Posted on May 11, 2015
Social Security: How did something we've paid into our entire lives become an "entitlement?"
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According to this article (and countless others) Social Security "entitlements" must be reformed because our government can no longer afford them.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/the-fiscal-train-wreck/article/2564171
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http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/the-fiscal-train-wreck/article/2564171
Invite others to respond by typing @name
Posted in these groups: 
Retirement
Retirement
Edited 9 y ago
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 14
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George Carlin:
"You know what they want? Obedient workers people who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork but just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly sh***ier jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, reduced benefits, the end of overtime and the vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it. And, now, they're coming for your Social Security. They want your f****** retirement money. They want it back, so they can give it to their criminal friends on Wall Street. And you know something? They'll get it. They'll get it all, sooner or later, because they own this f****** place. It's a big club, and you ain't in it."
"You and I are not in the big club."
"You know what they want? Obedient workers people who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork but just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly sh***ier jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, reduced benefits, the end of overtime and the vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it. And, now, they're coming for your Social Security. They want your f****** retirement money. They want it back, so they can give it to their criminal friends on Wall Street. And you know something? They'll get it. They'll get it all, sooner or later, because they own this f****** place. It's a big club, and you ain't in it."
"You and I are not in the big club."
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SPC (Join to see)
Sgt Richard Buckner See, I'm not such a bad guy. I'm just a little maniacal now and then.
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Because most people simply don't understand what Social security is. They don't look at their paycheck stub, see that Fed Withholding (Income tax) Fed MED (Medicare), and OASDI (Social Security) are three separate deductions.
They also don't understand that Social Security and Medicare are *benefits* paid for like you pay for Insurance, and that money was supposed to go in a trust to be invested, and that those investments were supposed to fund the program in perpetuity.
People also don't realize that if they were to invest the same amount that is deducted from their paycheck (age 18 to age 65) into a 401k or Roth IRA they would almost certainly come up millionaires by the time they were 65.
People also don't realize that the reason Social Security is in trouble to begin with is because instead of investing it politicians decided to loan it to the federal government (by buying bonds with a dismal interest rate).
People just think it's another leach on society, like ObamaCare, Welfare, Medicare, or any other program where the beneficiaries don't have "skin in the game".
They also don't understand that Social Security and Medicare are *benefits* paid for like you pay for Insurance, and that money was supposed to go in a trust to be invested, and that those investments were supposed to fund the program in perpetuity.
People also don't realize that if they were to invest the same amount that is deducted from their paycheck (age 18 to age 65) into a 401k or Roth IRA they would almost certainly come up millionaires by the time they were 65.
People also don't realize that the reason Social Security is in trouble to begin with is because instead of investing it politicians decided to loan it to the federal government (by buying bonds with a dismal interest rate).
People just think it's another leach on society, like ObamaCare, Welfare, Medicare, or any other program where the beneficiaries don't have "skin in the game".
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PO1 Glenn Boucher
SPC David Hannaman, yes potentially if properly invested into a 401k / Roth IRA one could become a millionaire, but sadly not enough people are investment savvy so they do have a nice amount but they are far from rich.
Social Security has been the "go to" fund for all of the other social welfare programs.
Even todays generation is kind of too lazy to look out for their own good, they know how to research for better investing but they seldom do it.
I know myself I was pretty irresponsible 30 plus years ago as a young sailor, 90% of my thoughts were on having fun on liberty. As they say, "if I knew then what I know now things would be different". Yep its a growing and learning process. Hopefully one day our elected leaders will remove their heads from where ever they put them and get a clue and fix things.
Social Security has been the "go to" fund for all of the other social welfare programs.
Even todays generation is kind of too lazy to look out for their own good, they know how to research for better investing but they seldom do it.
I know myself I was pretty irresponsible 30 plus years ago as a young sailor, 90% of my thoughts were on having fun on liberty. As they say, "if I knew then what I know now things would be different". Yep its a growing and learning process. Hopefully one day our elected leaders will remove their heads from where ever they put them and get a clue and fix things.
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SPC David Hannaman
Exactly my point. I too was "Young, dumb and full of... er... "
At some point most of us start to think about retirement though, and all too often people give up and say "Social security will take care of it". Sure, if you like eating dog food.
IF the politicians had left it alone and kept it the retirement account that it was SUPPOSED to be things might be different, but instead it's now seen as "just another social program". Which brings us back to the original point of the discussion.
I for one don't trust any government program... Washington is too fickle. I take it as my personal responsibility to teach my kids about investing. My daughter is interviewing for her first job as I write this... her first paycheck will contribute to a Roth IRA.
At some point most of us start to think about retirement though, and all too often people give up and say "Social security will take care of it". Sure, if you like eating dog food.
IF the politicians had left it alone and kept it the retirement account that it was SUPPOSED to be things might be different, but instead it's now seen as "just another social program". Which brings us back to the original point of the discussion.
I for one don't trust any government program... Washington is too fickle. I take it as my personal responsibility to teach my kids about investing. My daughter is interviewing for her first job as I write this... her first paycheck will contribute to a Roth IRA.
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I think you'll note that the only people using the word "entitlement" are using it to describe things they wish to eliminate. It's a marketing word with intentionally negative connotations.
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SGT Jeremiah B.
It's really hard to have never put a penny into the system unless you were disabled from childhood.
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GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad
That is correct PO1 Glenn Boucher. Yet proposals I have read that talk about cutting benefits tend to focus on changing the age at which you can draw social security but do little or nothing to address the rampant fraud, waste, and abuse that exists in the system.
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PO1 Glenn Boucher
GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad, I agree that they run at the mouth about what needs to be cut or changed but they fail to act on the actual problem. Sometimes I wish I was crooked enough to get into politics so I could do a short term in office then retire with some killer benefits.
SGT Jeremiah Brookins, there are numerous people who are in their late 60's and up who have immigrated here and because they came here at a late age they never worked, they applied for a SSN and then applied for the benefits and then they receive the Supplemental Social Security every month, the one person I know in particular receives $400 a month, plus they are on Medicare / MediCal. The husband who worked and paid into the system gets his amount and the wife who never worked gets the Supplemental Allowance. The system is corrupt and as long as our politicians remain wealthy and don't have to rely on SS payments they will never lift a finger to fix it.
SGT Jeremiah Brookins, there are numerous people who are in their late 60's and up who have immigrated here and because they came here at a late age they never worked, they applied for a SSN and then applied for the benefits and then they receive the Supplemental Social Security every month, the one person I know in particular receives $400 a month, plus they are on Medicare / MediCal. The husband who worked and paid into the system gets his amount and the wife who never worked gets the Supplemental Allowance. The system is corrupt and as long as our politicians remain wealthy and don't have to rely on SS payments they will never lift a finger to fix it.
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Sgt Mark Ramos
SGT Jeremiah B., I have known aliens who collected SSI payments who never paid into the system.
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