[[It’s wrong, and you are just making the problem worse by giving people the false hope there is an easy fix.]]
first off I didn’t’ say it was easy- I said there were reasons why we’re In the mess and said there were things we could do to fix the problem-
The government is stealing the money because they are using it for things that were never meant for it to be used for- and while the money is tied up paying for those other things, it’s not drawing interest and isn’t being invested- and it’s beign used to pay for things like illegal imigrants-
[[I don’t think you realize the magnitude of the problem. There are no easy fixes — it’s too late for that.]]
Return the money now, invest it like it’s supposed to be- Perhaps we are even beyond this point now, but it certainly wasn’t due to us if this is so- it was due to the money being improperly used for other things and not gaining the interest it could have, or being invested like it should have been- instead it’s used to give free thigns to people that don’t deserve it- illegals, special interest group studies, grants etc-
[[That’s what has to be done NOW. If we wait until 2034, the tax increase (or the benefit cut) will have to be larger.]]
That is projected based on not taking the steps needed to correct the problem and for continuing on the way we are right now- ‘borrowing the money’ to spend on things it shouldn’t be spent on
[[For the combined OASI and DI Trust Funds to remain solvent throughout the 75-year projection period: (1) revenues would have to increase by an amount equivalent to an immediate and permanent payroll tax rate increase of 2.62 percentage points (from its current level of 12.40 percent to 15.02 percent, a relative increase of 21.1 percent);]]
I’m no expert in this issue for sure, but it appears to me they are saying this simply because the government does not want to quit spending SS money it ‘borrows’- then the money is gone and they have to borrow from other countries to pay back the money they ‘borrowed’ from us, and we end up paying interest to other countries,. and the problem worsens- there is a spending problem in Washington- and the people who suffer are NOT the illegals, or terrorist nations, but rather our nation’s most vulnerable citizens
[[But, I’ll reiterate: Social Security won’t go “bankrupt”. They must simply reduce benefits to whatever level can be sustained with the incoming payroll taxes. Currently, that’s about a 21% reduction in 2034.]]
They are talking about whacking the disabled this year perhaps with a nearly 18% reduction- Rather than reduce government spending, they reduce the income for our nation’s most vulnerable citizens
Now, I’m just thinking off the cuff here- so if I am indeed off, don’t take it as me being obstinate or bull headed- I’m simply unprofessionally noodling the issue over- and likely I am off on some things- but I do believe the government has taken money from SS, and while they may be paying it back, it’s now too late because I’m sure they are not paying it back with interest, and like I mentioned, that money could have been invested in other things to keep the system solvent instead of going to things it shouldn’t have
I hope we can keep this conversation civil- like I said, this certainly is not my area of expertise, and perhaps I am wrong- perhaps the government has paid back everything with interest and SS didn’t ‘lose’ a dime after all, but I have my suspicions
Except your reasons are wrong. And all you are doing is preventing people from facing the real reasons, and participating in the resolution. An object example:
The government is stealing the money because they are using it for things that were never meant for it to be used for- and while the money is tied up paying for those other things, it’s not drawing interest and isn’t being invested- and it’s beign used to pay for things like illegal imigrants-
All of this is demonstrably false.
Nearly all of the payroll taxes collected in the past few decades were used to pay benefits to current beneficiaries. A small portion were not needed, and BY LAW, were invested in the equivalent of US Treasury Bonds.
The Trust Fund collects dividends every year. You can read the Social Security Trustee's annual report, and it will tell you exactly how much.
https://www.socialsecurity.gov/oact/tr/2015/tr2015.pdf
See the table on page 7.
If you don't go read the Trustee's report and confirm it for yourself, you are consigning yourself to being willfully ignorant on the subject.
And if you repeat this incorrect claim after I've pointed you to authoritative information that clearly contradicts it, you are willfully lying in order to agitate people that don't know any better.
I don't think I can make it any clearer than that.
I'm not going to bother to respond to the rest of your claims, because they arise from information that is just as wrong.
I hope we can keep this conversation civil- like I said, this certainly is not my area of expertise, and perhaps I am wrong- perhaps the government has paid back everything with interest and SS didn’t ‘lose’ a dime after all, but I have my suspicions
Yes, I'd like to keep this conversation civil. But, that requires you to start reading and learning, rather than spouting this kind of crap.
Go read the Trustee's annual report and learn, and I'll be happy to discuss the finer points of it. Or, just shut up because you don't know what you are talking about, and aren't helping.