Tax, tax, tax... thats the plan

[tater]

Originally Posted by August

Well according to you i'm just a whiny leftist b****h so what do you care anyways?

I was pointing out the leftist nature of your argument—or at least the fact that your argument is exactly what they want—because overall you don't appear to be one.

Tribesman's point was actually very true. It's only a handout when it's someone you don't like getting it—or anyone other than you (not you personally, anyone). So you cannot complain about welfare, or illegals getting benis, etc, IMHO, if you don't at least admit that the largest welfare program is also just a handout, and should be on the table with everything else. Note that I'm not suggesting not paying out to people who have planned around SSI—I only propose modest changes in the retirement age that phase in over reasonable time periods that allow for altered planning. The specifics would clearly be up for grabs, the only absolute is to do it on a timeline that saves the system from going belly up and eating us alive.

Will you complain if the cost of living increases in SSI move from their bogus value now, to one that inflates at a lower rate (we're in deflation right now, after all, but the SSI formula doesn't even admit that as a possibility of course, it ONLY grows)?

My frustration is that if people on the right or center (presumably where you lie) treat entitlements with the same sense of inviolability that the welfare moms of the cities treat their "entitlements," we're toast as a country.

[August]

Originally Posted by tater

My frustration is that if people on the right or center (presumably where you lie) treat entitlements with the same sense of inviolability that the welfare moms of the cities treat their "entitlements," we're toast as a country.

And my frustration is with people who are all too willing to let government off the hook for the promises they have made. I firmly believe that if we let them get away with delaying SS payments they will find a way to get out of paying them altogether. I'm not just going to sit back and blithely accept that like some here seem to have resigned themselves to.

[FIREWALL]

The way to fix SS is, to work'em like a dog. Suck every cent out of em and, at a certain age put them to sleep like an unwanted pet.

As far as cutting SSI benefits goes. Why not just put them out of their misery. It's more merciful.

[tater]

Originally Posted by FIREWALL

The way to fix SS is, to work'em like a dog. Suck every cent out of em and, at a certain age put them to sleep like an unwanted pet.

As far as cutting SSI benefits goes. Why not just put them out of their misery. It's more merciful.

Yawn.

Retirement is not a right, no one is forcing anyone to work. Allowing employers to force retirement is another story... that allows them to dump the most skilled, highest paid employees in favor of the least experienced, lowest paid who must replace them.

As for sucking every cent out of them, you're right. Screw the current FICA rate, let's go back to the SS tax rate as it was set when the law was first passed, I'm totally fine with that. It was ONE PERCENT until 1950. The SS tax alone is now 12.4%, a 1240% increase from the law as passed!

Cutting benefits—or, rather slowing the growth in benefits, which is NOT a cut—will happen one way or another. An orderly system designed to let people close to retirement get what they've planned for—perhaps a year later than expected in some cases—is hardly draconian.

[tater]

Originally Posted by August

And my frustration is with people who are all too willing to let government off the hook for the promises they have made. I firmly believe that if we let them get away with delaying SS payments they will find a way to get out of paying them altogether. I'm not just going to sit back and blithely accept that like some here seem to have resigned themselves to.

How is getting Madoff to keep his promises going? That's where we're headed. I don't think SS has promised me anything aside from some sort of benefits. Specifics? What was the benefit package when you started work? You know it, right? What was it 10 years ago? Again, you know all the details, right? If you don't know every single particular, then you don't even know what to expect. The things we get in the mail show current benefits we can expect. If you got that exact number 15 years from now that would be fine, right?

[August]

Originally Posted by tater

How is getting Madoff to keep his promises going? That's where we're headed. I don't think SS has promised me anything aside from some sort of benefits. Specifics? What was the benefit package when you started work? You know it, right? What was it 10 years ago? Again, you know all the details, right? If you don't know every single particular, then you don't even know what to expect. The things we get in the mail show current benefits we can expect. If you got that exact number 15 years from now that would be fine, right?

Whatever tater, you're just ranting now. Like I said, twice, you advise your reps the way you want and i'll tell mine what I want.