General Discussion

JDPriestly

(57,936 posts)

25. There is nothing wrong with Social Security.

Sun Mar 10, 2013, 04:57 PM

Mar 2013

And while we are at it, don't touch my Social Security.

The US government owes us seniors the money. It has to pay it. That's all there is to it. If the US government owes money to Boeing, it has to pay it. If it owes money to Citibank, it has to pay it. If it owes money to the Social Security Trust Fund it has to pay it.

You don't seem to understand that the people on Social Security who don't pay most of their benefits in taxes would have to go on food stamps and get subsidized housing if it weren't for Social Security. Social Security just keeps seniors above the poverty line. That is all it does. And those who have more and don't really need Social Security pay the same taxes as everyone else.

Ending Social Security would probably cost more in the costs of administering things like food stamps and subsidized housing for seniors than it would save. Forget it. Social Security is here to stay because it makes sense if for no other reason. And it is here to stay at its present levels because that level is just barely high enough to prevent large numbers of seniors from falling below the poverty line.

In fact, many, many seniors get so little Social Security and have no other income that they are living below the poverty line and are getting other forms of assistance.

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Highlight:

Paul Krugman Tells GOP Senator: �Your Facts Are False� On Social Security [View all] babylonsister Mar 2013 OP

And Krugman follows up on it: cthulu2016 Mar 2013 #1

thanks babylonsistah! More FEARMongers needing to be SHUT Cha Mar 2013 #2

It sounds like Johnson was saying since Wall St. stole the trust fund money. JRLeft Mar 2013 #3

Wall street did not steal the trust fund money. How would they do that? Warren Stupidity Mar 2013 #5

Everything bad is Wall Street's fault...they are the new boogeyman. dkf Mar 2013 #9

Right. Wall Street steals everything they can see. JDPriestly Mar 2013 #15

Give us a break .... Trajan Mar 2013 #31

Nope. This huckster/defender of parasites is legion (see what I did there?) Egalitarian Thug Mar 2013 #61

My pants are tight in the waist because of Wall Street. dawg Mar 2013 #54

Yes, it is Wall Street's fault, and these crooks want to get at the money. duffyduff Mar 2013 #55

Read and learn: savannah43 Mar 2013 #19

where's the part that says wall street stole the surplus? HiPointDem Mar 2013 #82

No they did not, that was congress using it for wars based on lies still_one Mar 2013 #33

It was used as the law required. Igel Mar 2013 #42

I did not say it was illegal, I said they used it for a war based on a lie still_one Mar 2013 #48

Ding, ding, ding, ding! nt valerief Mar 2013 #59

Well they cut back on paying that DEBT, as soon as they are willing to cut back on TBill Debt!! on point Mar 2013 #35

Anytime RJ gets put in his place is a good time. Viking12 Mar 2013 #4

Johnson got his lying ass handed to him several times on This Week this morning. Gidney N Cloyd Mar 2013 #6

Wasserman-Shultz wasn't much better Mnpaul Mar 2013 #30

I don't see much difference between DWS and the typical non-teaparty GOP'er. nt NorthCarolina Mar 2013 #76

Good one. Benton D Struckcheon Mar 2013 #7

Good points! JDPriestly Mar 2013 #16

Thx! Benton D Struckcheon Mar 2013 #26

Great question. WHY are we subsidizing the financial industry - AT ALL? calimary Mar 2013 #37

Because they have successfully sold... blackspade Mar 2013 #72

answer: we're not. capping SS taxes doesn't subsidize wall street when benefits are also HiPointDem Mar 2013 #83

Let's not forget the Federal Reserve's role in helping steal middle class assets. AdHocSolver Mar 2013 #49

Usury laws need to be brought back on the Federal level Benton D Struckcheon Mar 2013 #60

Yes, yes, and yes !! YOHABLO Mar 2013 #66

The latest report says it is solvent til 2033, not 2038. dkf Mar 2013 #8

so lift the cap and the problem will be solved, right? CTyankee Mar 2013 #10

There are many ways to solve it...screaming "don't touch my social security" is not one of them. dkf Mar 2013 #11

I'm not screaming. Just lift the cap...simple statement of fact. CTyankee Mar 2013 #12

Where is the rest of the chorus? dkf Mar 2013 #13

So let's start. CTyankee Mar 2013 #18

I'm still trying to convince people there is a problem. dkf Mar 2013 #21

It would be good to do that only if workers are making more. So raise the minimum wage first CTyankee Mar 2013 #23

You are peddling Cato Institute LIES duffyduff Mar 2013 #51

Honestly do you see the numbers I posted are from the social security administration? dkf Mar 2013 #69

SS isn't a savings program. It's insurance. vanbean Mar 2013 #65

If by "change" you mean "strengthen," that's where I'm at. closeupready Mar 2013 #22

How much does John2 Mar 2013 #46

There isn't a problem sulphurdunn Mar 2013 #58

And it's the right thing.... Grins Mar 2013 #44

There is nothing wrong with Social Security. JDPriestly Mar 2013 #25

Yes, many ways to solve it, but all of them depend on first solving the political problem. eomer Mar 2013 #45

The ONLY "problem" with SS is with the politicians who want to destroy it to benefit duffyduff Mar 2013 #56

Yes, it is. duffyduff Mar 2013 #53

no. it will just give the feds more money to 'borrow' for the next 20 years, at which time we'll HiPointDem Mar 2013 #84

Depends on the overall health of the economy. JDPriestly Mar 2013 #20

Rising productivity generally means less labor employed, it's not really a good thing. xtraxritical Mar 2013 #27

Yet increases in productivity are a net benefit for the economy bhikkhu Mar 2013 #38

It's not a question of rising productivity being good (which it generally is)... YoungDemCA Mar 2013 #63

historically, it means more labor employed at a wider variety of things and rising incomes, both HiPointDem Mar 2013 #85

good points. bbgrunt Mar 2013 #32

That report was Timmy Geithner's baby MannyGoldstein Mar 2013 #50

It's never enough for this class that dramatically overestimates its size and influence, Egalitarian Thug Mar 2013 #78

senator stupid(WI) wouldn't know a fact if it was biting his balls. pansypoo53219 Mar 2013 #14

GOP pols, pundits, and other talking heads are expert at disseminating outright lies, distortions, indepat Mar 2013 #17

You are very right, our founding fathers unanimously disdaned the corporate entity concept. xtraxritical Mar 2013 #29

And Social Security would be in much better shape IF THE MIDDLE CLASS HADN'T BEEN wiggs Mar 2013 #24

I remember reading an Al Franken book ... zbdent Mar 2013 #28

Thank you for this. Cleita Mar 2013 #34

For the same reasons they want to destroy the USPS jazzimov Mar 2013 #36

Thanks to babylonsister for posting this. red dog 1 Mar 2013 #39

Krugman v. Johnson Jeff In Milwaukee Mar 2013 #40

Republicans are basically trying to argue that U.S. bonds are "worthless" Jeff In Milwaukee Mar 2013 #41

Why does no one ever call them on that? abelenkpe Mar 2013 #67

I think Krugman has... Jeff In Milwaukee Mar 2013 #68

K & R !!! WillyT Mar 2013 #43

Kicked and recommended. Uncle Joe Mar 2013 #47

I think some modest adjustments are needed. MannyGoldstein Mar 2013 #52

Third-Way, I'd laugh if not for the fact that there are so many morons pushing this idiocy here, Egalitarian Thug Mar 2013 #64

Imo, the GOP is trying to leverage this ... Babel_17 Mar 2013 #57

k&r... spanone Mar 2013 #62

that's how you can tell he isn't a politcian... dtom67 Mar 2013 #70

The fact that.... blackspade Mar 2013 #71

Ron Johnson just broke the law.... Spitfire of ATJ Mar 2013 #73

It's such a simple and painless solution, remove the cap. My husband earns above the cap, and I spicegal Mar 2013 #74

Thanks babylonsister! K&R hue Mar 2013 #75

JR is an idiot .............. Angry Dragon Mar 2013 #77

I have not taken any Republican seriously for some time now Stewland Mar 2013 #79

Republicans need to make the trust fund a myth because they raided it liberal N proud Mar 2013 #80

no. they didn't 'raid the trust fund'. no one raided the trust fund. HiPointDem Mar 2013 #86

NO, they borrowed it with no intention of ever repaying it liberal N proud Mar 2013 #87

They did the only thing they could do under the laws governing Social Security. Which in this HiPointDem Mar 2013 #88

"Republican-backed cap on payroll taxes for income above a certain level" = baloney. The cap HiPointDem Mar 2013 #81