Op-Ed: Social Security’s impending bankruptcy doesn’t resonate with voters, yet

[Gunny]

Yet. I'm as guilty as anyone of taking for granted SS will always be there. Program definitely needs an overhaul. I feel sorry for anyone who lives solely on SS and wonder just exactly where they live. Doesn't buy much, especially with Joe pricing everything out of reach.

https://www.thecentersquare.com/opinion/op-ed-social-security-s-impending-bankruptcy-doesn-t-resonate-with-voters-yet/article_3e88c9ca-652d-11ed-b18c-679136da6bbb.html

[Kathianne]

Yet. I'm as guilty as anyone of taking for granted SS will always be there. Program definitely needs an overhaul. I feel sorry for anyone who lives solely on SS and wonder just exactly where they live. Doesn't buy much, especially with Joe pricing everything out of reach.

https://www.thecentersquare.com/opinion/op-ed-social-security-s-impending-bankruptcy-doesn-t-resonate-with-voters-yet/article_3e88c9ca-652d-11ed-b18c-679136da6bbb.html

I still don't collect SSI or Medicare, I'm able to work.

I've been arguing and writing for over 30 years that SSI should NOT be mandatory, although should be a gradual withdrawal. Also those receiving should be 'means tested,' AFTER they get the actual amount of dollars confiscated over their lifetimes.

It's developed into a ponzi scheme, there's no way that one can put COLA on top of fewer workers, the baby boom has always been a known problem.

[SassyLady]

I collect Social Security. I paid into it. My employers paid into it. When you take that amount plus whatever interest it earned, helps me live decently.

I doubt I will live long enough to actually get back what I've put in.

[revelarts]

The annual budget for SS is less than 15 billion.
"We've" sent Ukraine 54 billion ...so far.
The defense department annual budget is, at base 715 billion +.
I don't know about anyone else but Ummm... I'm not convinced that there's any reason why SS should not have the funds it's promised.
Even from the SS trust fund, Especially since the same baby boomers have been "investing" into it at around 5-7% from every paycheck for nearly 100 years.

[revelarts]

The annual budget for SS is less than 15 billion.
"We've" sent Ukraine 54 billion ...so far.
The defense department annual budget is, at base 715 billion +.
I don't know about anyone else but Ummm... I'm not convinced that there's any reason why SS should not have the funds it's promised.
Even from the SS trust fund, Especially since the same baby boomers have been "investing" into it at around 5-7% from every paycheck for nearly 100 years.

Sorry, it's really 90 billion to Ukraine... So far

[fj1200]

Small government? Not exactly.

[fj1200]

The annual budget for SS is less than 15 billion.
"We've" sent Ukraine 54 billion ...so far.
The defense department annual budget is, at base 715 billion +.
I don't know about anyone else but Ummm... I'm not convinced that there's any reason why SS should not have the funds it's promised.
Even from the SS trust fund, Especially since the same baby boomers have been "investing" into it at around 5-7% from every paycheck for nearly 100 years.

Umm, annual spending on SS every year is 1.2 trillion. Medicare adds another 689 billion. Ukraine is but a drop in the bucket.

[Gunny]

Umm, annual spending on SS every year is 1.2 trillion. Medicare adds another 689 billion. Ukraine is but a drop in the bucket.

Rev's duty-bound to attack defense spending and supporting Ukraine defending itself. For some reason, the very reason we are spending money in support of Ukraine doesn't appear to click as the same reason for spending on our own defense.

On the other hand, it would take me quite awhile to compile a legitimate list of government spending that could be cut/diverted to pay for SS. One could compile that list without ever getting outside the Beltway.

As a couple of teasers, I wonder how much was spent on the 2022 Midterms by BOTH parties; and, how much has been spent investigating Trump since 2016?

[revelarts]

Umm, annual spending on SS every year is 1.2 trillion. Medicare adds another 689 billion. Ukraine is but a drop in the bucket.

ok,
yikes... looks likes my numbers were a bit off.
thanks for the correction... time for more research.

still think Ukraine ("the most corrupt nation in Europe") & portions of the DOD and CIA/NSA/etc budgets (Overt & Secret) could be trimmed.

No nation on the planet spends close to what we do on "defense".
What are we so afraid of?

[fj1200]

ok,
yikes... looks likes my numbers were a bit off.
thanks for the correction... time for more research.

still think Ukraine ("the most corrupt nation in Europe") & portions of the DOD and CIA/NSA/etc budgets (Overt & Secret) could be trimmed.

No nation on the planet spends close to what we do on "defense".
What are we so afraid of?

Having to bail out the world again. And ~25% of defense is people.

At least Ukraine has two important distinctions; 1, not invading anyone and 2, being less corrupt than Russia.

[revelarts]

Having to bail out the world again. And ~25% of defense is people.

At least Ukraine has two important distinctions; 1, not invading anyone and 2, being less corrupt than Russia.

Then we probably shouldn't back countries that have NAZI battalions as their lead fighters, and rename their main streets after their local Holocaust participants.

[Black Diamond]

Then we probably shouldn't back countries that have NAZI battalions as their lead fighters, and rename their main streets after their local Holocaust participants.

Nah get with the program. Get that Ukrainian flag tattooed on your face. Next to the "We can do this" vaccine virtue signal.

[fj1200]

Then we probably shouldn't back countries that have NAZI battalions as their lead fighters, and rename their main streets after their local Holocaust participants.

I'm sure there could be a thread about that. This one was about SS, then about how much SS was and then wasn't, then about Ukraine being the most corrupt and then not the most corrupt, and now how it's the number of Nazis? How much we spend in Ukraine is zero to do with the crapstorm that SS and Medicare will have on our budget long after Ukraine has been forgotten.

Who among the small government conservatives will demand their SS contributions be returned while it destroys the budget?

[Kathianne]

I'm sure there could be a thread about that. This one was about SS, then about how much SS was and then wasn't, then about Ukraine being the most corrupt and then not the most corrupt, and now how it's the number of Nazis? How much we spend in Ukraine is zero to do with the crapstorm that SS and Medicare will have on our budget long after Ukraine has been forgotten.

Who among the small government conservatives will demand their SS contributions be returned while it destroys the budget?

ME! But I'm weird. Didn't take the covid giveaways either.

[Gunny]

I'm sure there could be a thread about that. This one was about SS, then about how much SS was and then wasn't, then about Ukraine being the most corrupt and then not the most corrupt, and now how it's the number of Nazis? How much we spend in Ukraine is zero to do with the crapstorm that SS and Medicare will have on our budget long after Ukraine has been forgotten.

Who among the small government conservatives will demand their SS contributions be returned while it destroys the budget?I supported one of the few good ideas GWB had: Let people invest a portion of their SS deduction as they wish. This of course comes with a trimmed SS check (based on individual participation & amount). At the time, I was pretty sure I could make the same amount of money SS was deducting work for me a lot better.

Perception: Social Security and Medicare are safety nets more in the minds of the people than they are worth in real life. They ARE better than nothing. For those who invest unwisely/not at all and hit "that day" (no longer able to work) that's been roaring full speed down the track and they never saw it coming, they become a liability on society/taxpayers one way or the other.

Destroy that perception and the Dems/left/MSM will have a field day compared to their reaction to overturning Roe. Leftards will be spreading the fear manure 24-7, high and wide Loss of rights. Theft of your money by the Republicans. They'll be dancing on the Republican Party's grave.

Nobody's going to touch that :laugh: IMO, at this point, it's a small price to pay to fix whatever is wrong with it and somehow make it work.

That's money, time and effort better spent on a go-nowhere, PR bomb investigation of Hunter Biden :slap:

EDIT: You are correct that we have plenty of threads on the Ukraine-Russia War. It's as good as any expenditure some feel could be cut (which is another yet MAJOR issue). Opinions and all that. but a simple one-liner instead of going off on the war would have sufficed. I'm sure there are plenty of expenses rev agrees with that I'd have in the round file :)