You can quadruple entitlements and grow the economy overnight. Think of all the desperately needed spending...and buying...
Well let me see, would you feel back if I stole half your money? Entitlements are not charity. Entitlements are systems that people have paid into their whole lives. So now you want the government to force people to save for retirement and then steal the money they forced them to save and say, sorry, screw you, I can't pay you your social security that you have had taken out of your pay for the last 30 years? And if you took the social security fund that everyone has paid into and seperated it from the rest of the lousy government, the fund would be rolling in cash. Entitlements is not our problem right now and not for decades to comes.
If entitlements were cut in half by removing the fraud and kicking those people off, I wouldn't feel sorry for them at all.
Cut the entitlements by differentiating them as per achievements, not need. For example the welfare mom that has an associate degree would get twice as much as the welfare mom with only a high school diploma, who would get twice as much as the high-school dropout, and so on. If people don't believe in status except money, they will have no incentive to get off welfare and work.
Social Security is not "your money". ... and the average Social Security recipient uses up every single dollar they put in with less than 3 years of receiving benefits. So, if you want to cut everyone off at 3 years, I am all in with you. Otherwise, no, you're talking about charity. Forced charity, to be exact. The government does pay "yours." The problem is, you outlive "yours" and end up taking mine and everyone else's. Meanwhile, on average, the age group of 65-74 has more wealth than any other age bracket in the country. But the Fund would still be (currently) paying out more than it takes in. Which means Social Security would still be running out of money. LOL... Let me guess, you're receiving Social Security, or pretty close to it, right? Look my kids in the eye and tell them it's not your problem Social Security and Medicare will be bankrupt because you'll be dead and don't care.
This is absolutely true and absolutely annoying. This is because the very investments / capital gains that social security relies on are what drive jobs out of the US and thus reduce payroll/SS taxes, the source of social security. It is a vicious circle and a downwards spiral. The more efficient social security gets to make money and pay it out, the more it eliminates its own financial base. Why do I always have the feeling that old people are the happiest only when they screw us (and laugh about it)?
Because they're selfish. But everyone is. The key to a successful society is realizing that everyone is selfish, and setting up systems that work that selfishness to the good of the whole. Social Security does not do that.
Yes, because it's a moot point. Entitlements should be subjected to more scrutiny as to qualifying (disability) and let it be known that fraud in that area will be vigorously prosecuted. That could shorten the approval time for those who are worthy - when the people who try to defraud the system are put on notice of the consequences. Then raise the retirement age. The problem is Congress won't deal with this at all. The dems are successful at intimidating the Rs into doing nothing about SS and MC. The end result will be a collapse. No one wants that.
Agreed, although at some point there's a question of return on investment - if it takes $5 worth of investigation to prevent $1 of fraudulent benefits, not really worth it. We wouldn't need to if we would just return Social Security to what it is supposed to be: an insurance program for retirement. Institute a means test for Social Security Old Age/Survivors (and Medicare). I see seniors driving Cadillacs, owning retirement homes, and coming through my upstate-NY canal town in boats I won't ever be able to afford. Why are these people getting a government handout funded from deductions taken from my paycheck??? Make it simple. It doesn't even need to be a complex test. If you have, say, greater than $100,000 in net assets excluding 2 cars and your primary home, you can't get Social Security.
Social security is a pyramid scheme...and illegal. Directly from the SEC with parenthetical comparison: In the classic "pyramid" scheme, participants (old taxpayers) attempt to make money solely by recruiting new participants (new taxpayers) into the program (Social Security). The hallmark of these schemes is the promise of sky-high returns in a short period of time for doing nothing other than handing over your money and getting others to do the same (the EXACT definition of Social Security). http://www.sec.gov/answers/pyramid.htm This corrupt entitlement scheme must end...NOW.
It would not be right, sure there are many that take advantage,,,but HALF? My neighbor gets 360 a month food stamps for two people,,,that's way too much for two people. However 180 would be far too less... I would say cut it by 20% across the board would be fine, and we would save plenty...
They are fairly old and only get social security, hardly enough. It seems it's cheaper for them to stay in this house they rent from a friend, so they have nothing to sell....Other than that you would have to ask social services,,that's all I know.
