OohPooPahDoo
Gold Member
Social Security insolvency is a right wing myth meant to scare you.
Seriously. A few points:
1) Many morons have called SS a Ponzi scheme. This is a brain dead characterization. The reason Ponzi schemes fail is because they eventually run out of new investors. Unless we stop having children - there will always be new tax revenues into the system.
2) If nothing is done, Social Security can continue to pay benefits under current law for at least a couple of decades. After that, it can only pay benefits at about 80% - but for as far as can be seen into the future, it can continue to pay at that level - thus, even if the politicians do absolutely nothing - 80% of the program is solvent for as far as can be forecast.
3) Ultimately, the ability of a society to support its retirees and disabled - that is, the ability of those who produce to produce enough for those who cannot produce (either because they are too old to work, or disabled) - doesn't really depend on the particular investment vehicle that those who do not produce use. If the worker to retiree ratio is 2:1 as opposed to 10:1, the workers in the 2:1 situation will have to produce more for the retirees than those in the 10:1 situation. The only exceptions are things that you can actually save for retirement - like a house. Other than your house - everything you need in retirement will have to be made by somebody during (or right before) your retirement.
4) Social Security taxes do not get wasted - most of them go to pay current benefits. If their is extra, the trust fund buys bonds. If their is not enough, they sell some of their bonds. This does push the burden around in time - this is no secret and no one ever tried to cover it up - but over many decades, the SS Trust Fund will spend the same as it takes in (plus interest paid on its Trust Fund balance).
Seriously. A few points:
1) Many morons have called SS a Ponzi scheme. This is a brain dead characterization. The reason Ponzi schemes fail is because they eventually run out of new investors. Unless we stop having children - there will always be new tax revenues into the system.
2) If nothing is done, Social Security can continue to pay benefits under current law for at least a couple of decades. After that, it can only pay benefits at about 80% - but for as far as can be seen into the future, it can continue to pay at that level - thus, even if the politicians do absolutely nothing - 80% of the program is solvent for as far as can be forecast.
3) Ultimately, the ability of a society to support its retirees and disabled - that is, the ability of those who produce to produce enough for those who cannot produce (either because they are too old to work, or disabled) - doesn't really depend on the particular investment vehicle that those who do not produce use. If the worker to retiree ratio is 2:1 as opposed to 10:1, the workers in the 2:1 situation will have to produce more for the retirees than those in the 10:1 situation. The only exceptions are things that you can actually save for retirement - like a house. Other than your house - everything you need in retirement will have to be made by somebody during (or right before) your retirement.
4) Social Security taxes do not get wasted - most of them go to pay current benefits. If their is extra, the trust fund buys bonds. If their is not enough, they sell some of their bonds. This does push the burden around in time - this is no secret and no one ever tried to cover it up - but over many decades, the SS Trust Fund will spend the same as it takes in (plus interest paid on its Trust Fund balance).