First, SOMEONE in government, which means we all have to demand this from our Representatives, and HOLD them to it - MUST insist that ANY money(stolen) taken by ANY past administration from the Social Security fund for things other than Social Security - MUST be paid back immediately - it must NOT be invested in risky stocks or Wall Street. PUT IT BACK. Perhaps a march on Washington by all seniors, disabled(with whatever help we can give them) to show up on a specific day and use the motto - Social Security - PUT IT BACK. Meaning, for example when Reagan and his followers stole from Social Security to pay for foreign wars, it has to be repaid, with interest.
I am practical, I KNOW when I first started working full time at 18, and I saw 'FICA' I questioned it, I may have even cursed it. But MOST people in that age bracket think they are invincible and will never need that money, they will figure out a way to get rich, pay off their student loans and retire in the Bahamas. For MOST folks, that simply is not a reality. Thank GOD and some of our late presidents for creating Social Security, and for setting up rules for it, which have been broken.
True, some of us never get to collect, like my late husband, who died suddenly at 50, and contributed his entire working life of at least 30 plus years, but we discussed this topic all the time. We both decided that whoever went first, would of course be entitle to choose between our own benefits and our spouses' benefits. In my case, I chose mine, as I was slightly older and our salaries were similar, so my month payout was a bit higher. As for his, no I don't get to collect that, but we always thought that was okay - because, dear readers, there are MANY people born here who are so disabled from birth or childhood - they may never get to work full time long enough or to make enough to contribute enough to collect, so our hope was always that this would to into the fund for them, And for anyone caught in any situation not in their own making who needed it. The FUND was overly FULL and had a LONG life ahead of it. It is only anecdotal, my husband's case, and the same for a good friend of ours who passed within a week of retirement. Many do not live very long after retirement, and should reap the benefits of their adult lifelong contributions.
The other choice is chaos, homelessness, hunger and death.
Thank goodness for my Social Security, I contributed to it for almost 50 years, and have earned the right to collect it now that I am no longer in the main workforce.
I am glad that although I grumbled about this 'FICA' at my first real job at 18, that no one listened to me.. it is the LEAST we can do - to collect a relatively minor amount from everyone's paycheck, and allow everyone to collect at the end of their work life. I do not know the statistics, but I would wager that the funds that WERE there and are, and should be there, untouched will more than cover everyone for their retirement, should they live long enough to collect.
As it is, even though my monthy amount is slightly higher than many of my peers, because I had a good paying job most of my working life, I can't afford the copays on many doctor visits, medications, and even food at times. But I am above the poverty line, so not entitle to additional help. I make things at home and sell them, consign some of my furniture and things I find in order to get more money. If I can find a job where I will be allowed to sit most of time, part time, I will(I have a broken back).. you are allowed to work and make a small amount over your Social Security without being taxed.
I will never be able to marry again, the tax hit and Social Security hit for both myself an my spouse is too great.
SO - GO BACK IN HISTORY - LOOK FOR ALL THE MONEY THE VARIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS TOOK FROM THE SS FUND FOR THINGS IT WAS NOT TO BE SPENT ON - AND GET IT PAID BACK!!! NO NONSENSE ABOUT IT NOT BEING IN THE BUDGET..
THEY OWE THE MONEY. PERIOD.
Here is one article that sums up most of what I was able to find:
Posted: Thursday, April 28, 2011 12:15 pm
President George W. Bush made a shocking assertion back in 2005 when he was pushing to privatize Social Security. “A lot of people in America think there is a trust,” he said, “that we take your money in payroll taxes and then we hold it for you and then when you retire, we give it back to you. But that’s not the way it works. There is no trust fund — just IOUs ….”
Actually, working Americans have paid so much in Social Security payroll taxes during the past three decades that they have built up a $2.6 trillion surplus in the account. That money should make the system strong enough to cover the current level of benefits for the next 26 years. In the interim, a prudent government could restructure the program for the rest of the century, perhaps by means-testing benefits and rejiggering contributions.
But, unfortunately, Bush was right. In 1983, Congress and the Reagan administration adjusted Social Security taxes and benefits to put the program on an even keel that began to build up a huge surplus for investment. But Congress decided to “borrow” the surplus instead of investing. They’ve been using it to help pay for things that have nothing to do with Social Security, things the political establishment and tax-averse Americans wanted but didn’t want to pay for: invasions, education, highway repairs and so on. And, without giving any thought to paying the surplus money back, the federal government has been trading it for special Treasury bonds that politicians used to assure us were safe in a lockbox.
Just IOUs. In a lockbox.
They are, however, IOUs that are supposed to be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. So this year, as the Social Security Administration is beginning to fall short of what it needs to pay retiree benefits, it is cashing in $45 billion of the bonds. And because the country is upside down in debt, it has to borrow the $45 billion from China or somewhere else to make older people’s ends meet. Those maneuvers will presumably continue until 2037 unless the system is adjusted in the meantime or Uncle Sam’s credit line runs out.
It would be nice if we could drag the past five presidents and all members of Congress since 1983 into court and squeeze the $2.6 trillion out of them. But we can’t. We elected them, and they did all the borrowing for us. Given the lack of attention we self-governing Americans paid over all those years, we would be wise not to get too huffy about the situation. According to a recent poll conducted for Investor’s Business Daily, only 40 percent of us realize that the Social Security trust fund is composed of IOUs.
So the politicians who engineered this government malpractice get away with telling two radically different stories, both of which are sort of correct.
Republicans say the Social Security program has to borrow money to stay afloat, making it a key part of the national debt crisis. Democrats say Social Security is fully funded with a huge surplus, and so doesn’t contribute to the debt crisis.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on “Meet the Press” the other day that talk about a Social Security financing crisis is “something that is perpetuated by people who don’t like government.”
Perhaps. But that group of people could expand as Congress tackles the debt crisis, everybody gets a peek in the lockbox, and folks in Washington decide whether our Social Security tax payments really have been borrowed, or stolen.
Posted in Editorial on Thursday, April 28, 2011 12:15 pm. In the Sentinel Source, many articles from all sorts of sources say basically the same thing, no matter what side of the political spectrum they are on, this one was the most comprehensive in the least amount of words.
Notice, they are not blaming ONLY one party, but both - but the fact is, Reagan was the first to do this.
How do we make any branch of government do this?? Remind them, we pay their salaries, they all have the best free health care, salaries, perks, benefits and more than enough money to not give a damn about us. Stop paying Congress and the Senate so much that they become corrupt. VOTE according to who will speak up on this topic, and DO something, follow up on their actions, not just their words. Don't point fingers - just make any representative take this issue up, and vote in our favor, it is only fair. They also collect the maximum allowed amount of Social Security at whatever age their retirement age is(according to the new guidelines), and then stay in office well into their 70s or later, getting their full, really not warranted, paychecks. THEY have the power and do it every year to give themselves big RAISES and more benefits, while stealing from us for their projects, including foreign wars.
Then VOTE according to what they do.
another topic(sort of) divide all the districts equally, by population and square miles, in every state, and never allow gerrymandering after that. This is just another cheat for them.
Stop lying to younger workers that they are paying for OUR generation to retire. they are not, and definitely would never have any of their money used for that, if we make the government pay back what was stolen. We will have a surplus.
If you are well off, and you claim to be an ethical person, a religious person(whatever religion), a moral person, you have to do this to maintain your status as a human being. There is NO other choice.
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