Open Letter to Conservatives

[scooterbug44]

The whole reason we have Social Security is to guarantee a minimum standard of living for workers (or their widows/children) who have paid into the system.

It is NOT supposed to be one's sole means of retirement income, it's a safety net - for the poor, for those who might experience a major financial shift, for those whose pensions fail, for those whose PERSONAL investments take a dive.

Privatize it and all you do is take away a safety net ................ which the taxpayer will then end up paying for through other programs.

And considering what I know of many people's habits and finances, there is no way in hell the average American will prepare themselves for retirement. Our economy is currently in a cluster because so many people spend and borrow and are in debt instead of saving.

Social Security would be just fine if the politicians had left it alone instead of using the funds.

Why do we want the people who let Wall Street run amok and are in the pockets of lobbyists to be in charge of regulating MORE of our retirement choices?

 

[Minnie]

I totally agree. This whole racial issue is backfiring.

FOXNews.com - Video Shows USDA Official Saying She Didn't Give 'Full Force' of Help to White Farmer

To think this was something she thought people would not only approve of but support which they did by clapping. Lets see Al Sharpton address this...

NAACP is very racist. Look at how the crowd responds to her at their meeting.

This story is a perfect example of the importance of "context". I am not a fan of Glenn Beck, but I did watch him last night because I wanted to see what he was going to say about this incident, since Mrs. Sherrod was told when she was asked to resign that she would be talked about on his show.

He defended her and rightfully addressed that President Obama and the NAACP threw her under the bus before either one knew the entire story.

So now that entire story is out, they have had to apologize. This is the not the first time Obama has reacted quickly and spoke before thinking.

Shirley Sherrod Unsure How She'd Be Treated in a Return to USDA

I have to admit it makes me nervous that the media is influencing the President's decisions.

 

[beachFool]

We could also nix the whole 100K cap and force people to contribute even if they made over 100K a year, there's no lack of incentive..

So you are for increasing taxes...that's what that is. It can be fixed w/o that .

Heck I wouldn't even care if the feds did the management or contracted the management out, as long as the money was held in accounts in private banks where politicians couldn't get to it.. Currently our retirement savings via ss is spent the second it's received by the FEDs. There is no assurance there will ever be a return on the investment...

A. That means another goverrnment program or a government subsidized program.

B. The last issue is a bit of red herring. SS funds are invested in goverment bonds so it does go to fund the government but by your logic the money also financed tax cuts.

I was on a conference call with Dr. Jeremy Siegal (hardly a Marxist) and his comment was SS was one of the best funded government programs. Unless he's a dumba$$...google him if you will.

SS woes could be solved for the next 75-80 years by using a more moderate COLA, changing how benes are calculated for the top 70% earners and raising the age to 68 (by 2050).

This ain't poppycock and pie in the sky numbers. The National Academies Press. Bipartisan and everything.