No reasoning with the elderly on issue of Social Security

Salt Lake Tribune ^ | 5/24/05 | Ruben Navarrette

[Goodgirlinred]

I was just going by what you said.

[Doctor Stochastic]

AMT

[fooman]

Structered products or principle protected notes are becoming more popular, since they guarentee return of your with upside.

[chronic_loser]

We are all happy for your mama. What you seem to be missing somehow is this ain't about your mama. It is about the YOUNGER kids. Your mama grew up and paid into a system that "expected" her to die at age 70, and not to have "medicare" as a part of the SS retirement package. Therefore, she is taking out MORE than was budgeted for her to put in. This pattern is continuing to accelerate.

Down here in the lower age brackets, we want to see your mama get everything promised to her, whether it was promised wisely or not. However, that is not the same as requiring younger folks to throw money into a politicians pocket so he can buy votes with that money and replace it with an IOU. Privately controlled accounts would force reductions in spending. Keeping the current system just means that while your mama gets everything promised, the generations after her get screwed. I would think your mama would not want that. Mine would not.

[CSM]

I was actually helping bolster your argument about the futility of keeping the system afloat.....

[chronic_loser]

Your first sentences SHOULD read, "Well, my mother saved and pinched every penny. She put their money in CD's. She trusted her government and still does."

The first two are noble and praiseworthy. The last one is brain dead stupid, and is a malady of alot of oldsters, it seems. Fortunately, they won't be the ones to suffer for their misplaced trust.

[henkster]

Sending the money overseas had occurred to me, too. My only concern is "be careful where you go." What you don't want to do is put all the money in a country where they will do the same thing (confiscation) to finance their own Ponzi scheme (so don't put it in Europe). The other concern is to pick a country where they have some sort of sweetheart financial deal with the US whereby they grab the money of US citizens as a credit against overwhelming trade deficits. So forget Asia and most of South America.

I guess that leaves Mozambique. I hear the Indian Ocean coast there is lovely.

When it comes to being screwed by governments, I am pretty much counting on it.

[inquest]

I'd be very curious to know how many people among the AARP crowd are actually opposed to that, or are even aware of the issues surrounding it.

[USAFJeeper]

I was born at the tail end of the Baby Boomers... Can I stick with the Gen X and Y :)

[chronic_loser]

1] Dithyramb: "A Greek choric hymn, originally in honour of Dionysus or Bacchus, vehement and wild in character

[Goodgirlinred]

I am working on explaining that to her. If we get the word "stocks" out of it she is more comfortable. When I remind her that my husband died before ever being able to collect his, then she understands better. Anyway, please understand and I am all for it. I am probably the same age as your mama. 55. So, I will vote for whichever next president will go along with changing social security so you younger folks can invest your money if President Bush does not get it passed during his term in office.

[inquest]

Can I stick with the Gen X and Y :)

Only if you're a dude.

[inquest]

Ah, that explains it. Thanks.

(would've been something to witness)

[Goodgirlinred]

I will have to talk to my broker.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Nope.

He's writing from frustration at the stupidity, at the selfishness, and at the ignorance and bias OF the current seniors.

All these errors and prejudices, of course, are being exploited and reinforced BY the democrats and the media (but I repeat myself!) to prevent Bush from fixing the SS problem.

[Bernard Marx]

I suspect that most folks do not understand that any investment in in the stock option is just that, an option. You don't have to invest if you don't want to. I have noticed that the press fails to mention that, or if they do it is given the old Demotwist.

Thanks to propaganda from the AARP, Democrat demagogues and the all-too-willing MSM. The so-called "Greatest Generation" turned quickly into the "Socialist Generation."

[Goodgirlinred]

Well, actually, she does not really trust the government. She knows that they "borrowed" from the Social Security trust fund which they had no business doing. She is very angry about that. Right now Mama is disgusted with all politicians. I can't talk politics with her at all. And no, she is not becoming senile. She keeps up with everything. She checks her computer first thing in the morning. She is on Senator Frist's mailing list. LOL!

[LauraJean]

AARP is just wrong on so many ideas.
I sure wish I could put some of my SS money into a private account. But the left doesn't want it because they would then lose control of that money.
As far as the stock market is concerned. My dad's aunt was a poor woman who was a cleaning woman. She didn't have a lot of money but took what she could to invest in the stock market.
When she died, this money was left to her nephew and nieces (she had no children)as their inheritance. If she just relied on SS, she would have had nothing to leave them, and the government would have been the only beneficiary of her estate.

[CSM]

Good to hear. As long as she doesn't fall into the same category as described in the article, the category of obstructionism, then I have no issues.

[the OlLine Rebel]

"It's also about sentimentality. No other generation is as passionate - and therefore as protective - about Social Security as the World War II generation, those Americans now in their 70s and 80s. For that demographic, this debate is about preserving a program that served their generation well and which they hope will be around several decades from now to serve their grandchildren."


It's really about "we're used to the idea of getting hand-outs", 1st proffered by that god called FDR.

Greatest gen, my butt. 1st gen to start milking the system. As well as to teach the younger 1s it's all OK and normal and a RIGHT.