Which would you rather have $1m in the bank or Social Security Check???

[boedicca]

$5900 is a helluva lot more than $1300 (the average payout) and you can buy inflation protection for a very small premium.

Well the average person won't have $1 million saved up either

That wasn't the question....
One the other hand, why not?

If the government didn't tax the lifeblood out of the average person and then collude with Big Government Crony Bankster Federal Reserve to suck his bits of accumulated wealth out of him via inflation, then perhaps said average person would have a shot at saving $1M, and have it actually be worth something.

Just sayin'.

 

[P@triot]

I'd rather be left the fuck alone. Keep your million and your social security!

Amen! God forbid we bring back FREEDOM to America! That would just freak out these little, scared, control-freak, we-need-everyone-rowing-in-the-same-direction-or-we-won't-survive, communist Dumbocrats.

 

[Spoonman]

That's not an option. It's a pay as you go system. If people not retired stopped paying then those already retired would not get their payments.

so what you are saying is it is not really the best option, but it is a mess we have gotten ourselves into an don't quite know how to get out of.

Yes if we wanted to get out now I don't know how you do it. The retired people paid their whole lives and should collect. If people currently working opt out then those retired can't collect.

here's a hint. first, if you never paid in, you aren't eligible. cut out the welfare aspect of SS. 2nd, if you make over X you aren't elligible for future benefits. there are peopel who don't need it, shouldn't be getting it, but also shouldn't be paying in to it.

 

[P@triot]

Or maybe nothing would have been saved at all...

Maybe? And thats supposed to make it right? Maybe? Seriously?

One way or another we will pay. We are not going to have a bunch of homeless elderly.

First of all, an elderly person is not an infant. If they lived 70+ years and were too stupid to budget for their life, they have no one to blame but themselves. Sorry.

Second, who made you king to decide that is societies problem to solve? I'll take care of the elderly people in my family. You take care of the elderly people in your family. Problem solved.

Last time I checked, taking care of the elderly was not one of the 18 enumerated powers of the federal government.

 

[Brain357]

so what you are saying is it is not really the best option, but it is a mess we have gotten ourselves into an don't quite know how to get out of.

Yes if we wanted to get out now I don't know how you do it. The retired people paid their whole lives and should collect. If people currently working opt out then those retired can't collect.

here's a hint. first, if you never paid in, you aren't eligible. cut out the welfare aspect of SS. 2nd, if you make over X you aren't elligible for future benefits. there are peopel who don't need it, shouldn't be getting it, but also shouldn't be paying in to it.

So you would stop payments to retired rich people? Don't think that would be near enough.

 

[Spoonman]

Yes if we wanted to get out now I don't know how you do it. The retired people paid their whole lives and should collect. If people currently working opt out then those retired can't collect.

here's a hint. first, if you never paid in, you aren't eligible. cut out the welfare aspect of SS. 2nd, if you make over X you aren't elligible for future benefits. there are peopel who don't need it, shouldn't be getting it, but also shouldn't be paying in to it.

So you would stop payments to retired rich people? Don't think that would be near enough.

and i'd stop payments to the people who never paid into it.

 

[P@triot]

Maybe? And thats supposed to make it right? Maybe? Seriously?

One way or another we will pay. We are not going to have a bunch of homeless elderly.

Ah the good old days, when retirement meant illness and poverty. Oh how great we were then.

We were! Remember the good old days when you were free to live in poverty (or great wealth) depending on our own abilities and choices? When you weren't forced (ie communism) to do something that was "for your own good"? When we weren't $17 trillion in debt and on the verge of collapse?

Oh wait, what am I talking about? You don't understand economics. You think a Ponzi Scheme means that debt isn't real and that everyone can put in $1 and pull out $6...

Well, for anyone not named "PaintMyHouse", you'll understand. I don't think PMH can count to 17, much less comprehend $17 trillion.

 

[Brain357]

Maybe? And thats supposed to make it right? Maybe? Seriously?

One way or another we will pay. We are not going to have a bunch of homeless elderly.

First of all, an elderly person is not an infant. If they lived 70+ years and were too stupid to budget for their life, they have no one to blame but themselves. Sorry.

Second, who made you king to decide that is societies problem to solve? I'll take care of the elderly people in my family. You take care of the elderly people in your family. Problem solved.

Last time I checked, taking care of the elderly was not one of the 18 enumerated powers of the federal government.

Right or wrong, your naive to think the government won't end up helping them. Look at history.

 

[boedicca]

One way or another we will pay. We are not going to have a bunch of homeless elderly.

First of all, an elderly person is not an infant. If they lived 70+ years and were too stupid to budget for their life, they have no one to blame but themselves. Sorry.

Second, who made you king to decide that is societies problem to solve? I'll take care of the elderly people in my family. You take care of the elderly people in your family. Problem solved.

Last time I checked, taking care of the elderly was not one of the 18 enumerated powers of the federal government.

Right or wrong, your naive to think the government won't end up helping them. Look at history.

That type of help is the equivalent of somebody cutting off one's leg and then handing one a crutch.

I'd rather not be "helped" in the first place.

 

[Brain357]

here's a hint. first, if you never paid in, you aren't eligible. cut out the welfare aspect of SS. 2nd, if you make over X you aren't elligible for future benefits. there are peopel who don't need it, shouldn't be getting it, but also shouldn't be paying in to it.

So you would stop payments to retired rich people? Don't think that would be near enough.

and i'd stop payments to the people who never paid into it.

I doubt that is a very big number. Everyone pays it.

 

[boedicca]

So you would stop payments to retired rich people? Don't think that would be near enough.

and i'd stop payments to the people who never paid into it.

I doubt that is a very big number. Everyone pays it.

Uh. No.

 

[Brain357]

and i'd stop payments to the people who never paid into it.

I doubt that is a very big number. Everyone pays it.

Uh. No.

Link?

 

[P@triot]

One way or another we will pay. We are not going to have a bunch of homeless elderly.

First of all, an elderly person is not an infant. If they lived 70+ years and were too stupid to budget for their life, they have no one to blame but themselves. Sorry.

Second, who made you king to decide that is societies problem to solve? I'll take care of the elderly people in my family. You take care of the elderly people in your family. Problem solved.

Last time I checked, taking care of the elderly was not one of the 18 enumerated powers of the federal government.

Right or wrong, your naive to think the government won't end up helping them. Look at history.

Where did I say they "won't"? I'm saying they shouldn't. Big difference there. Huge.

Sadly, I realize that there will always be power-hungry maniacs like Nancy Pelosi willing to trade someone else's wealth for power, and parasites willing to trade their votes for someone else's wealth.

If we would simply force the federal government to adhere to the Constitution though, we could make of those factions irrelevant.

 

[P@triot]

So you would stop payments to retired rich people? Don't think that would be near enough.

and i'd stop payments to the people who never paid into it.

I doubt that is a very big number. Everyone pays it.

Everyone pays it? Are you insane?!? 47% of America doesn't pay any federal taxes. Now to be clear - some of those people do still pay into Social Security. But don't kid yourself - most of them are not. We have 46 million people on food stamps. Do you think most of them are paying Social Security tax?

Were you aware that gainfully employed Illinois teachers do not pay into Social Security?

Why Illinois Teachers don't pay Social Security

 

[Brain357]

and i'd stop payments to the people who never paid into it.

I doubt that is a very big number. Everyone pays it.

Everyone pays it? Are you insane?!? 47% of America doesn't pay any federal taxes. Now to be clear - some of those people do still pay into Social Security. But don't kid yourself - most of them are not. We have 46 million people on food stamps. Do you think most of them are paying Social Security tax?

Were you aware that gainfully employed Illinois teachers do not pay into Social Security?

Why Illinois Teachers don't pay Social Security

I believe it is just income tax people don't pay.

Those teachers also don't collect SS.

 

[Politico]

here's a hint. first, if you never paid in, you aren't eligible. cut out the welfare aspect of SS. 2nd, if you make over X you aren't elligible for future benefits. there are peopel who don't need it, shouldn't be getting it, but also shouldn't be paying in to it.

So you would stop payments to retired rich people? Don't think that would be near enough.

and i'd stop payments to the people who never paid into it.

That times 10.

 

[boedicca]

One way or another we will pay. We are not going to have a bunch of homeless elderly.

Ah the good old days, when retirement meant illness and poverty. Oh how great we were then.

i remember my grandparents and parents saying how great retirement was. now all you hear are people talking about how tough it is to live on a fixed income

They didn't face ZIRP. They could actually earn interest on their savings.

 

[boedicca]

SS is an overwhelming deal for the overwhelming majority of Americans.

It was an overwhelming deal back when there were 40 taxpayers per recipient. We're now down below 3:1. The more the ratio craters, the worse deal it is.

For young people now, it's a certainty that they will get far less than they put in - unless payroll taxes are enormously increased.

 

[boedicca]

i remember my grandparents and parents saying how great retirement was. now all you hear are people talking about how tough it is to live on a fixed income

The economy sucks, but imagine how tough it was before you even had that? That's why we made Social Security in the first place.

but we also didn't have unions and pensions and 401K plans. lets move into the 21st century here. Leave SS as an option if people want it. but for those who don't, don't force them to pay into it. and if you don't pay into it, you shouldn't get it.

I'd prefer the Chilean model in which people have individual retirement accounts that they own. This prevents the government from spending the money and stuffing the accounts with IOUs on future generations. And, the accounts are assets that can be passed along to heirs.

 

[P@triot]

I doubt that is a very big number. Everyone pays it.

Everyone pays it? Are you insane?!? 47% of America doesn't pay any federal taxes. Now to be clear - some of those people do still pay into Social Security. But don't kid yourself - most of them are not. We have 46 million people on food stamps. Do you think most of them are paying Social Security tax?

Were you aware that gainfully employed Illinois teachers do not pay into Social Security?

Why Illinois Teachers don't pay Social Security

I believe it is just income tax people don't pay.

Those teachers also don't collect SS.

Sure - but it proves you are off on your theory that "everyone" pays it. We have tens of millions of Americans not paying into Social Security.