AARP?
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It’s sad to read all the angry comments. There is no doubt many of us are in tight circumstances. However, it is no picnic for our children and grand children. They have seen their hours or pay cut. Some have been laid off. They do not have the safety net of social security and medicare. Yet their taxes go to support these programs. Most are getting less in their pocket. I did the math…if I live to the normal life expectancy, I will have taken more out of medicare and social security than I have contributed. I suspect the same is true for many individuals who are making these posts. Perhaps instead of thinking “me – me – me”, we ought to pull together to think of “us.” What can we all do to support each other and our children and grandchildren to get through this. What changes have to be made so social security and medicare are still around for a population that has changed dramatically since these programs were first enacted?
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Well, gee. A whole $250, huh? Let’s see – that will pay for one month’s electric bill here in Florida, if I remember to only turn on the air conditioning for about two hours a day. The only way to survive all this is to get elected to Congress – they voted themselves a modest 6% salary increase this year
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The ($250 payment would be) ridiculous. The cost of living adjustment is designed to be just that, a cost of living adjustment. If the cost of living does not increase, why is relief needed. All of you people in Washington are insane
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What does he think a one-time $250 (will do)? It won’t help with gas prices, groceries, and prescriptions going up. I’m really upset about this.
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Methinks a large number of SS recipients don’t need or deserve this “bonus…Too bad the distribution can’t be made on the basis of need
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The cost of living increase is just that. 5.8% in January 2009, then energy prices have gone down. Thus, inflation is down and no COLA this year. The $250 that is proposed by the Dems is nothing more than an attempt to buy votes in next year’s elections.
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I guess when all the utility bills raise there rates and you can’t afford it just tell them SS did not give you a raise.
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Most SS recipients will eventually receive considerably more than they put into SS over the years they were working because of our increased life expectancy. Pity the younger people who don’t have fiscal and medical safety nets to fall back on.

Selfishness seems to have no age limit