Reply #68: I believe I just did. [View All]

Just kidding. I think there are models out there we should look at like Sweden, and the UK.

I think investing any surplus in municipal bonds (state/city/township etc) will improve the return on investment.

I think removing all exceptions like state and teachers retirement programs should be part of the discussion.

Fundamentally, it comes down to population growth. I think we need a dialog about what growth rate this country needs to stay strong. There are those who think we should level off and keep it stable to avoid overpopulation. In a stable environment, each generation gets smaller. If we achieve that the boomer problem will seem like peanuts (considering the population is still growing today.) If we structure immigration policies for zero growth, then the changes to SS will need to be more drastic. In a zero growth model, each generation will need to pay more for its own retirement, rather than it being paid by the current working class.

I think Gores idea of mandatory retirement accounts outside of SS could be part of the discussion as well.

But I don't see any reasonable dialog happening within our party on any of these issues as they think the problems and the solutions are minor, practically trivial.

But Yupster is right:

"My grandparents paid a 2 % tax so their parents could get a check.
My parents paid 8 % so their parents could get a check.
I pay 15.8 % so my parents can get a check.
My kid will pay 22 % so I can get my check."

This while the country was growing substantially, both in wealth and population.

Some think this is fine and is as good as it gets. I think we can do better.