My thoughts on Social(ist) Security

[tattedupboy]

Because I am not an elected politician, I am able to express my true feelings without fear of being excoriated by constituents, other politicians. Also, I really don't care what anyone thinks about my feelings on this subject.

Most politicians, for fear of offending the people whose votes they're seeking, refuse to be seen or heard publicly criticizing "entitlement" programs such as Social(ist) Security. I, however, am going to expose this program for what it is, which is nothing more than a government-run Ponzi scheme.

Ponzi scheme: a swindle in which a quick return, made up of money from new investors, on an initial investment from older investors, lures the victim into much bigger risks.

The government usually refers to this structure, which is used to disburse payments to Social(ist) Security retirees, as a "pay-as-you-go scheme," meaning that today's retirees are being paid not by what they contributed to Social Security when they were working, but by contributions from today's workers. Isn't paying retirees with someone else's money the quintessential Ponzi scheme?

As horrible a president as I think George W. was, one of his most brilliant ideas, which unfortunately was shot down by the Democrats (who, by the way, never were able to come up with anything better), was his idea for private, individual, interest-bearing social security accounts. The brilliance of this idea was that people get a return on their own investment into the system, instead of their money being paid to others, and living on the backs of others when they retire.

Democrats wouldn't say it, but their reason for opposing the privatization of Social(ist) Security is that they don't trust people to oversee their own retirement accounts, believing that if the money is taken from them as opposed to them investing it themselves, that they won't spend it irresponsibly. I've always felt the same way about this issue that I do about everything else. Let people finance their own retirements; if, along the way, they squander their money on drugs, gambling, or something else, it's their fault, and let them suffer the consequences of their own irresponsible behavior. This is exactly something a socialist would be in favor of. After all, who but a socialist would indirectly influence your spending habits by decreeing that a certain percentage of your income must be taken from you, never to be seen again, to finance someone else's retirement?

You guys' thoughts?

[bigspurr]

All that sounds good but I’ve paid into this system for 33 years and don’t plan on walking away empty handed. That’s my money they took without asking so when its time for my share I’ll be there expecting to be paid back.

[MADnMO]

Originally Posted by bigspurr

All that sounds good but I’ve paid into this system for 33 years and don’t plan on walking away empty handed. That’s my money they took without asking so when its time for my share I’ll be there expecting to be paid back.

I can certainly understand how you feel. I have been paying for 30 years myself. With that being said. They could keep every penny I have paid in if I did not have to put one more penny into it.

[HK4U]

The real reason they do not want to allow citizens to invest their money rather than stealing it from them is because they would not have that money available to use for other things than the lie they have told us it was for.

[Boomboy007]

Great comparison, Tatt. Ponzi scheme is just what it is.

[Hoplites1234]

I've been paying into Social Stealing, with out my consent, for 39 years and I want it all back!! I figure I'm just as good as any illegal alien who gets it.

[Scarecrow]

I agree.. people are being taught how to be less and less responsable for themselves. isn't that kind of backwards?

[Ektarr]

Originally Posted by HK4U

The real reason they do not want to allow citizens to invest their money rather than stealing it from them is because they would not have that money available to use for other things than the lie they have told us it was for.

Right on the money!

[wjh2657]

If we had followed the Bush plan, our Social Security pensions would have gone down the flusher along with the rest of the stock market. You wouldn't have to worry about Palin's " Death Committees" elderly people would be starving to death by themselves right now. The "privatization of Social security" was just another way of getting more money in the swiss bank accounts of the folks that brought you the "reconstruction" of Iraq. 68 billion dollars dissappeared into the Haliburton Maw and not a cent showed up in Iraq.

No I am not a Liberal or a Democrat. I'm a former Republican that has the sense to open his eyes and realize we got raped by the preceding administration. Unless the party starts acting responsibly and falls away from the far Right fringe I and a lot of other free market conservatives are going to have to start shopping for candidates for the Libertarian Party.

Social Security was not a Ponzi scheme. the dollars we invested 50 years ago were worth more. The problem with Social Security is that the money was given out to people who didn't pay into the pool, like SSI and the aliens who draw it. It isn't retirees that are draining the sysytem it is younger people who don't work and live off the welfare money that comes out of the SS fund.

[rforgy]

I paid in for over 40 years and have just started getting money back this year so I would prefer that everyone leave it the hell alone until after I die.