Social Security is the largest, and arguably most important, program in the federal government. It is a life-line for millions. For the rest of us the program is a set of never-ending, polarizing arguments.
The contentiousness is caused in large part by the number and conflicting nature of the urban legends surrounding the system. Everyone has a fact that is someone else’s myth.
These convictions about the program shape who voters elect, and seriously limit what candidates are willing to say to the electorate. These beliefs have so penetrated the public conscience that actual policy makers are left herding unicorns.
Here are three myths that you will see repeated so many times that you assume that there is some truth to them. There isn’t.
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So, who first raided the piggy bank?
ReplyDeleteThey are taking our social security and giving it to the lazy's for votes as our older citizens will be forced to live in poverty.
ReplyDeleteIt was destined to fail from the start. The program began paying benefits immediately. If you consider that the payments into the fund also started at that time, there was never a chance for it to succeed. It was a pyramid scheme from the start. You can thank FDR.
ReplyDeleteNo that is not true. You pay in to social security the moment you receive a pay check. Whether you want to or not. When you become of age as set NY the Govt you collect according on the amount you paid in. You all pay your whole career 25 - 45 yrs. The govt sets (probably can only be changed by Congress the age to collect.). wow knows. HOWEVER, what is draining social security and Medicare is individuals who feel they have a disability at any age and receive funds i.e. debetic sugar are not disabilities. My brother worked until he died at 40 from childhood debetic. Meaning had it for 40 years. There is no reason for older people to get benefits because they have the Sugar"
DeleteCongress started raiding it years ago and I believe it was Bill Clinton eliminated the SSI fund and put it in the general fund and made seniors pay tax on their checks. Clinton and Congress did this so they would have more money to spend. It will never be fixed because people are allowed into the US because they have family here and collect SSI immediately. That and the illegals collecting welfare and for their medical, education an living expenses. This is the same thing Maryland legislature is doing with the Maryland Retirement Fund which they will never pay back.
ReplyDeleteSoc. Sec. was supposed to be used as a retirement supplement for those who weren't independently wealthy...like MOST people. The government kept raising our taxes to cover soc. sec. and LATER medicare/medicade. They put a cap on when these taxes would NOT be taken out of our paychecks. This should NOT have happened. Secondly the government began 'taking the soc. sec. Trust out the the Lock Box...well this was truly devious because the POLS were Stealing our deposits to spend on what they wanted. Thirdly we, as a nation started KILLING our babies, our future workforce. Now the population turned on it's head and we didn't have enough workers making deposits into the Soc. Sec. Trust fund that was being robbed daily. DUH...Has anyone figured this out yet??? Really not hard mathematically to comprehend. Now Soc. Sec. recipients are being TAXED again on money they were already taxed on. DOUBLE taxation to help pay for Soc. Sec. Somethings Rotten in Denmark...The GALL to call Soc. Sec. recipients leaches. Get a life.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Mr Obama saw a huge amount of money in social security fund and he just took it. No approvals. If the Govt wants to give me every dime I paid into Medicare I would live just fine.
DeleteSocial Security was not a ponzi scheme from the beginning.
ReplyDeleteWere it not for the theft of the Trust Fund by Congresses over the years, the Fund would have paid benefits to recipients for ever. The system was designed perfectly to never run out of funds.
But the Congress stole the money.
Now what?
So why are we forced to pay into it if we'll never see our money. Myself forty years of contribution
ReplyDelete