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Boehner wants to raise the retirement age to 70

Back to the main point though:

Social Security doesn't have enough money. Assuming we're not going to get rid of it, the choices are:

(a) raise the retirement age;

(b) limit who gets it and how much; and/or

(c) raise taxes.

I prefer a and b myself.

How about ending the ****ing wars. A trillion here, a trillion there, soon your talking real money.
 
What did people do to survive before the 1930's welfare, food stamps, etc?

They became homeless hobos, slept in alleys, and watched as their children died young. Many formed the US Communist party and became socialists in opposition to this. Socialists were elected all over the US, there were riots, and people actually thought that communism was a reasonable alternative to living in abject poverty.

Seriously, do some research about what life was like before. I certainly don't want to go back there.
 
How about ending the ****ing wars. A trillion here, a trillion there, soon your talking real money.

Well, come now. You know that's unreasonable. It's much more important to spend $10,000 on a single bomb than it is to feed a family for a year.
 
While I agree it's not a realistic view given our current welfare state - it might just take something radical like removing the societal welfare to force people to plan for their future. For example, if said person blew their money and became destitute - their only salvation would be charity. The only reason we are in this mess is because of government putting us here. Now government is supposed to be our savior by legislating the problem THEY caused in the first place. What did people do prior to 1935 without Social Security? What did people do to survive before the 1930's welfare, food stamps, etc? Apparently they dd survive enough to increase our population, wealth and strength of this country.

My point here is, we cannot see our way free of the last 80 years of welfare creation. Government isn't the answer it's the problem. Here's a solution: Provide an opt out solution with the goal of dissolving SS in 20 years. Allow a 2% of the population (maximum) to opt out and require them to take at a minimum 50% of the money they no longer will be paying into SS, to now be put into a retirement account which they cannot withdraw from, but CAN invest. This 2% can change their mind and opt back into SS (with a penalty) in a 5 year time frame. [edit] Increase the % over time to include 100% of all workers in the 20 year period and issue a pay back for residual money left in the system - then close down SS. (Sorry - i didn't finish my thought on this)

In my case, I'm not counting on my SS to be there and am investing in my retirement on my own. I have another 23 years before I would be eligible to get SS benefits but I've mentally and fiscally already written all the money being paid into that system as non-existent. Were I to have that money available, I think I could do a better job with a better return than the government. The government however, needs SS to continue as it's a slush fund to use as they want instead of for their constituents retirement. Therefore, you and I and everyone else who's worked or is working or will work is being ripped off. Sorry if I'm not happy about that.

Do it and it would become like Mad Max Beyond the Thunderddome.

This country would become like Mexico forcing many people into survival of the fittest.

After the recent economic meeting in Canada we may be headed for world anarchy.
 
They became homeless hobos, slept in alleys, and watched as their children died young. Many formed the US Communist party and became socialists in opposition to this. Socialists were elected all over the US, there were riots, and people actually thought that communism was a reasonable alternative to living in abject poverty.

Seriously, do some research about what life was like before. I certainly don't want to go back there.

What makes you think I didn't already know what it was like? And many did not become socialists and join the Communist party, nor died in alley's. Go to any major city today and bums are dying in alleys even with the many socialist welfare programs. Why is creating mo.re welfare programs or extending existing one's going to make any difference? You're pissing in the wind. You can't stop people from themselves nor can you alter individual's reality of an early death. Allow people the choice and freedom to do what they want WITH GUIDANCE, and they may not be as stupid and illiterate as you think they are.
 
Well, come now. You know that's unreasonable. It's much more important to spend $10,000 on a single bomb than it is to feed a family for a year.

Its only more important if your president says that fighting the war is vital to our national security and BO says that Afghanistan IS that important.

(for the record, Im on the record as saying we should have been out in 2006)
 
Its only more important if your president says that fighting the war is vital to our national security and BO says that Afghanistan IS that important.

(for the record, Im on the record as saying we should have been out in 2006)

Well then, he's another dumb ass war monger.
 
Do it and it would become like Mad Max Beyond the Thunderddome.
I kinda like the cars and that lifestyle. Though the radioactive water would be a drag. Seriously... have anything to back up that view?


This country would become like Mexico forcing many people into survival of the fittest.
Or, one could say it would force people to take accountability and responsibility for their lives instead of deferring to Government, who steals, misuses and lies about it all the while, creating yet MORE legislation to fix a problem THEY created in the first place. You're dire futuristic view while hyperbole and a false choice... shows a lack of ideological creativity.

After the recent economic meeting in Canada we may be headed for world anarchy.
By not following bad interpretations of Keynesian economics and spending us and the rest of the world into oblivion? Wow... I guess I've been a closet anarchist all along. Cool!
 
Do it and it would become like Mad Max Beyond the Thunderddome.

This country would become like Mexico forcing many people into survival of the fittest.

After the recent economic meeting in Canada we may be headed for world anarchy.

Here is the other side of the coin...

We still are attending theatres in droves. restaraunts are still packed. WalMart parking lots are still packed. Every welfare recipient in the country cant afford food but somehow manages a cell phone. Game stations still do a thriving business.

Maybe the problem isnt a lack of jobs but that we have 20 million people TAKING jobs that 'no American would do' and then sending that money down to mexico. We incarcerate marijuana users. We give hundreds of billions a year out in free foreign assistance. We give billions to arts programs to create **** no one wants. We give billions to university students to study **** no one cares about.
 
Here is the other side of the coin...

We still are attending theatres in droves. restaraunts are still packed. WalMart parking lots are still packed. Every welfare recipient in the country cant afford food but somehow manages a cell phone. Game stations still do a thriving business.

Maybe the problem isnt a lack of jobs but that we have 20 million people TAKING jobs that 'no American would do' and then sending that money down to mexico. We incarcerate marijuana users. We give hundreds of billions a year out in free foreign assistance. We give billions to arts programs to create **** no one wants. We give billions to university students to study **** no one cares about.

We need a good dictator.
 
Well then, he's another dumb ass war monger.

Careful...you will lose your secret mindless liberal decoder ring with talk like that! (and you probably already know it, but He has people reading this kind of stuff...)
 
We need a good dictator.

Or we just need to be SMART for crying out loud. We need to stop the mindless **** that we have done for decades just because well...we've always done it that way.
 
And waaaait a second... I thought they were talking about temporarily lowering the retirement age to get older workers out and let younger workers in to help drop the unemployment numbers? WTF happened with that idea? My dad was all sorts of excited. He's gonna WTF pissed if he has to wait until 70 to retire.
 
And waaaait a second... I thought they were talking about temporarily lowering the retirement age to get older workers out and let younger workers in to help drop the unemployment numbers? WTF happened with that idea? My dad was all sorts of excited. He's gonna WTF pissed if he has to wait until 70 to retire.

Yep...thats that law of unintended consequence...if you keep old folks in jobs longer you have to pay them more and have fewer employment slots available for the young folks...
 
Careful...you will lose your secret mindless liberal decoder ring with talk like that! (and you probably already know it, but He has people reading this kind of stuff...)

And liberals like me writing this stuff. Stop the ****ing wars.
 
I don't WANT to retire in ten more years. I'd feel like I was being put out to pasture and I would be without one of my main sources of personal satisfaction.

Anybody want to claim dibs on mine?
 
I don't WANT to retire in ten more years. I'd feel like I was being put out to pasture and I would be without one of my main sources of personal satisfaction.

Anybody want to claim dibs on mine?

Sure...if they pass immigration reform I can always use another gardener...
 
Sure...if they pass immigration reform I can always use another gardener...

Reminds me of a John Wayne story. Somebody asked John Wayne, once, why he hired a Japanese gardener. Wayne replied, "Because I make him surrender every morning"
 
Reminds me of a John Wayne story. Somebody asked John Wayne, once, why he hired a Japanese gardener. Wayne replied, "Because I make him surrender every morning"

OK...that made me laugh. Been a stressful day...needed that!
 
Back to the main point though:

Social Security doesn't have enough money. Assuming we're not going to get rid of it, the choices are:

(a) raise the retirement age;

(b) limit who gets it and how much; and/or

(c) raise taxes.

I prefer a and b myself.

The gap is not that bad, its 3% of payroll for the next 75 years. Any combination of the 3 will most likely work. Of course how accurate are long term predictions anyways? For a while the payroll gap was getting smaller without doing anything. I think we should just make a few automatic stabilizers. Basically, when the short term balance gets below a certain point a .5% or 1% increase in payroll tax kicks in, and if the balance is in surplus (like the past 30 years) we get some money back, instead of buying up government debt with it.
 
The rich pay far more of the overall tax burden than do the middle income or unemployed. Social Security isnt meant to be a charity system...it was created to be an emergency parachute retirement system in the worst of times. Because of peoples reliance on the government it has become for many their ONLY retirement plan. But since it is money involuntarily taken from them by the fed, at the very least the rich have every right to the money they have paid in.

Social security is actually flat-taxed. The "rich" have no claim they are paying the frieght of others on this one as the tax is on earned income only and capped at $110K or so of salary.... and, the "rich" should not care when the social security retirement age begins.
 
Well, we got to do something. The SS system as-is is going to bankrupt not only itself, but (along with all the other social spending) the entire country.

Moving retirement age to 70 would be one of the less-painful and more-reasonable methods of cutting the cost a bit.




I think, though, that an exemption might be allowed for those in their 60's with medical conditions that make it nearly impossible for them to work.
 
Well, we got to do something. The SS system as-is is going to bankrupt not only itself, but (along with all the other social spending) the entire country.

Moving retirement age to 70 would be one of the less-painful and more-reasonable methods of cutting the cost a bit.

I think, though, that an exemption might be allowed for those in their 60's with medical conditions that make it nearly impossible for them to work.

Actually, FICA is among the more solvent government programs. It has at least 20 years before it is a real problem. FICA has been a great revenue source for the government... receipts far exceed expenditures. This is not a major near-term issue for our government....
 
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