boedicca
Uppity Water Nymph from the Land of Funk
- Feb 12, 2007
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This is a hoot.
An analysis of the data used to determine the solvency of Social Security has found a some Oddities. In particular, by 2028, it assumes the mortality rate for 55-59 years is 100%. How convenient! Assume people die before they are eligible to collect benefits. That's the way to get rid of the deficit.
Next up: all workers will be required to smoke 2 six packs of unfiltered cigarettes a day or they will be charged a non-smoking tax/penalty by the IRS.
The NY Times Sunday Review features an extraordinary data-dive into the workings of the Social Security Trust Fund life-span estimation process. Their conclusion - the Social Security actuaries are using outmoded techniques; contemporary analytical tools suggest that Americans will live longer and deplete the (notional) Social Security Trust Fund faster than currently forecast. Properly adjusted forecasts would show Social Security spending an additional $800 billion (cumulatively) by 2031, which is roughly $40 billion per year.
And the authors discover a real howler - apparently the Mayans have found a toehold in the Social Security office:
JustOneMinute: Social Security Crisis Arrives At The NY Times
An analysis of the data used to determine the solvency of Social Security has found a some Oddities. In particular, by 2028, it assumes the mortality rate for 55-59 years is 100%. How convenient! Assume people die before they are eligible to collect benefits. That's the way to get rid of the deficit.
Next up: all workers will be required to smoke 2 six packs of unfiltered cigarettes a day or they will be charged a non-smoking tax/penalty by the IRS.
The NY Times Sunday Review features an extraordinary data-dive into the workings of the Social Security Trust Fund life-span estimation process. Their conclusion - the Social Security actuaries are using outmoded techniques; contemporary analytical tools suggest that Americans will live longer and deplete the (notional) Social Security Trust Fund faster than currently forecast. Properly adjusted forecasts would show Social Security spending an additional $800 billion (cumulatively) by 2031, which is roughly $40 billion per year.
And the authors discover a real howler - apparently the Mayans have found a toehold in the Social Security office:
JustOneMinute: Social Security Crisis Arrives At The NY Times