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This ill-conceived idea by Christie (who I could have considered voting for, up until today) of means-testing would be like paying your car insurance premiums, having a fender-bender and allowing the Insurance Company to look at your income and say, ya know what....you can afford to pay for those damages out of pocket. .
That is a good comparison.
Personnal, I think SS has changed over the years to an unsustainable mess.
I think it would be better to completely change the system, make it much, much smaller; and allow people to save for themselves rather than pay 6.2% into this crazy system. If somebody needs welfare, they should be on the welfare roles, not an over progressive SS system that is welfare in disguise for some, just right for others, and stealing from the succesful.
A society can be judged on how they help those who are less fortunate.
People should treat the less fortunate appropriately. One person to another, local community support, etc.
The government shouldn't steal (tax) one group to give to another group (less fortunate or just politically popular voters).
One of the future realities is that once we use means testing for benefits as a tool to sustain the program it will be just as valid to adjust it like we do the age requirement and COLA. Depending on prolonged economic conditions that could be down resulting in a lower inflation adjusted or real time benefits level. How popular will this be when the inflation adjusted amount is 65k in today's dollars. Hmmmmm?
People should treat the less fortunate appropriately. One person to another, local community support, etc.
The government shouldn't steal (tax) one group to give to another group (less fortunate or just politically popular voters).
We're not talking about Southern Europe here where people retire at 55 and try like all heck to not pay taxes as they go along. That is unsustainable we can still save our system if we start now.
I agree that SS doesn't fit the dictionary definition of insurance, but it is more like insurance than an investment. You pay in with a reasonable expectation that it will take care of a potential problem, the cost of which might exceed what you paid in. It's quite possible you won't get back what you paid in.
The question of whether or not it is good for society to have a safety net is interesting. I think we agree having the net is good, but knowledge of the net does seem to affect society and trying to pay for that net with any degree of fairness is problematic.
I agree that SS doesn't fit the dictionary definition of insurance, but it is more like insurance than an investment. You pay in with a reasonable expectation that it will take care of a potential problem, the cost of which might exceed what you paid in. It's quite possible you won't get back what you paid in.
The question of whether or not it is good for society to have a safety net is interesting. I think we agree having the net is good, but knowledge of the net does seem to affect society and trying to pay for that net with any degree of fairness is problematic.
Sorta like Health Care reform. Where did you transplant from?
I have actually been here almost 25 years. The Triangle isn't all red. Believe it or not, I was born and raised further in the Deep South. I am not sure when I started realizing kids are innocent everywhere, but that is what did in my conservative politics. I am a parent, which certainly plays in. I also work with data/logic and I am pretty good at it. There is enough money to go around even with some of us doing much better than others. What's the difference in more than you can spend and more than you can count? In the latter case, you are taking a bunch of money out of the system and making it just a little harder for everyone else without any benefit to yourself. If you start there and and try to make a framework where those who want to get way ahead still can become very rich it would work. The trouble is we are way past that and now to get there means Robin Hood and no one will consider that. Not even me; it could cause scenarios I would hate to even think about. So I propose little adjustments knowing full well it isn't likely to work. It is frustrating to be compassion driven sometimes.
I have actually been here almost 25 years. The Triangle isn't all red. Believe it or not, I was born and raised further in the Deep South. I am not sure when I started realizing kids are innocent everywhere, but that is what did in my conservative politics. I am a parent, which certainly plays in. I also work with data/logic and I am pretty good at it. There is enough money to go around even with some of us doing much better than others. What's the difference in more than you can spend and more than you can count? In the latter case, you are taking a bunch of money out of the system and making it just a little harder for everyone else without any benefit to yourself. If you start there and and try to make a framework where those who want to get way ahead still can become very rich it would work. The trouble is we are way past that and now to get there means Robin Hood and no one will consider that. Not even me; it could cause scenarios I would hate to even think about. So I propose little adjustments knowing full well it isn't likely to work. It is frustrating to be compassion driven sometimes.
Interesting you sound like a lot of us Triangle transplants, reformed Liberals or Conservatives who are striving for a realistic and workable middle ground. Now if we could only find local politicians who are neither one way or the other.
So, let's see .... because I have got myself a good education, worked hard all my life, paid my pension contributions, paid into my 401k and RBAP, paid off my mortgage and generally got myself into a good place for retirement, I should not get the SS that I also contributed tens of thousands of dollars to?
Not to belittle anyones contributions, but if youve paid the max in for the last 35 years and are at even 62, you will get everything you put in and your employers match (not including imaginary interest) in like 14 years, IIRC, from an article I read. As mathjak said, delaying it shortens the number of payback years, but still puts the payback date farther out, which benefits SS, but longevity quickly surpasses it. The pay back birthday moves out the you ger you are, and I cant recall what it was assuming living until 90. Something like 1990? Maybe someone that read the same will chime in.
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