Here's the latest Repuke spin on Social Security

[kanrok]

Anybody have any thoughts on debunking this? Here it is:

Received this in the e-mail the other day, thought it was quite interesting.I thought you might too:


Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social Security (FICA)
Program. He promised:

1.) That participation in the Program would be completely voluntary,

2.) That the participants would only have to pay 1% of the first $1,400 of
their annual incomes into the Program,

3.) That the money the participants elected to put into the Program would
be deductible from their income for tax purposes each year,

4.) That the money the participants put into the independent "Trust Fund"
rather than into the General operating fund, and therefore, would only be
used to fund the Social Security Retirement Program, and no other Government
program, and,

5.) That the annuity payments to the retirees would never be taxed as
income.

Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are now receiving a
Social Security check every month -- and then finding that we are getting
taxed on 85% of the money we paid to the Federal government to "put away,"
you may be interested in the following:

Q: Which Political Party took Social Security from the independent "Trust"
fund and put it into the General fund so that Congress could spend it?

A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the Democratically-controlled House and Senate.

Q: Which Political Party eliminated the income tax deduction for Social
Security (FICA) withholding?

A: The Democratic Party.

Q: Which Political Party started taxing Social Security annuities?

A: The Democratic Party, with Al Gore casting the "tie-breaking" deciding
vote as President of the Senate, while he was Vice President of the U.S.

Q: Which Political Party decided to start giving annuity payments to
immigrants?

A: That's right! Jimmy Carter and the Democratic Party. Immigrants moved
into this country, and at age 65, began to receive SSI Social Security
payments! The Democratic Party gave these payments to them, even though
they never paid a dime into it!

Then, after doing all this lying and thieving and violation of the original
contract (FICA), the Democrats turn around and tell you that the Republicans
want to take your Social Security away!

And the worst part about it is, uninformed citizens believe it!

Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during this 2004 election year!

If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and
maybe good changes will evolve.

How many people can YOU send this to?

Keep this going clear up through the 2004 election!! We need to be heard!

Consider how hard it is to change yourself
and you will understand what little chance
you have of trying to change others.

[KC21304]

1. Not the latest. This was debunked on Snopes

LONG ago.

[onecitizen]

2. I got it too.......

for a long time I wouldn't read any of this stuff from a relative but lately I have. How bitter, angry and scared they must be. Such a sad group of people who have found each other.

[Kukesa]

3. Snopes straightened out this one.

Try this link --

http://www.snopes.com/cgi-bin/news/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=000003

I've been receiving this email from repukes and I send them the Snopes info. Problem is, they don't read it and believe the garbage they send out.

Sorry, the link doesn't work.

Go to www.snopes.com

then type in "social Security" in their search area.

[Frodo]

4. Can't seem to get your link to work.

[Renew Deal]

5. Here

http://tinyurl.com/bfrs

[wellst0nev0ter]

6. Gee, That Was Fast

:)

[librechik]

7. Turn back the clock to the Gilded Age

that's the only goal the Pukkes have in mind. Maybe throw in slavery and torture too!

[lanparty]

8. Cut FICA taxes !!!!!

FICA is being used to subsidize the general budget. We need to CUT FICA taxes. Cut and cut the CAPS on FICA taxable income.

At the same time we need to RAISE income taxes on the wealthiest Americans.

[Kukesa]

9. Let's raise taxes

for those who support shrub. They love him -- they can pay for his deficits!

[HawkerHurricane]

10. Send this back...

in 1982, President Reagan signed into law the biggest tax increase in U.S. History. It raised the Social Security Tax.

Since that time, Social Security has collected 1.8 Trillion Dollars more than it has paid out. (That's $1,800,000,000,000) This money has gone entirely to keep the deficit from going entirely out of control.

In the late 1990's, Bill Clinton (with help from a Republican Congress) got the deficit under control. He suggested using the surplus to pay down the debt, and then putting the Social Security money back into a seperate fund. Al Gore and George Bush said the same thing, except... George Bush also said that if the taxes were collecting a surplus, it meant taxes were too high. So he cut Income Taxes, targeting on the upper 10% of payers. When the economy tanked, he didn't change his plans.

Now, the Republicans tell me Social Security is broke. It's broke because we took the surplus of money from Social Security and used it to cut income taxes.

Republicans broke the system, and now want us to fix it there way. I say, they broke it, they bought it. They can fix it by restoring income tax rates to where they were... and stop spending our money on pointless wars with third world countries.

Democrats: Surplus, save social security.
Republicans: Surplus, cut income taxes on the wealthy.

It's that simple.

[sandnsea]

11. Best dbunk - SSI site

http://www.ssa.gov/history/InternetMyths2.html

http://www.ssa.gov/history/InternetMyths.html