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The Most Dangerous Addiction of Them All: Entitlements
Townhall.com ^ | March 21, 2017 | Dennis Prager

Posted on 03/21/2017 3:54:05 AM PDT by Kaslin

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To: FreedomNotSafety

For those forced to invest in this “entitlement” their entire working lives, it is an “earned entitlement”, and to take it away would be no different for the same people to have paid off their home with earned income and having the federal government taking it away.

Yes, today’s SS checks do come from today’s confiscations. The problem is the corrupt government playing games with a system that would barely work to begin with and making an utter joke of it for the sake of buy votes.

So today’s retired should have to pay double? That is, having earnings confiscated while working and having that same money taken away again when they are no longer able to recoup it through employment?

When it comes time for the far right of the far right conservatives, (and leftiest of the dems for that matter) to start cutting entitlements, it will never start with those that have never earned it. It will be a vote buying scam of some sort to get a certain class of people to vote or to line pockets.

Politics do not change, just the era, people and places.


21 posted on 03/21/2017 8:37:42 AM PDT by redfreedom
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To: Tax-chick

There is no simple solution. We can’t just go back into time and correct the problem when the feds started spending the funds for other purposes and giving entitlements to those that never paid in.

We’ve had (and still have) a very evil system, probably beginning with the big entitlement era of LBJ and his Great Society. And somewhere in the 90’s or so both parties morphed into the globalist Uniparty.

I believe Trump is trying hard, and will likely succeed. Fortunately, he is not a true conservative, even though much of his agenda tracks that direction. He’s more of a nationalist and loves America. I have more faith in this guy being “fair” than I do some far right ultra conservative do-gooder.


22 posted on 03/21/2017 8:43:57 AM PDT by redfreedom
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To: Kaslin

It’s supposed to here too. But $800 a month for an 8 year old kid? I think that is a lot but what do I know. I am only a taxpayer.


23 posted on 03/21/2017 9:32:35 AM PDT by b4its2late (A Liberal is a person who will give away everything he doesn't own.)
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To: redfreedom
There is no simple solution.

Unfortunately, there are no simple solutions for a lot of our country's issues, and you're right, we can't go back and un-happen the factors that got us where we are now.

I believe Trump is trying hard, and will likely succeed.

The first part, sure. The second part depends on how one defines "success."

24 posted on 03/21/2017 9:50:24 AM PDT by Tax-chick ("If race is just a social construct, we might as well be honest about rewarding obnoxious behavior.")
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To: redfreedom

No one was “forced to invest”. “Forced”, yes the money was taken by force as is all taxes. “Invest”, no because there was never an investment. The money was taken if people wish to delude themselves and believe the takings were investments then they have their fantasies to help them believe they are owed the money. There is nothing to “recoup” and there is nothing “earned” in the way of future payments. Words such as invest, earned, trust fund, contributions, benefits, etc. are words used by politicians to help people feel good about the tax and spend welfare entitlement. People can choose to accept them and justify accepting the entitlement or they can see the words for what they are and understand that they are participating in a welfare program.

How about this. We quit collecting SS contributions and up the income tax by an equal amount. The monthly SS check could be renamed as the Montly Old Age Payment. Nothing would change except people could no longer claim they are “owed”.


25 posted on 03/21/2017 1:41:25 PM PDT by FreedomNotSafety
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To: FreedomNotSafety

“understand that they are participating in a welfare program.”

That is a deeply insulting play on words. I have never been on welfare. Social security is not welfare.

The general definition of “invest” can be found in a Google search and come up with: “expend money with the expectation of achieving a profit or material result by putting it into financial schemes, shares, or property, or by using it to develop a commercial venture”

That pretty much fits social security.

OK, now I give in. Let’s say this social security “welfare” system is ended. Period. That is those receiving benefits are just told to go pound sand.

Answer this question: There are people that rely substantially if not entirely on social security that are not on welfare. Once their SS checks disappear, what happens to them?

The vast majority are too old to work for meaningful wages. Many are too sick or disabled to work at all.

So yes, once the government screws SS recipients out of their EARNED benefits, what happens to them?

I mean really, you may have a very good solution that’s better than social security

Let’s hear it?


26 posted on 03/21/2017 2:07:59 PM PDT by redfreedom
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To: redfreedom

End all the meaningless terminology that leads people to believe, mistakenly and fraudulently, that they have invested and earned and are deserving and entitled. Replace it with a real accurate name. Quit deducting the taxes separately.

Call it The Stipend for the Old and Infirmed.

I agree. We will have to carry some people for awhile so means test the program, raise the retirement age, and trim the disability rolls. Then gradually eliminate it.


27 posted on 03/22/2017 5:14:03 AM PDT by FreedomNotSafety
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To: b4its2late

And when SSI payroll taxes were insufficient to cover payouts, congress simply looted the old age fund. This is the sort of dodge of responsibility that convinced me to sit out the congressional portion of last November’s election.


28 posted on 03/22/2017 11:19:05 AM PDT by Jacquerie (ArticleVBlog.com)
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