Denny Crane: "I want two things. First God and then Fox News."
SS reform has the possibility to dead lock congress for the next few years.
Which isn't a bad thing.
While I personally support major Social Security reform, I think we probably shouldn't get our hopes up too much on this issue at the current time. SS is the very heart of the Rooseveltian welfare state, it's generally pretty popular (especially among the retirees), and the Dems won't compromise one iota on this one.
How can they completely block it?
I know they can slow it down, maybe even try a filibuster, but if all of the Repubs are in line, then the deal is done.
Somehow, I don't think that they will be...
You have that right.
I work with minority teens and they like the idea of having their money in a private account. The kids may be disadvantaged, but they sure aren't stupid.
They don't stand for anything, so that's an easy target to hit.
The truth is there are 3 options: 1. Increase taxes, 2. Decrease benefits, 3. Change the equation.
The first won't work because of the simultaneously increasing recipient population and decreasing paying population. You'd have to take most everything the payees were making just to pay for the benefits.
The second won't work because with the simultaneously increasing recipient population and decreasing paying population, you'll have to lower the benefits to where they'll cover so little that you might as well not have the benefit.
The 3rd option has the potential to have workers build funds UNTOUCHABLE by the Federal Government...funds that belong to the individual and only to the individual. That plus some centralized social security money just might total enough to make a difference to retirees fifty years from now.
Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), whose state also will be visited by Bush this week, said she hoped Senate Democrats would act in unison to prevent the diversion of Social Security taxes to private investment accounts."It's critical for what we stand for," Lincoln said.
Namely, more and more government control over our lives.
Let's have compassionate conservatives rally for people who are dying, to be able to take ALL of the money THEY have put into it, plus ALL of THEIR EMPLOYER'S contribution as soon as they want it.
Let's have compassionate conservatives rally for the spouses whose loved one died unexpectedly to recover ALL of the money that THEIR SPOUSE had put into it, plus ALL of THEIR EMPOYER'S contribution as soon as they want it.
That will sink this Titanic fraud.
http://www.ssa.gov/qa.htm
http://www.chronwatch.com/content/contentDisplay.asp?aid=12703
[snip]Chile privatized its Social Security system more than a decade ago, and it works quite well. In a nutshell, everyone in Chile pays 10% of their income (less than the 12.6% we now pay as a Social Security Tax) into their Private Retirement Account (PRA), which is essentially the same as a 401k or an IRA, with a widely diversified investment base. Then they draw the money out when they retire, in monthly payments calculated on their actuarial life expectancy. For the 10% of so of Chileans whose PRAs aren't enough to fully fund their retirement, the government makes up the difference for a baseline minimum Social Security benefit, which is set by statute - and paid from general revenues. There is no separate Social Security tax.
http://www.tsp.gov/ - http://www.tsp.gov/features/chapter01.html#sub3
· A choice of five investment funds:
– Government Securities Investment (G) Fund
– Fixed Income Index Investment (F) Fund
– Common Stock Index Investment (C) Fund
– Small Capitalization Stock Index Investment (S)
Fund – International Stock Index Investment (I) Fund
If these plans are good enough for federal employees, they should be good enough for ‘we mere’ citizens.
Support the President on this - he has the courage to tackle SS, something the Democrats are scared to death of/they might lose money!
Dear Supporter,
Our Put Kids First campaign is drawing national attention to the needs of the 11 million American children living without health insurance. This week, we take it to another level.
In less than 36 hours, President Bush will use his State of the Union speech to stampede the country into a false sense of crisis on Social Security, while ignoring the real and immediate crisis of 11 million American children waking up this morning without health insurance.
But, we won't accept the President's refusal to act as the final word on meeting the needs of our children.
Kerry is now using the "for the children" ploy - just another sham and/or more expensive entitlements; more Bureaucracy and more cradle to grave government. None of which a responsible and free society should need EVER! The letter gives this phone number to call:1-866-876-4490 - please feel free to do so and leave a sweet message like NO THANK YOU!
Which is..Total Government Control of your life!
"(democrats) don't want private accounts because they are afraid it'll turn poor Democrats into rich Republicans."
- Daniel Patrick Monihan (D-New York, private accounts supporter))