Monday, June 29, 2015

SOCIAL SECURITY

It was brought to my attention that some of the folks in Appalachia are tangled up in relief programs: EBT, WIC, SS Disability, and Unemployment benefits. It's hard to be free while on the dole.

There are several programs started by the Federal Government decades ago that had good intentions. "Good intentions" cannot fix the potholes in the roads but they certainly can pave the way to Hell. In following posts I will discuss other help programs that started out good but soon turned sour.

The theme will be  Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

Much trouble has issued from this program. The trouble started with Democrats decades ago and it has been perpetuated by both parties. My theory concerning the political parties is that you could move them over from one side of the aisle to the other and the result would be the same.

 Social Security has many problems today, starting with - the fund is running out of money.

How can this happen?

The short answer is: the greed of politicians and the efforts by Socialists, or Commies, or as they are known today - Democrats - to gain and hold control of this country and its citizens.

Blow wise to this: all politicians are only in it for themselves. A sort of universal survival instinct manifested regardless of what colors they wear on the field.
 
The money that you pay through taxes is not the same money that you will receive when you collect benefits. Instead, it's primarily a pay-as-you-go system where the money you and your employer contribute now is used to fund payments to people who currently receive benefits, including people who have retired or disabled, survivors of workers who have died, and dependents and beneficiaries.
Americans are having fewer children and living longer, both of which contribute to an aging population. Baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) are retiring at a record pace: 14% of the population is age 65 and over, and by 2080, it will be 23%. At the same time, the working-age population is getting smaller, from about 60% today to 54% in 2080. These trends result in declining worker-to-beneficiary ratios: as we move forward, there will be fewer people putting money into the Social Security system and more people taking money out. Because of these factors, it has been estimated that all the money in the Social Security "bank account" will be exhausted in 2033, when it will have only about 77% of what it should pay out that year. That means that without any changes to the system, if you're in your forties or fifties today, you may not have access to the Social Security benefits during retirement, even though you're paying into it now. Increased taxes, benefit cuts, and upping the age at which people can start collecting benefits (or a combination of these) are changes that could be implemented to make up any future shortfalls.
 
 

The original Social Security Act was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935. At that time, the US was just beginning to recover from the Great Depression..


Millions of people were still out of work, and there was alarming concern for the elderly and retired Americans who had lost everything. The Social Security program was intended to be -and essentially still is today – a social insurance program. It’s a government-run program providing economic security to our citizens.

The 1935 Act provided for “old age” or retirement benefits, aid to dependent children, disability insurance, and unemployment insurance. Payments were made in lump sums until 1940 when a monthly payment system was put into place. And, it was paid for by workers. Workers made contributions to a trust fund (“Fund”) from their paychecks to pay for the retirement and other benefits they’d need in the following years.
 
 
History Lesson on Your Social Security Card

borrowed from Dick Kantenberger Examiner.com

Just in case some of you young whippersnappers (& some older ones) didn't know this. It's easy to check out, if you don't believe it. Be sure and show it to your family and friends. They need a little history lesson on what's what and it doesn't matter whether you are Democrat or Republican. Facts are Facts.

Social Security Cards up until the 1980s expressly stated the number and card were not to be used for identification purposes. Since nearly everyone in the United States now has a number, it became convenient to use it anyway and the message, NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION, was removed.

 
Old Social Security card
with the "NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION" message


 

 




 
 
 
 
 
Our Social Security
Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social Security (FICA) Program.

He promised:

1) That participation in the Program would be completely voluntary;


No longer Voluntary


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

Now 7.65% on the first $90,000


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

No longer tax deductible


4) That the money the participants put into the independent 'Trust Fund' rather than into the general operating fund would only be used to fund the Social Security Retirement Program and no other Government program;

Under Johnson the money was moved to The General Fund and spent


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

Under Clinton& Gore up to 85% of your Social Security can be taxed

Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are now receiving a Social Security check every month and we find 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 US



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

A: That's right! Jimmy Carter and the Democratic Party.


Immigrants moving into this country at age 65 begin to receive Social Security payments! The Democratic Party gave these payments to them, even though they never paid a dime into it. With the recent flood of immigrants, mostly illegal, the Democrats are buying votes.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Test comment.

Ol' Remus said...

The Congressional debate about the proposed Social Security act reveals its true purpose, reducing the catastrophic unemployment brought about by the Great Depression. Old employees were to be given an attractive reason to retire so young men, particularly heads of families, could find a job. Said differently, it was a bribe paid for in part by the newly hired, what we now call a "transfer of wealth". It's long term problems were discussed but largely left for "normal times" to solve.

Employer-financed health insurance came about in much the same way. During World War II it was forbidden to bid for currently employed specialists in defense industries using higher salaries, so generous "fringe benefits" were used to lure them away. What became a wink-wink workaround evolved into a (you should pardon the term) human right.