Social Security deficit slides-worst in a generation-Hey,lets mess up health care too

[Toronado3800]

Social Security is here because folks decline too slowly in their last years before death and invest too poorly in their working years on average. I wouldn't care about seeing a bunch of broke homeless old ppl begging outside of our football stadiums on Sundays. I care more about my relatives having no income to live off of after they turn 70 and start moving in with each other. Some of them would be able to guilt me into helping, maybe and then not have a social security check to sign over to me after they move into my house!

Healthcare, ug.

What do we do? Trash our current "closest socialized system" and let the cancer patients die broken w/o homes in our front yards? That amazing $10,000 a year wonder drug for disease "X" is something we're all going to want when we need it. Every year there are new expensive treatments just to extend life a few months or years longer.

In an ideal world folks would give enough to charity to help them. Then again in an ideal world after human nature is changed pure socialism and capitalism would both work. I'm not holding my breath.

Folks need a couple reasons to give. 1, it makes them feel good. 2, the guy with the kettle and bell is making them feel guilty. 3, Uncle Sam has guns and prisons if you don't help the poor by paying taxes.

 

[kyzr]

People that paid into SS & Medicare their entire lives don't deserve to be turned into beggars. IMHO Obama and the dems need to fix SS & Medicare before passing UHC or any other budget busting new entitlement.

 

[editec]

Heath care is damned expensive and so is retirement.

People who haven't made enought their whole lives (and that's about 80% of us) to save and invest for retirement and ill health are screwed.

The government can't fix that, now.

The time to have fixed this problem was back when people weren't making enough to begin with.

But we were so busy genflecting to the myths of the mighty ATLAS class, that we didn't think it would matter that most of us would end up aging paupers.

All that Randian nonsense that so many of us bought into is all coming back to bite us on the ass, folks.

 

[kyzr]

I hope some group, The Tea Party comes to mind, sues the government to fix SS & Medicare. I'd bet that the USSC would side with the people saying that the Feds can't run a ponzi scheme, and that the Feds MUST fix SS & Medicare.

It has to be non-partisan, otherwise the party trying to fix them would be accused of "cutting SS or medicare". I see the USSC forcing their hand as the only practical way.

 

[Toronado3800]

The "fix" of social security is pretty darned easy if unpopular. When the younger working generations aren't earning enough to pay the current benefits you raise the retirement age and the tax levels.

Not exactly the type of thing that will get a politician votes from the entitled feeling AARP members or soon to be members who care more about their checks than the deficit they're going to leave to their children but hey someone has to say "in five years the retirement age is going up two years now that we're living longer" or "oops, your workers aren't earning enough. Now all 15,000,000 of your executive bonus's are liable to be taxed" Imagine how upset roiders like Barry Bonds would be lol.

Healthcare, ug.

Perhaps five years of you only get what you can afford and unregulated insurance companies would scare folks into SOMETHING. Best real answer I have is throwing tax breaks at any firm which develops cheaper ways of doing things. Imagine the savings from a 1/2 price MRI machine.

 

[SSADisability]

Why not eliminate or raise the cap on income for SS contributions.

socialsecuritydisabilityus.com