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Old 03-15-2010, 04:21 PM   #21
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So, what would you have done with that extra money that was coming in to SS every year for decades?
Well now see...you answered your own question.

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The real problem is the ongoing habit of the government to spend more than it takes in. And to take ever more money out of the productive economy rather than simply spending less. It is clearly not sustainable.
Hmmmm, perhaps they should STOP spending at such an irresponsible rate. Rocket science, FTW!!
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Old 03-15-2010, 04:22 PM   #22
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Kona, grown in the good old U.S.A.?
Yes please.
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Old 03-15-2010, 05:59 PM   #23
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how do people who havent paid anything into SS get some money out of it? i am not familiar with that aspect of the program (unless you are talking about dependants where the person they are dependant on paid in)
Collecting off an ex-spouse, collecting SSDI fraudulently, I am sure there are other situations too.
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Old 03-15-2010, 06:27 PM   #24
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...
I need more coffee.
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Kona, grown in the good old U.S.A.?
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Yes please.
(Two hours later) Coming right up. The pie is on the house.
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Old 03-15-2010, 06:39 PM   #25
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Hmmmm, perhaps they should STOP spending at such an irresponsible rate. Rocket science, FTW!!
Yes, they [we] should. Let's start with a 10% haircut to SS, Medicare, and Defense.
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Old 03-15-2010, 06:42 PM   #26
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I recall my first "paycheck" job, at McDonald's. It was 1975 and I was 16. I had my eye on some blue Adidas sneakers that I was going to buy with my first paycheck. I knew that it would be $28 dollars because I had worked 14 hours and made exactly $2 per hour, and that would be enough to buy my swanky new footwear.

As they handed me the envelope with my check in it, I could almost feel the new sneakers on my feet. You can imagine my shock when I opened it up and saw the total. Who are FITW and FICA and what did they ever do to deserve part of my money?? One of my older co-workers clued me in. I had some vague concept of income tax, but none at all of this odd thing called "social security". She said "that just extra tax. They give it to old people who don't have any money." I thought about my grandmother and decided that was okay by me.

I didn't give it another thought until I graduated from college in 1981. Then I read an article explaining how social security was actuarially unsound given changes in the number of workers and life expectancies. It made sense to me, and I also knew enough of life to realize that politicians would never, ever take the unpopular steps necessary to fix the problem. From that time forward to this day, I have never expected to get social security. My retirement plans have always assumed zero. And anyone who has been paying attention should not be surprised by the news post by the OP today.

Even if, as I expect, I never get a dime, I am still extraordinarily grateful to have lived my life here, in the most prosperous country ever known. I am healthy and happy and I have become wealthier than I ever thought possible. Not getting social security is a minor blip on the radar. If I think about it at all, I think about how social security allowed my grandmother, and now my parents, to spend their later years in some semblance of dignity. I don't mind paying for that.
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Old 03-15-2010, 07:19 PM   #27
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You are a class act, Gumby. I am glad that you are on here.
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Old 03-15-2010, 07:57 PM   #28
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Sorry Gumby, you gotta go. Unless you can rant, rave, gnash your teeth, foam at the mouth and point out how we are all doomed, you aren't qualified to post on this forum.
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Old 03-15-2010, 09:58 PM   #29
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If I think about it at all, I think about how social security allowed my grandmother, and now my parents, to spend their later years in some semblance of dignity. I don't mind paying for that.
But that is the problem, we aren't paying for it! We are racking up debt for it.

If we honestly say that we want to provide a safety net (and I agree that we should), then we should honestly pay for it instead of handing the bill to future generations who have no say in the matter. That latter parts just strikes me as disingenuous.


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Old 03-15-2010, 10:12 PM   #30
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Sorry Gumby, you gotta go. Unless you can rant, rave, gnash your teeth, foam at the mouth and point out how we are all doomed, you aren't qualified to post on this forum.
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Old 03-16-2010, 03:00 AM   #31
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Well, I'm one of the people who paid into SS for 9-10 years and won't be getting any SS payments.
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