Posted on 01/06/2012 6:38:10 PM PST by DJ MacWoW
KEENE, N.H. (AP) - Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum called Friday for immediate cuts to Social Security benefits, risking the wrath of older voters and countless others who balk at changes to the entitlement program.
"We can't wait 10 years," even though "everybody wants to," Santorum told a crowd while campaigning in New Hampshire and looking to set himself apart from his Republican rivals four days before the New Hampshire primary.
Most of his opponents have advocated phasing in a reduction and say immediate cuts would be too big a shock to current and soon-to-be retirees.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.myway.com ...
I agree there are so many other things that need to be cut first. But if we have to cut SS/mediscrew then do it! Enslaving the future for current is suicide.
This is why we are sooooo screwed. Even freepers will vote to empower the fedgov jackbooted thugs to go steal to get what they think they are owed. Add them to the rest of the entitlement class and its a guaranteed failure of the republic.
It continues to amaze me how most everyone, politicians and just folks, constantly jump on SS, but never say a word about even the even more expensive, basically welfare programs that most recipients never contributed a single tax dollar toward.
They just love to insult people who’ve spent decades paying into SS as well paying income taxes. And I think most of them are ignorant of the fact that Medicaid and Medicare (in that order) are greater future liabilities than SS.
You’d be surprised the net worth some of these “poor” Freepers who “need” their SSI checks or they will starve to death. Holding it at current levels would kill them.
I don’t have a problem with the concept. I merely asked for more detail
NO, you're paying the federal government's bills, the government that took hundreds of thousands for employees and employers over the employees' work lives and spent it before the employees retired.
So very sad. I will not be a slave!!!!!
So what’s the solution? Let it go broke?
As to the politicians, they will connect a bankrupt Social Security program to the general fund for payment. The Social Security tax is most "regressive" and I have long expected that liberal politicians would ultimately support funding from the general fund. The current ridiculous scheme of shaving about 1/3 of Social Security taxes from employees only by Obozo is the beginning. Rush and Levin have both noted this recently. It drains the system much quicker and creates a future "emergency" in which Congress will just "have to" vote to make the general fund the Social Security lifeline.
BTW, I live on a small Social Security check and I agree with many here that it is not going to be reduced nor are theirs. Give me a look at the annual US budget and I will give you easily enough cuts to keep Social Security and Medicare afloat without harming the nation's defenses or cutting any truly vital programs but my budget would be no fun at all for politicians.
We are broke. I am afraid it needs to be block granted to the states and the politics pushed down to the people at the state level. Get the Federal Government out of the retirement business.
You, my friend, are in your 40’s. You have a long life ahead of you. You can change direction now, knowing that SS might not be around. However, some of us in our late 60’s or older, who were FORCED to pay into this socialist program are living off of it solely. We have no choice. Get a heart, and a brain, and stop being so Obama like. I will pray that my grandchild won’t have to pay into this hideous program. Good luck to you 40 somethings. You won’t get my vote to cut off my lifeline.
Sorry friend.... I am investing in my future. I invest in my future with livestock and improvements to my land instead of buying new cars. I garden instead of golfing and teach my kids to do the same. I spend my money on practical things instead of jewelry and the newest I-Phone. I pay my taxes and try to help others whenever I can. I give to my church and community. I know my neighbors and help them and they help me. I make very good money and I don’t squander it on baseless consumerism. I don’t count on my retirement check or SSI.
I am preparing for the day when that government check won’t buy the food we need. I bought a place that is big enough to support my family, our parents, our brothers and sister’s and their families, and our friends and neighbors. I could be driving a Lexus and playing golf every few days with a smile on my face. Instead, I improve my soil and irrigation after I get home from my 50 hour a week salaried job. I prune and plant fruit trees. We sold our beautiful luxury home and moved into a big home on acreage because it’s obvious to me and should be obvious to everyone reading this thread how this story will end.
I don’t begrudge you or anyone else for collecting what you paid into the system but don’t be angry at me when inflation arrives and that check won’t buy a tank of gas or enough groceries. That is where our government is taking us so we might as well all enjoy the ride with a smile on our face and keep electing politicians that will honor the ponzi scheme promises! As long as we get ours, right?
I am preparing for a life without social security and I know my kids will too. Hopefully, my generation will wake up to the evil scheme that has lulled our nation to sleep. Hopefully we will learn to enjoy the smell of good soil more than a 100 dollar bottle of perfume. I live a good life that is much simpler than it could be and my ultimate goal is to be self-sufficient so that I don’t have to count on the morons that are running this nation into the ground.
Santorum, and all the others, have to realize that they have to get Elected to accomplish anything. Ever heard the expression, “too much information”? The public lives off the Headline and the Talking Point. We pay attention, most people don't. That is the reality we face.
The Liberal Media will use this against every other Republican Candidate from now until the end of the Primary Season. Santorum has poisoned the well. Does he not realize, like all of us FReepers, that the Media and the DNC are one in the same?
Like it or not, SS and Medicare are not Entitlements to the people who paid into them. The Politicians added people who never paid in and expanded the purpose of the programs and we are now reaping the idiocy foisted upon us.
When the Pyramid scheme was raking in money, nobody batted an eye. Now everything has changed and it will only get worse. It can only be fixed when you have the power to fix it. Perhaps Rick was getting a little full of himself, who knows?
lol, I just read your tagline. Let’s try to change it for future generations.
When government replaced fathers with a paycheck, it destroyed the means of social security that had existed for centuries, extended families taking care of each other, without the need for government assistance.
After reading this thread, all I can say is, "Good luck with all that."
Once again FRiend, Social Security checks are cut by the same government that is 16 trillion dollars in debt. Social Security payments are paid in dollars. The same dollar that is being weakened by the same politicians who promise to keep giving you the same amount of dollars each month since you paid into the system. The same amount of dollars that will eventually be worth a small percentage of their current value as the government continues to drown in debt and print dollars.
Why can’t more of you see where this all ends? Fine, you will get your check each month but it won’t buy a 1/4 of what it does now. Why leave a nation like this for our children? Why? Too many bought the promises and if you live long enough you will find out that you can’t eat a promise... you can’t stay warm and dry with a promise... you can’t drive a nice car with a tank full of promises.
Sorry FRiend, that is where we are heading. I don’t want to go there but it seems inevitable when even conservatives can’t understand the immoral nature of our government.
Again, it’s all tied together.
I agree!
Rick “grit your teeth” Santorum has about as much chance of winning the nomination as my labrador, Hunter, does.
Actually, Hunter would make a good candidate! He’s handsome, smart and knows when to keep his mouth shut.
I’m getting to the point that when any of these candidates opens their mouths, I just hear Charlie Brown’s mother: “Waa Waa Waa”.
We are royally sc**wed, folks. The field looks more and more like the group in Bob Newhart’s psychiatric office.
And you better believe that Axelnuts, Plouffe and Val are fist bumping each other right now.
Shall we move on to the Senate and work on that for a while?
Let me know how the debate is tomorrow night. I’m going to erase messages from my Inboxes instead.
I know its too hard and well, you paid into it so the fedgov jackboot thugs would steal it for you. No worries. Its coming to an end regardless. Enjoy those pay days.
Morals...
There should be no benefits allowed for your children either,such as you receiving a tax deduction for your kids or forcing other people to defray your kids education if they attend public school.
YOU SHOULD FEEL THE PAIN - THEY’RE YOUR KIDS!
In case you missed that.....
YOU SHOULD FEEL THE PAIN - THEY’RE YOUR KIDS!
I want my children to take care of themselves, their family, and their community in that order. I pay plenty in property taxes and most of that goes to public schools that my children don’t attend. I pay for medical insurance to keep them healthy. We can afford to eat very well but instead choose to try and eat more modestly and store food from our garden. We give away lots of food from our garden each year.
My wife, a teacher, homeschools my kids and they are all performing very well. I won’t feel any pain because my kids will care for me just as I am planning on caring for my parents. Family is family and I have extra bedrooms.
Government will never replace family or the obligations that I have to care for my family.
HEAR, HEAR!!!! Kids should be taking care of their elderly parents, even if it means they may have to give up that nice vacation.
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