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I have for ten years but I doubt SS will be the first cut. Therir are alot of other entitlements that rely strictly o taxpayer funds that will be cut first as SS holds billions of IOUs to the people that are owed and can sue. The other progrmas can just be cut with no problems. Same goes for medicare people have money in the system. Medicaid can be cut as no one has money in it personally.The socail security system itself contain the contract between governamnt and the people covered also.
I understand doing something about Medicaid and Medicare, which I think are entitlement programs. However, the government should not have spent the money set aside for social security. They wanted to *help* us save for our retirement but then went and spent the money?
It is a pay as you go system, there is no money set aside. It is a ponzi scheme.
Get ready, because the bi-partisan committee just convened is studying how to get rid of it. Along with Medicare, Medicaid and other social safety nets for the older people and the financially challenged.
Why bi-partisan? Because then neither party can be blamed for dismantling SS. What will you do about this?
I seriously doubt they'll get rid of it. However, I am prepared to live without it. I think the recession we're coming out of is just the warm up. A true Great Depression is probably going to happen in my lifetime because the government, individuals, and businesses have all run up too much debt.
...And also because we are not doing anything to reign in health care costs. Our idea of lowering costs has consisted of a shell game of trying to shift the costs to someone else. It hasn't dawned on most people that this is what's happening and that cost shifting is not the same as cost saving.
Last edited by mysticaltyger; 02-22-2010 at 01:04 AM..
However, you truly are paranoid though if you believe this committee has been set up to end social security. This is about on par with believing that the purpose of Obama's healthcare reform is to establish the "United Socialist States of America".
All of us would be better served by trying to come up with some realistic fixes for these programs. Those fixes may include raising retirement ages, limiting benefits, limiting payment for some high risk medical procedures, and even raising taxes a bit. Talking about that would actually be constructive.
As to your first paragraph, I agree that the politicans will never consciously decide to end Social Security. It would be political suicide. But the program will not survive if they don't scale back benefits. As to your second statement, I would say the US has become progressively more socialist in the last 70 years. Just look at the % of tax people paid as a % of their incomes in 1935 vs. today. The key is to do it gradually so people don't notice. It's done not just with taxes but with all personal liberties. I've heard it described as the totalitarian tiptoe, and I think that's an apt description.
I agree with some of your fixes. However, I do think the medical system needs more radical fixes than what you propose.
I actually think it goes back to FOOD policy. No more factory farming methods for cattle and chickens. And we need to get away from all the processed pseudo-foods that have become "normal" parts of peoples' diets.
If we all actually ate REAL food, type 2 diabetes would go away. 1/3 of cancer would go away. And 80% of heart disease would go away. And I'm not just making those numbers up:
I understand doing something about Medicaid, which I think are entitlement programs. However, the government should not have spent the money set aside for social security. They wanted to *help* us save for our retirement but then went and spent the money?
It just goes to show you the government is as undisciplined as the people.
Any politician that votes to limit, reduce or eliminate social security might just lose more than his job.
The problems go away if we tax all income from all sources to pay current expenses and/or if we close all our overseas Imperial bases and stick to defending this country instead of wasting money on the Saudi's and all the other tyrants Why are we bothering to defend Israel or Taiwan? What have they done for us over the years? Just cost us a huge amount of money is what they have done for us.
Any politician that votes to limit, reduce or eliminate social security might just lose more than his job.
The problems go away if we tax all income from all sources to pay current expenses and/or if we close all our overseas Imperial bases and stick to defending this country instead of wasting money on the Saudi's and all the other tyrants Why are we bothering to defend Israel or Taiwan? What have they done for us over the years? Just cost us a huge amount of money is what they have done for us.
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I get a little disgusted because everytime social security, medicare, or entitlement programs are discussed you tend to get two types of opinions:
1. A group who believes with absolutely certainty that the government will run out of money and the programs will go bankrupt. This group never talks about solutions to the mess, other than perhaps voluntarily ending the programs before this bankruptcy takes place;
2. Another group who objects to any suggested reform that might make these programs financially solvent over the long-haul. Often this group will suggest what are needed are extended benefits for some group that isn't being covered. In other words, they'd make the current fiscal insolvency problems worse.
I maintain that with some discipline and willingness to make hard choices that we can save these programs and 90% of the benefits they currently offer. We can't save 100% of the benefits because that is largely why these programs got into trouble in the first place.
When it comes to healthcare, "rationing" seems to be a dirty word. Yet, I think it is time to make a list of medical treatments that are very expensive and add little to either longevity or quality of life and restrict payment by Medicare. I think it is time to stop treating assisted suicide as completely taboo and accept the notion that it maybe a better option for some people than some types of treatment for cancer and other incurable diseases. Its time to force the pharmaceutical industry to accept reasonable reimbursement for some medications and not expect Medicare or private insurance plans to pay small fortunes for drugs that people in other countries get for very little.
Social security can be saved by a combination of raising the retirement age and modest payroll tax increases. It doesn't need to be "privatized" and those who do their research will see that private retirement plans are in as much (if not more) trouble than social security is. As a last resort, I would also consider "means testing" social security which would mean the most wealthy in our country have to do without their benefits. This would be a last resort though because the concept of the program is that is a retirement program and not a public assistance plan for the poor people.
All of these are better options than allowing programs that millions of people depend on to simply collapse. Deep down I think most of us know this is the right direction to move in. What is missing is the will to make a few sacrifices to get there.
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