Rant: Social security and elderly issues... do the scare/shame tactics work for you?

[glenn1]

I don't know about you, but every single time i hear someone going on about social security it just makes me more and more pissed off. I'm supposed to feel bad for you because you had an entire lifetime to save money to retire on, and decided to piss it away on whatever instead? That the money we earn to support our families (which means YOUR children and grandchildren BTW) is being legally confiscated in a generational highway robbery, with the government wasting a big portion of it along the way just for good measure? I'm supposed to feel bad for your sob stories about how you'll wind up eating cat food if you don't get more money out the rest of us to support your medicine needs, since you feel it's your right to have the government pay for your drugs rather than buying an insurance policy like the rest of us? (BTW, i know all too well how much cat food cost, and if you're eating that you're living large anyway).

 

[Geekbabe]

Considering that a portion of every paycheck I've earned since I've started working has been taken from me to fund SS, I don't think it unreasonable to expect some sort of return.When you add in the extra medicare tax, we're already prefunding health care insurance for ourselves as well.

 

[Zebo]

These poeple paid in all thier lives to a system why should'nt they get it back? Most of us pay 14% of our salary with the employer match which in some cases is more than some folks are vesting into a private retirement account. Oh and to answer your question, ye you should care about the old folks since they built what we have today and they cared enough to put us though school generally for free.

 

[tm37]

I too get mad because if congress just would leave the FICA tax alone we would have plenty of money to fund social security. Just not enough to fund other social programs.

 

[woodie1]

I've no problem with the FICA tax. The problem is how Congress has decided to let anyone and their uncle qualify for some kind of monthly payment. Seems everyone is dipping into the cookie jar.

 

[Darein]

That social security money better paid out better come around and help my family/me when I need it.

 

[JellyBaby]

Originally posted by: Darein
That social security money better paid out better come around and help my family/me when I need it.

It won't but don't worry they'll just fire up another program to cover ya. Money grows on trees when you own the treefarm.

 

[Geekbabe]

Wanting a decent rate of return on money that was taken from you and your employer that you had no control over is hardily wrong.

 

[MacBaine]

SS is supposed to be a supplement. For a good number of those receiving it, it is their only income. That's one of the big problems with it.

 

[IGBT]

To top it all off SS is nothing more then a book entry. There is no physical fund you can point to and say "there it is". And to date SS has 10 trillion dollars of unfunded obligations. And now we may have to share SS with Mexico.

 

[Chaotic42]

I would rather mind my own retirement than have the government do it.

I'll take all of the money that I paid into Social Security back, check or cash, thank you very much.

This is one area that the government needs to stay out of.

 

[ElFenix]

social security was destined to insolvency from the start. as long as the rate of interest they are paying out is higher than the growth rate of the country's population it will be that way. it wasn't a problem when the population was growing, but its become stagnant, with only positive net immigration increasing the population.

the other thing about social security is that its actually a regressive wealth distribution scheme, in that its giving to the wealthiest segment of the population. if you think the president's tax cut plan is bad you should be bitching about social security.

 

[tm37]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
.

the other thing about social security is that its actually a regressive wealth distribution scheme, in that its giving to the wealthiest segment of the population. if you think the president's tax cut plan is bad you should be bitching about social security.

HUH?

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: tm37

Originally posted by: ElFenix
.

the other thing about social security is that its actually a regressive wealth distribution scheme, in that its giving to the wealthiest segment of the population. if you think the president's tax cut plan is bad you should be bitching about social security.

HUH?

the people receiving social security are wealthier than any other segment of the population, when grouped by age.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
social security was destined to insolvency from the start. as long as the rate of interest they are paying out is higher than the growth rate of the country's population it will be that way. it wasn't a problem when the population was growing, but its become stagnant, with only positive net immigration increasing the population.

the other thing about social security is that its actually a regressive wealth distribution scheme, in that its giving to the wealthiest segment of the population. if you think the president's tax cut plan is bad you should be bitching about social security.

Actually a big chunk of the divident tax cut will go to old folks who are living off retirements funds. I would imagine most of these folks would not call themselves "the rich".

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: ElFenix
social security was destined to insolvency from the start. as long as the rate of interest they are paying out is higher than the growth rate of the country's population it will be that way. it wasn't a problem when the population was growing, but its become stagnant, with only positive net immigration increasing the population.

the other thing about social security is that its actually a regressive wealth distribution scheme, in that its giving to the wealthiest segment of the population. if you think the president's tax cut plan is bad you should be bitching about social security.

Actually a big chunk of the divident tax cut will go to old folks who are living off retirements funds. I would imagine most of these folks would not call themselves "the rich".

they might not call themselves that but when you break it down by age group, which is what social security does, xfering money from young to old, social security recipients are the wealthiest segment of the population.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: ElFenix
social security was destined to insolvency from the start. as long as the rate of interest they are paying out is higher than the growth rate of the country's population it will be that way. it wasn't a problem when the population was growing, but its become stagnant, with only positive net immigration increasing the population.

the other thing about social security is that its actually a regressive wealth distribution scheme, in that its giving to the wealthiest segment of the population. if you think the president's tax cut plan is bad you should be bitching about social security.

Actually a big chunk of the divident tax cut will go to old folks who are living off retirements funds. I would imagine most of these folks would not call themselves "the rich".

they might not call themselves that but when you break it down by age group, which is what social security does, xfering money from young to old, social security recipients are the wealthiest segment of the population.

I would be curious to see income stats by population age.

 

[Siddhartha]

We live in a humane civilized society. It costs money, taxes, to maintain this. You and your family have benefited from it.

 

[Novgrod]

the way I see it, well two things:

social security is a government-mandated triangle scheme where the only promise that it'll keep working is the promise that the country keeps growing. Since this doesn't happen in countries that cross a threshold of per capita wealth, immigrants, keep on comin'

second, it's probably only a matter of time before SS is means-tested. Whether people who've earned X over Y years won't get SS, or whether people with X savings at Y years of age won't get it, it'll piss a bunch of people off. I won't go crying when people who've earned X have to provide for their own retirement, and have to pay significantly less, since i personally think it's a worthwhile goal to prevent a bunch of people who've never made much money from being destitute in their old age.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: Novgrod
the way I see it, well two things:

social security is a government-mandated triangle scheme where the only promise that it'll keep working is the promise that the country keeps growing. Since this doesn't happen in countries that cross a threshold of per capita wealth, immigrants, keep on comin'

second, it's probably only a matter of time before SS is means-tested. Whether people who've earned X over Y years won't get SS, or whether people with X savings at Y years of age won't get it, it'll piss a bunch of people off. I won't go crying when people who've earned X have to provide for their own retirement, and have to pay significantly less, since i personally think it's a worthwhile goal to prevent a bunch of people who've never made much money from being destitute in their old age.

Well then it is time to admit ss is a tax and not a retirement plan. It is time for private accounts.
It is time to scrap the ponzi scheme.

 

[Novgrod]

every time i think something will have to happen in government--like the budget will have to be cut to prevent massive defecits, or whether people will have to realize that social security is going down the poop receptacle, i'm proven wrong and it's really annoying.

that said, charrison, i couldn't agree with you more.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: Novgrod
every time i think something will have to happen in government--like the budget will have to be cut to prevent massive defecits, or whether people will have to realize that social security is going down the poop receptacle, i'm proven wrong and it's really annoying.

that said, charrison, i couldn't agree with you more.

I am quite disappointed in both parties right now. The democratic party has been slamming bush/republicans for an unbalanced budget, but at the same time they were trying to add more to an already overloaded budget.

 

[SuperTool]

On one hand I pay $5K year in taxes for medicare and SS alone.
On the other hand, my grandparents get benefits and medical care that would cost far beyond that. Grandpa had heart surgery this year for example.
So yes, "scare/shame tactics" work for me. I know I probably will pay more into the system than ever take out, but that doesn't matter to me.

 

[SuperTool]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: Novgrod
every time i think something will have to happen in government--like the budget will have to be cut to prevent massive defecits, or whether people will have to realize that social security is going down the poop receptacle, i'm proven wrong and it's really annoying.

that said, charrison, i couldn't agree with you more.

I am quite disappointed in both parties right now. The democratic party has been slamming bush/republicans for an unbalanced budget, but at the same time they were trying to add more to an already overloaded budget.

Already overloaded by whom?

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: SuperTool
On one hand I pay $5K year in taxes for medicare and SS alone.
On the other hand, my grandparents get benefits and medical care that would cost far beyond that. Grandpa had heart surgery this year for example.
So yes, "scare/shame tactics" work for me. I know I probably will pay more into the system than ever take out, but that doesn't matter to me.

But who is going to be paying for your heart surgery when you need it?