Posted on 02/04/2013 4:26:52 PM PST by kabar
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Americans support Social Security and are willing to pay more to preserve and even improve benefits, according to a new survey released today by the nonpartisan National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI).
The new study, Strengthening Social Security: What Do Americans Want?, finds a sharp contrast between what Americans say they want and changes being discussed in Washington, such as cutting benefits by using a “chained” Consumer Price Index to determine Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).
Large majorities of Americans, both Republicans and Democrats, agree on ways to strengthen Social Security — without cutting benefits. Fully 74% of Republicans and 88% of Democrats agree that “it is critical to preserve Social Security even if it means increasing Social Security taxes paid by working Americans.”
When asked the same question about increasing Social Security taxes for better-off Americans, 71% of Republicans and 97% of Democrats agree. Social Security taxes are paid by workers and their employers on earnings up to a cap ($113,700 in 2013). About 5% of workers earn more than the cap.
The survey used a new approach to measuring public opinion about Social Security. In addition to asking participants whether they would favor a particular change, they were asked to choose a preferred package of changes, much as lawmakers might do. Participants considered various combinations of 12 possible changes, including raising taxes; lowering benefits by raising the full retirement age, changing the COLA, or means-testing benefits; and increasing benefits.
(Excerpt) Read more at nasi.org ...
This study by NASI is a trial balloon. NASI is supported by AARP, SSA, and La Raza among others. It is clearly committed to maintaining the welfare state. I see this as a shot across the bow to raise the payroll tax so that SS again runs a "surplus" that can be used to fund other welfare programs like Obamacare.
Once this is tested thru focus groups look for Congress and Obama to use this survey as a way to save SS. The problem is that higher taxes will take more money from the private sector and put it into government further slowing down the economy. It will just kick the can down the road rather than solving the actuarial problems of SS. It is also worth noting that 80% of Americans pay more in payroll taxes than they do in income taxes.
I feel sorry for the folks who believe that sending more money to DC will ‘fix’ our problems. It’s a tax and squander plan. might as well pur Bernie Madoff in charge.
I feel sorry for the folks who believe that sending more money to DC will ‘fix’ our problems. It’s a tax and squander plan. might as well pur Bernie Madoff in charge.
Wealth redistribution in its purest form.
They don’t want to raise the age to match lifespan and every elderly person they allow in sticks their proverbial “wick” into the pot of money stolen from the working.
SSI, too.
The Welfare State needs more cash as they cannot borrow, tax and spend at the pace people contributed, nor are they willing to touch the 3rd rail of politics, Social Security.
If you privatize SS, you would see people like me who have already put in hundreds of thousands of dollars will probably never see a cent.
Social justice
Welfare
Vote buying
Fraud
Baby Boomers who ushered in Big Government eating until there is nothing left, while voting Dem to keep their goodies.
Time to go Galt as soon as I possibly can. Let turds like Obama, Reid and Jerry Brown, who could not run a lemonade stand much less a state or country, give you all the goodies you want.
Even Paul Ryan and Grahamnesty want “means testing” and not “citizenship testing.”
I’m 43 and have put in $65K myself, and my employer put in $65K (some years 2x as I was 1099) since 1986.
My wife and most of my friends realize the money is gone and the 6.2% will soon be uncapped and probably 10% like Europe.
This makes my blood boil.
“Social Security taxes are paid by workers and their employers on earnings up to a cap ($113,700 in 2013). About 5% of workers earn more than the cap.”
What about state workers who opt out of SS for a fat assed pension and benefits, ObamaCare-and-tax free? What about private retirements by politicians.
Why does the Government have to take my money to feed itself.
I f*cking hate Government.
This “baby” should have been killed off in the crib back in ‘34. But corrupt judges allowed it to go forward instead of stand up for the Constitution.
Greedy F’s that don’t care about the future and want to raise taxes on current and future workers in this country.
A collapse of the economy can’t come soon enough.
You said it...there is no way to quench the utter laziness and irresponsibility of Government.
People paid for life to hand out other people’s hard work.
You are correct, the collapse will be dramatic, and quick.
I think the feral classes will take a stab at stealing from civilization, we must give no quarter.
To many people on Social Security who should not be on it. Go to any Social Security office and look at the age of the people standing in line or waiting. I bet less than 10% are 60 and over. The liberals have widened the scope of the program and have ruined it.
At some level of taxation employees are likely to make decisions about employment and jobs based on the notion that payroll income just isn’t worthwhile beyond a certain threshold.
Many people believe that Social Security is an “earned right.” That is, they think that because they have paid Social Security taxes, they are entitled to receive Social Security benefits. The government encourages that belief by referring to Social Security taxes as “contributions,” as in the Federal Insurance Contribution Act. However, in the 1960 case of Fleming v. Nestor, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that workers have no legally binding contractual rights to their Social Security benefits, and that those benefits can be cut or even eliminated at any time.
Nestor sued, claiming that because he had paid Social Security taxes, he had a right to Social Security benefits.
The Supreme Court disagreed, saying “To engraft upon the Social Security system a concept of ‘accrued property rights’ would deprive it of the flexibility and boldness in adjustment to ever changing conditions which it demands.” The Court went on to say, “It is apparent that the non-contractual interest of an employee covered by the [Social Security] Act cannot be soundly analogized to that of the holder of an annuity, whose right to benefits is bottomed on his contractual premium payments.”
The Court’s decision was not surprising. In an earlier case, Helvering v. Davis (1937), the Court had ruled that Social Security was not a contributory insurance program, saying, “The proceeds of both the employee and employer taxes are to be paid into the Treasury like any other internal revenue generally, and are not earmarked in any way.”
Social Security is not an insurance program at all. It is simply a payroll tax on one side and a welfare program on the other. Your Social Security benefits are always subject to the whim of 535 politicians in Washington.
My local registered violent sex offender is on SS disability with a "brain injury". The brain injury doesn't stop him from driving or doing anything else that I am aware of.
Well? It's got AARP, SSA and LA RAZA in it too! That alone tells me a whole bunch of National Socialism Involvement!!!
the elderly pid bupkes in FICA , and steal from current taxpayers, but lets steal more.
I am not surprised that taxing the rich more to save SS polls well, but since Obama just successfully used a two year FICA tax cut bribe to get re-elected its interesting that the above seems to say that those polled are willing to pay more in those same taxes.
So much for privatization of SS or medicare as a populist conservative issue. I was always very skeptical that either would be popular.
Lets see cut retirement entitlements or raise taxes on the rich, who could have guessed that the Dems would win that one?
You’re thinking SSDI and you’re correct. The disability program makes a disability into a benefit.
You will enjoy this podcast: http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2012/04/autor_on_disabi.html
I don’t know what age group was polled, but my generation..the baby boomers...are generally greedy, dishonest, liberal Jack Asses.
Increase benefits? Good grief!
Since very few (national) Republicans have the guts to come out and say that SS and medicare are broke NOW and add to the national debt now (in fact Obama says holding out on debt limit threatens SS payments, so how easy must it be? ) the ‘just get mine’ attitude is looking attractive to me too.
After I am 55 Republicans will insist on excluding me from their ‘reform’ plans too, demanding that they 'keep their promises' to me too(Paul Ryan lingo), but not those a year younger than me .
I always saw it flawed to say that those over ~55 have to get 100% of theirs, but at the same time we must save the children (under 55) by telling them we cant afford theirs.
The apparatchiks and political class in the federal government in DC hate us right back and intend to steal every last dime they can from taxpayers to fund their fat salaries and pensions.
They have no problem killing or imprisoning anybody who gets in their way either.
We are slaves.
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