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[Dying Eagle]

I need to show them the truth. I am not nearly as wise as 90% of DU'ers, Please help me debunk this and send it back.



Subject: Social Security- 2004 issue

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 party took Social Security from an independent fund and put it in the general fund so that Congress could spend it?
A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the Democrat controlled House and Senate.

Q: Which party put a tax on Social Security?
A: The Democratic Party.

Q: Which party increased the tax on Social Security?
A: The Democratic Party with Al Gore casting the deciding vote.

Q: Which party decided to give money to immigrants?
A: That's right; immigrants moved into this country and at 65 got SSI
Social Security. The Democratic Party gave that to them although they never paid a dime into it.

Then, after doing all this, the Democrats turn around and tell you the Republicans want to take your Social Security.

And the worst part about it is, people believe it!

Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years. Our Senators and Congress men & women do not pay into Social Security and, of course, they do not collect from it.

You see, Social Security benefits were not suitable for persons of their rare elevation in society. They felt they should have a special plan for themselves. So, many years ago they voted in their own benefit plan.

For all practical purposes their plan works like this: When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until they die, except it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments.

For example, former Senator Byrd and Congressman White and their wives may expect to draw $7,800,000.00 (that's Seven Million, Eight-Hundred Thousand Dollars), with their wives drawing $275,000.00 during the last years of their lives. This is calculated on an average life span for each.

Their cost for this excellent plan is $00.00. This little perk they voted for themselves is free to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan. The funds for this fine retirement plan come directly from the General Funds-our tax dollars at work!

From our own Social Security Plan, which you and I pay (or have paid) into-every payday until we retire (which amount is matched by our employer) --we can expect to get an average $1,000 per month after retirement. Or, in other words, we would have to collect our average of $1,000. monthly benefits for 68 years and one (1) month to equal Senator Bill Bradley's benefits!

Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made.

That change would be to jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators and Congressmen. Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us ... then sit back and watch how fast they would fix it.

Funny, they claim not having the ability to "fix" it but they have no problem taxing it!

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

[Artemis Bunyon]

1. Debunked

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

[Julien Sorel]

2. A working link, hopefully.

Clickie

[papau]

5. took a while- but sq bracket replacement worked - thanks for making

this old brain work a bit!

:toast:

I can Link!

:-)

[papau]

3. VERY OLD! Snopes has had a page debunking it for years.

Almost All lies.

Poster BillyBunter's click works!

posted 02 October, 2002 04:00 AM

snopes


Q: Which party took Social Security from an independent fund and put it
in the general fund so that Congress could spend it?

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

FALSE

These articles should help to clear up the misconceptions.

From the Cato Institute http://www.socialsecurity.org/ SSP Report No. 24
p. 6

"All of those proposals reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of the
nature of the trust fund. Social Security payroll taxes are currently
bringing in more revenue than the program pays out in benefits, a surplus
that is projected to continue until approximately 2016. Thereafter, the
situation will reverse, with Social Security paying out more in benefits
than it brings in through taxes. The surplus is used to purchase special
issue Treasury bonds. The Social Security surplus used to purchase the
bonds becomes general revenue and is spent on the government^Òs annual
general operating expenses. What remains behind in the trust fund is the
bonds, plus an interest payment attributed to the bonds (also paid in
bonds, rather than cash). Government bonds are, in essence, a form of IOU.
They are a promise against future tax revenue. When the bonds become due,
the government will have to repay them out of general revenue."

http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/98jul/socsec.htm
"The Social Security Trust Fund is an accounting fiction.

The Social Security tax has been raising more money than is needed to pay
for current benefits, in order to build up a surplus to help finance the
retirement of the Baby Boom generation. All of this surplus is lent to the
U.S. Treasury when the Social Security Trust Fund buys bonds from it. The
money is then used to finance the federal deficit, just like any other
money the government borrows. The bonds held by the fund pay the same
interest as bonds held by the public. These bonds are every bit as real
(or as much of a fiction) as the bonds held by banks, corporations, and
individuals. Throughout U.S. history the federal government has always
paid its debts. As a result, government bonds enjoy the highest credit
ratings and are considered one of the safest assets in the world. Thus the
fund has very real and secure assets."

http://www.aarp.org/bulletin/departments/2002/news/0405_news_1.html
"Trust Funds: A Healthy Picture

Although "trust fund" is the term generally used, there are actually four
trust funds - two for Social Security and two for Medicare. At the last
accounting, they held assets totaling almost $1.3 trillion. The
Congressional Budget Office projects they will grow by $2.5 trillion over
the next decade. Their holdings consist of U.S. securities currently
earning 6.9 percent."

These are the 4 Funds: It is in Public Law No: 104-121.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c104:1:./temp/~c1040uihHp:e30331:
H.R.3136

Contract with America Advancement Act of 1996 (Enrolled as Agreed to or
Passed by Both House and Senate)

SEC. 107. PROTECTION OF SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE TRUST FUNDS.

(a) IN GENERAL- Part A of title XI of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following
new section:

`PROTECTION OF SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE TRUST FUNDS

`SEC. 1145. (a) IN GENERAL- No officer or employee of the
United States shall--

`(1) delay the deposit of any amount into (or delay the credit of any amount to) any Federal fund or otherwise vary from
the normal terms, procedures, or timing for making such deposits or
credits,

`(2) refrain from the investment in public debt
obligations of amounts in any Federal fund, or

`(3) redeem prior to maturity amounts in any
Federal fund which are invested in public debt obligations for any purpose
other than the payment of benefits or administrative expenses from such
Federal fund.

`(b) PUBLIC DEBT OBLIGATION- For purposes of this section,
the term `public debt obligation' means any obligation subject to the
public debt limit established under section 3101 of title 31, United
States Code.

`(c) FEDERAL FUND- For purposes of this section, the term
`Federal fund' means--

`(1) the Federal Old-Age and Survivors
Insurance Trust Fund;

`(2) the Federal Disability Insurance Trust
Fund;

`(3) the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund;
and

`(4) the Federal Supplementary Medical
Insurance Trust Fund.'.

(b) EFFECTIVE DATE- The amendment made by this section shall
take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.

Lyndon Johnson had a profound affect on the benefits received. He pushed
and signed the legislation for Medicare benefits. He went to Independence
Missouri, Harry Truman's home town, to sign it. LBJ signed Harry's card as
the first recipient. These are some of his words:
http://www.ssa.gov/history/lbjstmts.html

Remarks With President Truman at the Signing in Independence of the
Medicare Bill--July 30, 1965

"PRESIDENT TRUMAN. Thank you very much. I am glad you like the President.
I like him too. He is one of the finest men I ever ran across.

Mr. President, Mrs. Johnson, distinguished guests:

You have done me a great honor in coming here today, and you have made me
a very, very happy man.

This is an important hour for the Nation, for those of our citizens who
have completed their tour of duty and have moved to the sidelines. These
are the days that we are trying to celebrate for them. These people are
our prideful responsibility and they are entitled, among other benefits,
to the best medical protection available.

Not one of these, our citizens, should ever be abandoned to the indignity
of charity. Charity is indignity when you have to have it. But we don't
want these people to have anything to do with charity and we don't want
them to have any idea of hopeless despair.

Mr. President, I am glad to have lived this long and to witness today the
signing of the Medicare bill which puts this Nation right where it needs
to be, to be right. Your inspired leadership and a responsive
forward-looking Congress have made it historically possible for this day
to come about.

Thank all of you most highly for coming here. It is an honor I haven't had
for, well, quite awhile, I'll say that to you, but here it is:"

THE PRESIDENT. "The people of the United States love and voted for Harry
Truman, not because he gave them hell--but because he gave them hope.

I believe today that all America shares my joy that he is present now when
the hope that he offered becomes a reality for millions of our fellow
citizens.

I am so proud that this has come to pass in the Johnson Administration.
But it was really Harry Truman of Missouri who planted the seeds of
compassion and duty which have today flowered into care for the sick, and
serenity for the fearful.

Many men can make many proposals. Many men can draft many laws. But few have the piercing and humane eye which can see beyond the words to the
people that they touch. Few can see past the speeches and the political
battles to the doctor over there that is tending the infirm, and to the
hospital that is receiving those in anguish, or feel in their heart
painful wrath it the injustice which denies the miracle of healing to the
old and to the poor. And fewer still have the courage to stake reputation,
and position, and the effort of a lifetime upon such a cause when there
are so few that share it.

But it is just such men who illuminate the life and the history of a
nation. And so, President Harry Truman, it is in tribute not to you, but
to the America that you represent, that we have come here to pay our love
and our respects to you today. For a country can be known by the quality
of the men it honors. By praising you, and by carrying forward your
dreams, we really reaffirm the greatness of America.

It was a generation ago that Harry Truman said, and I quote him: "Millions of our citizens do not now have a full measure of opportunity to achieve
and to enjoy good health. Millions do not now have protection or security
against the economic effects of sickness. And the time has now arrived for
action to help them attain that opportunity and to help them get that
protection."

Well, today, Mr. President, and my fellow Americans, we are taking such
action--20 years later. And we are doing that under the great leadership
of men like John McCormack, our Speaker; Carl Albert, our majority leader;
our very able and beloved majority leader of the Senate, Mike Mansfield;
and distinguished Members of the Ways and Means and Finance Committees of
the House and Senate--of both parties, Democratic and Republican.

Because the need for this action is plain; and it is so clear indeed that
we marvel not simply at the passage of this bill, but what we marvel at is
that it took so many years to pass it. And I am so glad that Aime Forand
is here to see it finally passed and signed--one of the first authors.

There are more than 18 million Americans over the age of 65. Most of them
have low incomes. Most of them are threatened by illness and medical
expenses that they cannot afford.

And through this new law, Mr. President, every citizen will be able, in
his productive years when he is earning, to insure himself against the
ravages of illness in his old age.

This insurance will help pay for care in hospitals, in skilled nursing
homes, or in the home. And under a separate plan it will help meet the
fees of the doctors."

Q: Which party put a tax on Social Security?
A: The Democratic party.
FALSE

Actually, it was Ronald Reagan, a Republican, who signed a bill taxing
Social Security benefits.
http://www.ssa.gov/history/briefhistory3.html
"The 1983 Amendments

In the early 1980s the Social Security program faced a serious short-term
financing crisis. President Reagan appointed a blue-ribbon panel, known as
the Greenspan Commission, to study the financing issues and make
recommendations for legislative changes. The final bill, signed into law
in 1983, made numerous changes in the Social Security and Medicare
programs, including the taxation of Social Security benefits, the first
coverage of Federal employees under Social Security and an increase in the
retirement age in the next century."

<snip>

[Dying Eagle]

4. THANK Y OU ALL

DU RULES!!!

:Kick: