So It's Come To This: We Might Have To Worry About The Deficit

[Kathianne]

From everything I've read, they want "change" at boomers' expense rather than calling government to task.

If it was only. Nope, from what I see they are searching for any and all, but the winner seems to be communism that answers the call of the ignorant. Used to be the US didn't have major threat, then again, it's far from the country we grew up in.

[fj1200]

I do not disagree with some of your reasoning. At the same time, I take serious issue with the idea that those who have paid into it for all their adult lives should just take it in the shorts and smile about it.

Not sure how you come up with SS should be seen as welfare when it is an investment, like any other, with the exception that investing is/was not an option. That latter, IMO, making it even more correct to pay those who have had to pay in.

You believe the people should pay for something they've already paid for, when I believe government should can and should take it out of their taxpayer spending money they waste on everything in the alphabet.

Seems where we do agree is that regardless your idea or mine, neither have a chance in Hell

The question is how to people perceive it because that drives people's actions. Call it an investment and people treat it as such. Call it welfare and presumably intelligent people will treat it as such. I think people should have been told that if you're going to depend on SS for your retirement then you should be ready for a crappy retirement. The problem is that the boomers have won the SS lottery. They've had enough kids to support them and are ready to die before their too-few grandkids will be around to support the next generation. You can't take money from the dead or dying.

But nobody is going to fix it right if they fix it at all so not sure why we're crying about it. I certainly wish that government spending would get reigned in and that they would fix the SS disincentives but I hold out no hope. "We the people" have zero self control.

[Gunny]

The question is how to people perceive it because that drives people's actions. Call it an investment and people treat it as such. Call it welfare and presumably intelligent people will treat it as such. I think people should have been told that if you're going to depend on SS for your retirement then you should be ready for a crappy retirement. The problem is that the boomers have won the SS lottery. They've had enough kids to support them and are ready to die before their too-few grandkids will be around to support the next generation. You can't take money from the dead or dying.

But nobody is going to fix it right if they fix it at all so not sure why we're crying about it. I certainly wish that government spending would get reigned in and that they would fix the SS disincentives but I hold out no hope. "We the people" have zero self control.

I get the perception thing. I agree it should not be called retirement but don't agree with calling welfare because it is not. I view it the same as supplemental insurance for lack of a better comparison. Not the primary source for retirement income, but still a source that I earned.

Anyone planning in relying solely on SS for retirement needs to start their education at learning math

[Gunny]

If it was only. Nope, from what I see they are searching for any and all, but the winner seems to be communism that answers the call of the ignorant. Used to be the US didn't have major threat, then again, it's far from the country we grew up in.

There's an idea. Replace socialist security with communism

[Kathianne]

There's an idea. Replace socialist security with communism

You did note the 'ignorant' adjective I had in there. Desperation does make for idiocy on many fronts.

[Gunny]

You did note the 'ignorant' adjective I had in there. Desperation does make for idiocy on many fronts.

I DID note the use of the word "ignorant". Not my fist choice for a word

[Kathianne]

I DID note the use of the word "ignorant". Not my fist choice for a word

Nope, it's probably the most appropriate. There's absolutely no understanding/knowledge of history. The depth of ignorance, regardless of amount of years in 'school' is deeper than I ever thought possible. Hell, they're racing to, actually demanding a return to the Dark Ages.

[Gunny]

Nope, it's probably the most appropriate. There's absolutely no understanding/knowledge of history. The depth of ignorance, regardless of amount of years in 'school' is deeper than I ever thought possible. Hell, they're racing to, actually demanding a return to the Dark Ages.

I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment. I do recall in days of yore both of us, and others, holding out higher hopes and unwilling to accept the fact these people are just stupid. They were "willfully ignorant/blind", to be kind and PC. Ignorance is merely a lack of knowledge which can be remedied. Stupid has no fix.

I'm no longer holding out on the hope there is a fix for the vast majority of sheeple. As you say, no amount of education can fix these idiots. Any harm is justified by "the cause" or is someone else's fault.

[fj1200]

I get the perception thing. I agree it should not be called retirement but don't agree with calling welfare because it is not. I view it the same as supplemental insurance for lack of a better comparison. Not the primary source for retirement income, but still a source that I earned.

Anyone planning in relying solely on SS for retirement needs to start their education at learning math

Don't make me go all semantics on you.