One upset woman!!!

[HoneyBadger]

Let's remember people, the system that many of us have paid into for many, many, many years, was NOT VOLUNTARY! They TOOK the $$$ out of our paychecks, promised we could have it back, and now they're changing their tune.

We're not asking for handouts, we just want our $$$ back or an alternative so we don't have to give it to them in the first place!!

Good points in that letter. If the politicians had to live under the rules they made, that would be a BIG start!

So you're saying...

[centrarchidae]

Maybe it was supposed to be put away to grow. But it wasn't. Instead, the current recipients are getting transfer payments from the current payers. And the current recipients are receivng benefits well beyond what they actually paid in.

I'm not sure how it was supposed to "grow." There's no growth in government bonds, but that's not actually my problem. A given rate of return (or even giving back the money that my parents' generation paid in) is not my obligation. Maybe you've got a claim for all of the money you paid in, but that claim doesn't translate to an obligation by people younger than you. Your claim is against the people who are already collecting.

Having paid into it for 39 years now and still have 8 more to go before I can start collecting where do you get the "mo money" from? Like was said it was supposed to be put away and grow.

[Whistler]

Maybe it was supposed to be put away to grow. But it wasn't. Instead, the current recipients are getting transfer payments from the current payers. And the current recipients are receivng benefits well beyond what they actually paid in.

I'm not sure how it was supposed to "grow." There's no growth in government bonds, but that's not actually my problem. A given rate of return (or even giving back the money that my parents' generation paid in) is not my obligation. Maybe you've got a claim for all of the money you paid in, but that claim doesn't translate to an obligation by people younger than you. Your claim is against the people who are already collecting.

We both have a claim against those entrusted as caretakers of our money and it's all our problem collectively. You aren't excluded by virtue of your youth or indignation. Want to point a finger it's not your parents that lied, cheated and stole. Where exactly were you raised that you feel no obligation to care for the old and infirm? My wife takes supper to our elderly neighbor every night and without the generations that came before you wouldn't be here. You are right to think it's a raw deal but stop and think about those that have paid in longer than you have been alive. Raw deal all around unless you are a politician and you are right to be mad but sounds like you are mad at the wrong folks.

[Richard K]

And I'm in my mid-30's, and paying SS and Medicare taxes for 20 years. And neither program will exist when I hit my mid-60's because people like her keep screaming for MO MONEY MO MONEY MO MONEY, well beyond anything that they paid into the system to begin with.

No sympathy here.

I don't see where she's asking for more of anything nor do I see her asking for your sympathy.
Social Security was sold to the U.S. as a retirement into which I and my employers paid into for 55 years. I'm sure I will never live long enough to collect anywhere near what I've paid into it. If anyone can live on what I collect each month please let me know how they're doing it. If you want to get upset about something watch the following:

Subject: Awesome Presentation (need to watch)




Take a look: A VERY short clip. Make sure you see the maps; they'll stop you cold


http://www.staged.com/video?v=Klmb

[Troublco]

Maybe it was supposed to be put away to grow. But it wasn't. Instead, the current recipients are getting transfer payments from the current payers. And the current recipients are receivng benefits well beyond what they actually paid in.

I'm not sure how it was supposed to "grow." There's no growth in government bonds, but that's not actually my problem. A given rate of return (or even giving back the money that my parents' generation paid in) is not my obligation. Maybe you've got a claim for all of the money you paid in, but that claim doesn't translate to an obligation by people younger than you. Your claim is against the people who are already collecting.

The current recipients have ALWAYS gotten what you call "transfer payments". That's the way the system was built; technically it's the original Ponzi scheme. Look who put it together - FDR and his cohorts. When they started it, the people who were collecting hadn't paid anything in. Either way, for quite some time there was money supporting this due to the number of people paying in vs. the number collecting. Now because the politicians (notably the Democrats, if you do the research) have raided it for their pet social programs the savings that were there are gone. Either way, sucks to be you because according to the law it is your obligation, and by extension of that your problem. The law says that you'll pay social security tax. So the "obligation" is toward everyone who works, and by extension pays taxes and social security. You don't have to like it; I doubt very many do. I don't expect to collect any SS and it was built in to my retirement package, part and parcel. I wish we could make the politicians operate under the same rules they put in place for us, but I doubt that'll happen either.

[Motley]

The money that comes in from Social Security is converted into Treasury Bonds, while the cash is thrown into the general pool and spent. This is why the whole "Clinton and Newt balanced the budget and had a surplus" is not really true, the budget was balanced because they were still taking and spending the Social Security money.

Our debt is roughly 16 Trillion dollars, with 5 Trillion of that owed to Social Security.

[centrarchidae]

A claim against the "caretakers" is not a claim against me. I didn't make any promises here.

Where were you raised that causes you to not know the difference between an "obligation to care for the old and infirm" and a government program? Would you not "care for the old and infirm" without a government gun to your head?

If so, then why are you busting my balls?

And I'm still not understanding how you get from "Some old guy got screwed by the government" to "Centrarchidae has an obligation to get screwed over himself, in order to throw a bone to the old guy."

We both have a claim against those entrusted as caretakers of our money and it's all our problem collectively. You aren't excluded by virtue of your youth or indignation. Want to point a finger it's not your parents that lied, cheated and stole. Where exactly were you raised that you feel no obligation to care for the old and infirm? My wife takes supper to our elderly neighbor every night and without the generations that came before you wouldn't be here. You are right to think it's a raw deal but stop and think about those that have paid in longer than you have been alive. Raw deal all around unless you are a politician and you are right to be mad but sounds like you are mad at the wrong folks.