[Brem]

How do you guys feel about this social security problem going on lately? I hear they might cut funding for it. If so I imagine many of the elderly and people on disability will be out of luck.

 

[Geemont]

Sooner or later, means testing will come to Social Security. It HAS to happen. 

The government can't afford to pay out to everyone without in increase in revenue.  The very poor will probably get something, but I fully expect to receive little to no benefits when I retire.  I make and safe too much money; I'll be able (barring economic collapse) to fund my retirement on my own.  Sure, getting something back for what I paid in would be nice, but I think that's wishful thinking.  Unless there is tidal shift in the way Americans think about tax, Social Security is in for a big change.

The end result, I think,  will be more elderly forced into moving in with their grown children as they're unable to afford independent living on they're personal savings and meager benefits.    Or maybe death camps for the old and poor. 

 

[scl]

When they picked 65 as the retirement age almost nobody lived that long.  Now 80+ is common, so it makes perfect sense that the system is straining at the seams.  It also doesn't help that the money in the trust fund has been spent by the government and replaced with IOUs. 

 

[Coral Moore]

Sooner or later, means testing will come to Social Security. It HAS to happen.

The government can't afford to pay out to everyone without in increase in revenue. The very poor will probably get something, but I fully expect to receive little to no benefits when I retire. I make and safe too much money; I'll be able (barring economic collapse) to fund my retirement on my own. Sure, getting something back for what I paid in would be nice, but I think that's wishful thinking. Unless there is tidal shift in the way Americans think about tax, Social Security is in for a big change.

The end result, I think, will be more elderly forced into moving in with their grown children as they're unable to afford independent living on they're personal savings and meager benefits. Or maybe death camps for the old and poor.

I agree, and it's sad. The people who are smartest with their money will lose everything they put into the system. This is what makes people frustrated with the government handling these programs. Not that I'm against giving people in need money, but shouldn't there be some kind of benefit to being responsible with my savings?

 

[geoffthomas]

Point:
We need to quit providing tax relief to the oil companies.
Period.

big money here.

 

[geoffthomas]

Point:
Something is wrong when General Electric pays not one dime in taxes.
And admits they are very profitable.
And admits that they are using the "legal" loopholes that allow them to not support the government.

Bad deal here.

 

[geoffthomas]

Point:
Yes seniors will live longer than the original planners of SS thought.

But the federal government has "stolen" the money paid in and used it elsewhere.
So now the answer is that the people who put the money in should get screwed?

Just sayin.....

 

[tsilver]

Point:
Something is wrong when General Electric pays not one dime in taxes.
And admits they are very profitable.
And admits that they are using the "legal" loopholes that allow them to not support the government.

Bad deal here.

GE is only one of many corporations that do not pay taxes because of all the loopholes available to them. If the corporations paid their fair share of taxes, social security would be in fine shape and we wouldn't have this huge deficit.

 

[Gertie Kindle]

Don't think they won't do it. They've already arbitrarily taken billions out of Medicare. And if any senior thinks that AARP is going to protect us, think again. They've done nothing for us so far with Medicare.

The problem is not only increased longevity, but right now the baby boomers are retiring in droves and there aren't enough working people to support the system.

Now they allow us to earn as much money as we want after retirement once we reach full retirement age. However, after you earn a certain amount, which is very low, you will have to pay taxes on 50% of your SS income. Why work to help yourself out when it's all going back in taxes?

 

[geoffthomas]

Yeah Gertie,
I pay at least 20+% tax on 85% of my SS check.
Plus because I am still working, I am still contributing to SS and Medicare each month too.
But I don't mind this......
If "they" would stop trying to take away from me what I already paid in.
It really is my own money that they are giving me.
Not somebody else's.

I know there is not enough to go around....
but that is because "they" are spending that money somewhere else.
The old rob Peter to pay Paul thing.
only they are doing it out in public and getting away with it.

 

[Erica Sloane]

That was a pretty wild account, until I got to the part where you said "fictional kid." You ran into "dozens of people" like that "every single time" you left your house? Where was this?

I know you said Indiana. I'm just wondering which part and when.

I wonder if things have gotten better in that state since conservative Republican governor Mitch Daniels has been in office since 2005.

 

[Sporadic]

Notice how Republicans are only calling for government cuts while refusing to raise taxes on the rich or fix current tax loopholes? That mixed with the fact they raised the debt ceiling seven times under George W. Bush. Yeah...they don't give two ****s about fixing the deficit. They are playing a political game to try and get Obama out of office (which he is already doing a fine job of)

That was a pretty wild account, until I got to the part where you said "fictional kid." You ran into "dozens of people" like that "every single time" you left your house? Where was this?

I SAW A WELFARE QUEEN WITH FIFTEEN KIDS EATING LOBSTER AND DRIVING AROUND IN A BRAND NEW CADILLAC ON MY DOLLAR!!! END ALL ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS!

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

An interesting book on Social Security...



Dispells a lot of the mythology.

Betsy

 

[valleycat1]

I agree with TL Haddix (at least, the first 2 paragraphs) - it's a scare tactic & the Republicans have drawn an unrealistic line in the sand regarding taxes.  Any time there's a budget crunch, the politicians announce that it'll mean huge cuts to police, fire departments, education, and, on a national level, social security & Medicare - which gets the populace in a huge tizzy.  Even though these are minute portions of the budget.  The only thing that's going to work is to raise taxes and/or cut the really big programs like defense spending.  I think it was in the LA Times where they ran an interactive piece on "you solve the budget problem", and they gave you the spending amounts in the various government departments; even if you completely slash most of the health, education & welfare categories you don't make a dent in the problem.

 

[Joyce DeBacco]

My opinion is that the government shouldn't be balancing the budget on the backs of the poor, the elderly, or the disabled when wealthy corporations and individuals get to skate by. Ten percent to the common man is a big chunk of his hard-earned income. But to the wealthy it's pocket change.

They say they want those loopholes and no rise in taxes because they're the people who'll put America to work. I say that's a smokescreen because that group will only buy another Mercedes or vacation home.

When will politicians listen to the people? Nothing ever seems to get done because of the fighting. I have to stop talking about this now because I'm getting really fed up with the situation in this country.

Joyce

 

[Tara Maya]

Dh and I assumed from the start there would be nothing left for us by the time we get there.

 

[Brem]

Yeah I was doubting they'd cut social security, but I imagine a lot of people would riot if anything like a cut did happen.

But yeah, as for testing for SS, I think they should.

 

[geoffthomas]

We have just spent a lot of money in Iraq to get rid of Saddam and to "help" the Iragi people.
So you are telling me that the govt is taking my money from my ss and giving it to Iraqis?

Is that what you are telling me, bunkie?

 

[Brem]

I didn't much mind the US helping the Iraqi people learn to fight. But we really need to focus on us more than them now.

 

[geoffthomas]

I am all for helping the rest of the world also.
But we shouldn't try to get the money to do so from just one source.
During the build-up the then-pres scarfed all the money from the Dept of Education and practically elimiminated college scholarship money (except for need) and now the need money is drying up.  We need to educate our young people and help them get that education.
We don't need to subsidize Oil Companies.