[Bob434]

[[They really can’t be buying stocks with it, we don’t want the government directly financing and owning corporations.]]

Funding big government with it so they can pay off their ridiculous debts certainly isn’t the answer-

[[They really can’t be buying stocks with it, we don’t want the government directly financing and owning corporations.]]

Not sure about that- it helps the businesses, which in turn helps the consumers, which in turn also helps the SS trust fund- Right now though SS money may infact be going to pay special interest group grants, study grants etc- either directly or indirectly- the money is certainly going somewhere in government- and we’re not seeing a very good return on our money- that’s for sure- Had we gotten a good return- then we wouldn’t be I n this problem today- and I don’t think people would be upset about the government ‘borrowing’ it since it was actually increasing SS in the end-

However, when big business gets breaks, or help, it does trickle down to everyone both directly and indirectly- Sure, they get breaks- but their breaks help to keep prices low, worker’s wages higher, etc-

[mrsmith]

The straightforward, no-nonsense thing to do with the SS surplus was to use it to pay down the debt so the government could cheaply borrow money to pay off the treasury bonds held by the SS fund when needed- instead of either raising taxes or cutting benefits.

But, of course, the government used it to create new spending programs. The worse thing that could be done with it.

[Pelham]

I think you’re taking too rosy a view of how that would work out. Does Solyndra ring a bell? California’s bullet train?

Big business would be just as likely, maybe more likely, to take that money and invest it in plant and equipment outside the country. Or build windmill farms or electric car plants or whatever nonsense is currently politically fashionable. There’s no reason to think that they would get a return on that money but I’m certain that plenty would get siphoned off into someone’s pocket. Senators and Presidents don’t get rich from hard work.