dagblog - Comments for "Happy Birthday, Social Security. And Many, Many More. XOXOXO"

What I mean by progressive in

EmmaZahn — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 16:14:13 +0000

What I mean by progressive in this context is recognizing that solutions to yesterday's problems may not work for tomorrow's. That they may in fact become problems themselves when the circumstances in which they were developed change. It is accepting that society is dynamic, not static.

There are no doubt several different tweaks that will extend the current program into the last half of this century but that do nothing to assuage the fears of those who will be retiring later than that when population levels are decreasing rather than increasing and when jobs as we have known them are no more.

You asked for my solution. Not sure that I have one, at least none that are ready for prime time but all solutions start with recognizing problems. That is what my comment was intended to help accomplish.

Social Security can't be

Ramona — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 11:24:46 +0000

In reply to Did not mean to upset you.

Social Security can't be sustained without new money coming in, so if those under 55 are urged to go in another direction, that's the end of SS. That's the ploy. That's how those who have been wanting to get rid of the plan ever since it began (the point of my post) will get rid of it. By forcing the younger workers to sign up for a plan that eventually benefits the private sector.

Instead of railing against SS, we need to work toward keeping it in place. It's worth saving.

You keep using that word

Ramona — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 11:15:56 +0000

In reply to Why don't you reread what I

You keep using that word progressive without giving a clue to what it means in this context. What does "being progressive" mean to you in concrete terms? What solution would a person who was being progressive come up with?

What's your solution?

Yes, I see what you're

Ramona — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 11:12:43 +0000

In reply to I think it's because you get

Yes, I see what you're saying. But they could raise the cap--something they did many times throughout our working years.

The story plays to fear and

Michael Maiello — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 16:13:54 +0000

In reply to The arguments are so phony

The story plays to fear and cynicism -- two easily exploitable emotions. I fall for such things all of the time on other issues.

Why don't you reread what I

EmmaZahn — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 15:56:25 +0000

In reply to Emma why don't you urge your

Why don't you reread what I actually wrote. No where did I suggest cutting SS benefits and I have no objection to raising the cap which is only there anyway because no additional funds were projected to be needed. However, there already is no cap on the Medicare payroll tax so any shortfalls will have to be funded some other way, say by raising the tax rate or the premiums beneficiaries pay or a combination of the two.

Still neither of those is a solution for people in younger generations who will be faced with are fewer and fewer jobs available to pay into the programs themselves as well as smaller populations after them to carry them through. That's a problem in need of a solution.

Be progressive. Look ahead and try to develop one.

I think it's because you get

Michael Maiello — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:33:42 +0000

In reply to I never understood why the

I think it's because you get proportional benefits based on what you pay in taxes. So, if you remove the cap, potential benefits go way, way up for high earners. Now, actually, if you think about how hard it is to replace a high salary in retirement that might actually turn out to be a very good deal for some more highly paid professionals.

But, alas... I think what they wanted was:

A system that can't be called welfare because for every dollar you pay, you eventually get something back, without it being a system where very wealthy people are getting (relatively) huge payments later. Hence the caps.

The arguments are so phony

Ramona — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:31:54 +0000

In reply to Happy Birthday Social

The arguments are so phony they'd be laughable if they weren't so effective. Dozens and dozens of experts work hard to dispel the notion that SS is going broke but more people believe it is than that it isn't. One of life's little mysteries.

I never understood why the

Ramona — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:27:24 +0000

In reply to Emma why don't you urge your

I never understood why the cap was there in the first place. It's always been arbitrary--and changeable--so why not just pull from all wages and not some arbitrary limit that makes no real sense.

Sounds like a plan to destroy or dilute it, not to keep it solvent.

Happy Birthday Social

Michael Maiello — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:11:09 +0000

In reply to Happy Birthday, Social Security. And Many, Many More. XOXOXO

Happy Birthday Social Security. They tell me that in 50-70 years you are in trouble and thus, you are a failure despite your many decades of accomplishments. To that I say... show me another government program that can last another 5 to 7 decades under its current budget and then we'll talk. The way I see it, the Pentagon is an unsustainable program right the heck now and has been for years. Somehow, that's never an issue.