Should the Social Security and Medicare Age be Raised

[Ray From Cleveland]

Are you so tone deaf that you are unaware that millions of Americans live in or near poverty? These same Americans are surrounded by dysfunction such as crime, poor schools, illiteracy, poverty, drugs, gangs, illegitimacy, etc. You walk in their shoes for one day and you’ll change your tune.

We live in a failed state. This failed state generates millions of Americans unable to succeed. Income inequality is a major problem along with the misallocation of resources by our corrupt government.

With the exception of those mentally or physically impaired, poverty is an option in this country, not an affliction. If you are poor in America today, it's because you made bad financial decisions in your life, you're lazy, or you like being poor.

 

[rightwinger]

And that's all fine and dandy if you sit behind the desk and the heaviest thing to pickup is your briefcase. But what about the garbage man who has to pick up all those heavy bags or furniture? What about the roofer laborer who has to put those 40 lbs bundle of shingles on his shoulders and climb up three stories on a ladder? How about the iron worker that has to walk across those steel beams 20 stories high? Hell, I'll even use my own profession. Do you want to be in the car in front of my 80,000 lbs truck when traffic suddenly comes to a sudden stop?

There are some jobs you simply can't do when you're over 60 years old. Two of my cousins have their own remodeling business. One just barely made it to 65 and the other is a few years younger and has to hire people for all the heavy physical labor. For most people there is only so much your body can take.

How about you realize your chosen profession will not let you work for a full career?
You plan to move to a different line of work or save for the future

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

You seem to understand the problem...but don't want to fix it

There is only one fix, wean people off of government dependency.

SS sends out pamphlets every so often that state your contributions to SS and what your payout would be if you retired today. Next time they send them out, take that pamphlet to a reputable investment company and ask what you'd be worth today had all that money been invested in a private conservative growth fund all those years. You'll probably fall of your chair.

 

[Lesh]

With the exception of those mentally or physically impaired, poverty is an option in this country, not an affliction. If you are poor in America today, it's because you made bad financial decisions in your life, you're lazy, or you like being poor.

no one likes being poor

Few are poor because they're lazy (in fact MANY lazy people make a good living...I've had the misfortune of having to deal with far too many of them.)

You make claims like that because it makes you feel superior

Funny...you almost seemed to understand what the working man goes through above...and then then fell into cult talk immediately

 

[Lesh]

How about you realize your chosen profession will not let you work for a full career?
You plan to move to a different line of work or save for the future

Yea...sure. I know lots of plumbers and bricklayers that turn 50 say fuck all those bills and go back to college and start from the bottom again

Cmon man. You're smarter than that

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

How about you realize your chosen profession will not let you work for a full career?
You plan to move to a different line of work or save for the future

Nobody is going to try and switch careers in mid life. You either choose to work in that field or you don't. If nobody does, who will do that kind of work?

 

[tahuyaman]

Should the Social Security and Medicare Age be Raised​

Yes it should, for everyone under 50'to 55 years old

 

[tahuyaman]

Nobody is going to try and switch careers in mid life.

I did. It's not all that uncommon.

 

[Lesh]

Should the Social Security and Medicare Age be Raised​

Yes it should, for everyone under 50'to 55 years old

The ONLY reason Republicans propose that is because Social Security is not "impending" for those people and they think they can get away with hurting them without paying too high a price

 

[Sunsettommy]

Sorry to hear about you and your wife's health issues. But there are a few options to consider.
1. You don't need to work until ages 66 and 67. You can get SS at 62 but less than the max amount. Its a tradeoff on how much you need a month from SS.
2. The problem is that Medicare starts at age 65, so if you retire before age 65 paying out of pocket for healthcare insurance is expensive. Hope you have a pile of cash saved up.

Medicare started at 58 for me as I had been on SS disability for two years.

You qualify for Medicare regardless of age once you have received Social Security Disability benefits for 24 months.

 

[woodwork201]

When a contract is signed it can often be revoked if there was no exchange of value or services. Once a person takes a job and Social Security and Medicare taxes are withheld from that first paycheck then the contract is completely enforceable.

It is criminal to change the contract once in operation.

 

[g5000]

True, but what is the answer? I think you said raise the cap on social security? Then what? The government will just see that as a bigger piggy bank from which they can "borrow" more money.

I said nothing about the cap on SS.

I said we need to raise the eligibility age to 70 and index it to 9 percent of the population going forward.

We are living longer, we should be working longer. Simple common sense.

 

[g5000]

Almost.

Population is not just replacement through birth but also immigration. The US population has increased every year. It can increase even more if we wanted it to. The right would shit a brick though.

The growth rate is slowing down a LOT but that does not mean we are or will get to a negative growth rate (below replacement).

Unfortunately, SS was not designed for a low growth rate either. Or even to have everyone draw from it to begin with. The program has always been a ponzi scheme and those are always destined to fail when growth does not keep up.

It is worth noting that 2020 is the lowest growth rate ever in the nations history. That is rather telling for a nation where the right is claiming the end of the world is coming because of Mexican immigration...

I have said countless times we need to mitigate the declining birth rate with increased immigration.

I have also said many times, including in this very topic, that Social Security was not intended for everyone to draw on it. It was insurance in case you lived beyond the average.

However, we can offset the increase in life expectancy with an increase in the eligibility age and make SS solvent again.

We are living longer, we should be working longer.

Simple common sense.

 

[woodwork201]

I think full retirement age should be gradually phased in to 70
If you want to retire at 62 or 65 you can receive reduced benefits and compensate with a robust 401k

If you are in a field where you can’t physically work till 70, you can increase your retirement savings

Funny thing; the left is always blaming Republicans for trying to reduce Social Security and harm the elderly. I haven't yet read the thread completely but I have noticed a few such remarks from the left even here. But your post demonstrates the truth of it: it is the left who are trying the most to limit Social Security and Medicare.

This is typical and expected. It is historically documented in all other Communist and Socialist countries as well. Socialism can never work so the Socialists always start with big promises and then break those promises. You're as predictable as ever.

 

[tahuyaman]

The ONLY reason Republicans propose that is because Social Security is not "impending" for those people and they think they can get away with hurting them without paying too high a price

Social Security is basically broke now.

There was a time when there was 16 to 20 people paying tinto the system for every beneficiary. We are coming very close to that ratio being 1 for 1

 

[WorldWatcher]

Just to throw this out there. When people talk about raising the cap on the "rich", the Social Security tax only applies to earned income (wages), it does not apply to passive income (interest, stocks, inheritance, investments, etc.)

WW

 

[g5000]

You spew bullshit with no links proving your statements.

Do you seriously doubt we are living longer than our ancestors, tard? Really.

Unlike you brainless parroting rubes, I don't make shit up.

When I say the over 65 age group made up 5.4 percent of the population when SS was enacted, I didn't pull that out of my ass the way you would.

https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1930/population-volume-2/16440598v2ch11.pdf

See the table on page 566.

When I say the percentage of over 65 has tripled since then, I'm not making that up, either.

U.S. - seniors as a percentage of the population 2022 | Statista

In 2022, about 17.3 percent of the American population was 65 years old or over; an increase from the last few years and a figure which is expected to reach 22 percent by 2050.

www.statista.com

In case you don't have the mental capacity to multiply 5.4 times 3, that's 16.2.


We have literally tripled the percentage of the population drawing Social Security from our national treasury, while the percent of people paying into the system has commensurately been reduced.

This is unsustainable.

We need to raise the retirement age to 70 and index it to 9 percent of the population going forward.

We are living longer, we should be working longer.

Common. Fricking. Sense.

 

[WinterBorn]

SS and MC were started in 1934 and 1965 respectfully. In 1934 job were much more physical and people’s bodies broke down starting in their 50s. Nowadays go to any company and you see people working well into their 70s… heck even construction are less strenuous on the person’s body. The trend is only going to increase. In addition, medicine is getting better and people are living longer. This reality should be recognized.

In addition it is much easier to take care of oneself and eat better and feel better at older ages.

Our safety nets need to reflect this new reality.

And the cost of medical treatment and prescription medicines? The trend there is skyrocketing. Many elderly people are having to choose between food and their meds.

No, the age should not be raised.

 

[WinterBorn]

You know there is no SS Trust Fund do you?

It is mostly IOUs..................Really!!

And not a dime has been paid back for all those IOUs.

How do we make SSI solvent for the next decade? Have Congress pay back the money they promised to pay.

 

[rightwinger]

Funny thing; the left is always blaming Republicans for trying to reduce Social Security and harm the elderly. I haven't yet read the thread completely but I have noticed a few such remarks from the left even here. But your post demonstrates the truth of it: it is the left who are trying the most to limit Social Security and Medicare.

This is typical and expected. It is historically documented in all other Communist and Socialist countries as well. Socialism can never work so the Socialists always start with big promises and then break those promises. You're as predictable as ever.

Democrats are trying to rescue Social Security, Republicans are looking for an excuse to end it.

With people living 10-15 years longer than when Social Security was first developed, I welcome your solution to making it solvent