While efforts to claim top dog status for any single life form will always founder on questions of definitions, what such discussions surely highlight is the complex interdependency that exists between the millions of different species of life on Earth.
Supplemental Security Income cannot be garnished under any circumstance. Among the government creditors who can grab a piece of your Social Security check, the strongest arm belongs to the IRS. Via the Federal Payment Levy Program, Social Security benefits are subject to a 15 percent levy to pay delinquent taxes. Unlike nontax debts to other agencies, for which the first $750 of your monthly benefits are off-limits to garnishment, the IRS can take its 15 percent cut regardless of how little money you're left with. Lump-sum death benefits and Social Security benefits paid to children are not subject to this levy.
Ignoring outstanding credit card debt can take a bite out of your paycheck or bank account. Garnishment, a last-ditch effort at debt collection, hits debtors where it hurts: their ability to pay the bills, fill the gas tank and feed their families.