How would Americans strengthen social security?

[Direckshun]

This is how:



Blue is the percentage of people that support that particular reform -- red is people that do not support it (dark blue is "strongly," light blue is "lightly"; same is true for red).

This is based on a study by the National Academy of Social Insurance: http://www.nasi.org/sites/default/fi...icans_Want.pdf

The conclusions section is on page 29, and it starts off with this:



I'm not the kind of guy who believes we should always do as the polls dictate, but these are some ridiculously lopsided polls.

[LiveSteam]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

I'm not the kind of guy who believes we should always do as the polls dictate, .

No bigger lie was ever told in DC.
You are a hoarder of Polls,links,threads,ect. Your life is a 110 watt wall outlet.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by LiveSteam

No bigger lie was ever told in DC.
You are a hoarder of Polls

Polls are terribly important. But I have never felt they should single-handedly guide policy.

[LiveSteam]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Polls are terribly important. But I have never felt they should single-handedly guide policy.

& I have never jerked off to

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by LiveSteam

& I have never jerked off to

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Polls are terribly important. But I have never felt they should single-handedly guide policy.

Translation: I pick the polls I want to use to base policy on. Polls that show strong support for things like gun rights or abolishing the death tax? Not good for policy.

[La literatura]

Medicare and Social Security ages need to be raised, even if Medicare does a good job of keeping down medical costs.

One thing is true: the rhetoric about insolvency is Republican strategy for tearing apart the fabric of the social safety net in this country. But so is another: when first enacted, age 65 was basically the average age of death. Modern medicine has adapted, and so should our laws.

[ChiliConCarnage]

Originally Posted by La literatura

when first enacted, age 65 was basically the average age of death. Modern medicine has adapted, and so should our laws.

It's definitely a part of the issue. Unfortunately, it would make a lot of people mad so politicians have passed the buck.

There isn't a lot to do about the demographic changes though.

Back in 1950, as the baby boom was just getting started, each retiree's benefit was divided among 16 workers. Taxes could be kept low. Today, that number has dropped to 3.3 workers per retiree, and by 2025, it will reach-and remain at-about two workers per retiree.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by La literatura

One thing is true: the rhetoric about insolvency is Republican strategy for tearing apart the fabric of the social safety net in this country.

No, that's not true. The vast majority of Republicans want to insure that we continue to have a social safety net. The rhetoric about insolvency comes from the reality that the current programs are insolvent and will soon become cash-flow insolvent as well if significant changes aren't made.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by patteeu

No, that's not true. The vast majority of Republicans want to insure that we continue to have a social safety net. The rhetoric about insolvency comes from the reality that the current programs are insolvent and will soon become cash-flow insolvent as well if significant changes aren't made.

Social Security is fine for another 25 years. It's so healthy we keep taking money out of it to pay for other things. The issue is people taking out money that never paid in and people getting 3X the money they put into the fund.

That being said, it still needs to be fixed for even more of a long term solution. Retirement is a long term plan.

Maybe means testing. If you have plenty of money you don't get the check. If your fortunes change, you get the money and back date to when you would have started drawing.

Raise the age to 67 for everyone 50 and under

Raise the FICA tax in paychecks

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Social Security is fine for another 25 years. It's so healthy we keep taking money out of it to pay for other things. The issue is people taking out money that never paid in and people getting 3X the money they put into the fund.

That being said, it still needs to be fixed for even more of a long term solution. Retirement is a long term plan.

Maybe means testing. If you have plenty of money you don't get the check. If your fortunes change, you get the money and back date to when you would have started drawing.

Raise the age to 67 for everyone 50 and under

Raise the FICA tax in paychecks

how does raising the FICA tax fix people getting more than they paid in?

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Social Security is fine for another 25 years. It's so healthy we keep taking money out of it to pay for other things. The issue is people taking out money that never paid in and people getting 3X the money they put into the fund.

That being said, it still needs to be fixed for even more of a long term solution. Retirement is a long term plan.

Maybe means testing. If you have plenty of money you don't get the check. If your fortunes change, you get the money and back date to when you would have started drawing.

Raise the age to 67 for everyone 50 and under

Raise the FICA tax in paychecks

"Fine for another 25 years" is (a) an overstatement, and (b) another way of admitting that it's insolvent and will go broke in 25 years if we don't make a change.

It's an overstatement because it might seem "fine" now when the go-broke date is 25 years away, but it won't seem so "fine" 15 or 20 years from now when it's balooning the deficit (as a result of it's requirements for repayment) and on the verge of being broke.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Raise the FICA tax in paychecks

Why? I'm already paying 6.4% and my employer does too. You want more than 13%? Seriously, you want to ADD to that total?

[LiveSteam]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Raise the age to 67 for everyone 50 and under

Raise the FICA tax in paychecks

Thats bullshit & it wont be 67,more like 69 or 70.
Im not a baby boomer. I didnt **** it up nor did my generation or those that come after me. I love how America' thinks & works now
Im a baby boomer. Lets just pass the bills off to our children & grand kids FORWARD!


This is what I think of that idea..

[King_Chief_Fan]

Originally Posted by LiveSteam

Thats bullshit & it wont be 67,more like 69 or 70.
Im not a baby boomer. I didnt **** it up nor did my generation or those that come after me. I love how America' thinks & works now
Im a baby boomer. Lets just pass the bills off to our children & grand kids FORWARD!


This is what I think of that idea..

hey doofus...you do realize it is the baby boomers who have paid in the most over their life and are the first generation to proabably have to take reduced benefits. They have already been changed to age 66 for full beneifts. Each generation since the begining of SS have paid for the generation behind.
However, you point is well taken in regards to our children and grand children. I will be happy for gov to just hand over to me what I have put in and we will call it square.
I planned on receiving less or no benefit from SS and 401K, pension and investments are my retirement account.