Odd how conservatives who rant about America becoming socialistic have no problem signing up for government run SS. What, you didn’t plan for your retirement properly and have to depend on others? Why should I, a hard working, self sufficient person, pay for you?
The Social Security Administration, bracing for the coming eligibility of 80 million baby boomers, is introducing an online application that will allow people to apply for retirement benefits in as little as 15 minutes.
Social Security Commissioner Michael J. Astrue said in an interview the agency was completely overhauling its electronic services in recognition of the greater computer skills of future Social Security recipients and the need to more efficiently process the coming flood of applications.
“We just don’t have the infrastructure to handle that workload in the traditional fashion,” he said.
Astrue said a person who now goes to a Social Security office to apply spends about 45 minutes consulting with a field officer.
The agency says that over the next 20 years some 10,000 people a day will become eligible for retirement.
[…]
Those wanting to use the new program can go to http://socialsecurity.gov and click on “Filing Online for Retirement Benefits.”
[Suggestion: Unlike some commenters, before making an embarrassing rant that I am wrong and your lifetime of payments into SS pay for your benefits, please do some research. — UD]
Excuse me??? You would not be paying for me to get ss. I have been paying into that system all of my adult life so far. So don’t rant about HOW DARE YOU EXPECT ME TO PAY YOUR WAY BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T PLAN FOR RETIREMENT. That’s the most asinine statement I’ve ever heard.
This day is still young, but I doubt that anyone will be able to top Uncle Dave in saying anything more stupid….
# 2 nolimit662 said, “Excuse me??? You would not be paying for me to get ss. I have been paying into that system all of my adult life so far. So don’t rant”
I don’t think the author has a clue what SS is or where the money came from for the system… Must be a liberal.
nolimit662,
How about this? “How dare you expect me to pay your way through grade school?”
SS like public school is a system where one person pays for someone else’ benefit.
When you went to school someone else paid for it, when you collect SS someone else will be paying for it. The money you put into SS or the taxes you pay for public schools go to to others.
#2. Do you seriously not know how SS works? You are paying for current SS benefit receivers. SS is not currently solvent in the long term. SS REQUIRES an expanding, working population in order to be solvent. If the population starts to shrink…. or even stagnate, THE MONEY YOU PAID INTO SS WILL NOT BE THERE.
I would happily, HAPPILY stop paying into the SS system in exchange for never being able to draw from it. The reason they don’t let you do that is because the system would collapse in short order when everyone stopped paying in.
SS is a government-sponsored Ponzi scheme…. Nothing more.
#5 If schools were not publicly funded if would be bad for society. Next thing you know everyone would complain about how stupid kids are and why there’s so much more crime and such. Not that people don’t complain now. And, sorry, If you pay in you should get out something. There’s nothing wrong with expecting that. Don’t tell me someone else is paying for me when I retire. The only reason that may be is because of the gov’t mismanagement and stealing of funds.
#6 exactly. It’s because if the gov’t screwing it all up. But still, you put in you shall get it out in the end or there will be massive riots everywhere.
no, no, no. People started receiving SS when the program started. Therefore, they were being paid for by people paying into the system. This structure continues today. You pay for current retirees. Future workers pay for your “retirement.”
And let’s discuss another misunderstanding: SS isn’t about providing you with a retirement. It’s supposed to be a protection against poverty once you’ve moved past a viable working age. With life expectancies continuing to rise, look for the SS “retirement age” to follow suit.
For my part, I’ll continue to kiss that money good-bye and plan for SS to be gone by the time I retire.
#10 – Moondawg
>>no, no, no. People started receiving SS when
>>the program started.
Just like with any insurance program.
You might sign up for health insurance, and get cancer after your first premium. In that case, others would be paying for you. Or you might pay in your whole life, and die without ever receiving any benefits (if you’re health).
With SS, the first few enrollees received with out paying. Some people pay their whole lives, but never receive, if they die at 66. Most pay their whole lives, then receive when they’re old.
Obama is acknowledging that SS and Medicare have serious problems. Maybe if Congress hadn’t blocked reforms when they were proposed the last 8 years.
# 12 MikeN said, “Maybe if Congress hadn’t blocked reforms when they were proposed the last 8 years.”
Maybe if congress hadn’t been stealing the $ for the last 40 years…
#12 – Lyin’ Mike
>>Maybe if Congress hadn’t blocked reforms when
>>they were proposed the last 8 years.
Those weren’t “reforms”, Lyin’ Mike. Those were attempts to gut the SS system, turning our money over to Wall Street charlatans whose vested interests were in thrashing our accounts to garner obscene profits for themselves.
As others have pointed out, SS was never intended to be the full retirement plan for Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. It was protection against abject poverty for people of financially modest means, after they had worked their whole lives.
Turning it over to Wall Street predators chosen by the government would destroy that.
Everyone ALREADY has the option of a “privatized” account. Everyone with the means and the desire may avail themselves of that option. Nothing to be gained (and much to be lost) by taking the safety net for the less fortunate and turning it into part of the $100,000,000.00 bonus for some already-overpaid government proxy, accountable to no one.
Actually, as a conservative and a hard-working, self-sufficient person, I have no problem with the idea of providing a modest income for current retirees, whether those individuals saved for their own retirement or did not.
But, like most government programs, social security has now expanded far beyond it’s original purpose.
And since it was built like a ponzi scheme, no amount of additional funding will ever support it.
Hmmm… Maybe the government should enforce a policy of 100% smokers. Cut down some life expectancy!
Bismark introducted SS. He set the date of retirement 1 year after the average life expectancy.
Where in the hell does JCD find these Bozos?
If someone who so misunderstands the SS system this badly can be an editor here we might as well have Boboo as an editor.
#17 Amen!!
This while complaint that someone doesn’t deserve something from which they paid in is obscene!!
A lot of bitter people with nothing better to do than complain about retired people getting the money they deserve (in most cases) for working their whole lives and paying in. Give me a break.
Jeez, #19 more bitterness.
Also #16, you say “as a conservative” just like all those other nutjobs who think saying that makes you holier than thou!! Oh I’m a “conservative” look at me. Oh, you “liberals”, you’re all scum……ho hum….That’s the downfall of “conservatives” they are all about the bashing of everyone not like them. Tells you a lot about their character. Why do the “conservatives” always feel they need to play name calling games? The “conservatives” are the whole reason this country is in this mess now. So you can take your name calling and hatred and shove it up your you know what.
21…
Wrong #16. I’m a big proponent of the Canada Pension Plan. I also love my universal health care! I can play in traffic all day and not worry about going bankrupt paying for repairs!
# 23 Uncle Dave said, “Do I have to add an idiot’s guide to each item I post? ”
Well, when you say it is unlike conservatives to want to get money back from the gov’t that was taken from them, an idiot something is needed…
#24: Still don’t get it, eh? You are not getting “money back.” The money you put in went to others. You are taking money from current workers.
# 25 Uncle Dave said, “#24: Still don’t get it, eh?”
You still don’t get accounting, do you?
#16 Named said
“Bismark introduced SS.”
He did, as a tax. Pure and simple. Quick way to raise money.
Made sense to Roosevelt.
Who would think the world would change so much that the government should provide an ‘entitlement’ to damn near everyone who could stumble their way into this country, let alone be born here.
It was, and is, a tax.
#19 WmDE said
“It was explained to me at a young age that if I wanted a job, I had to have a Social Security Number. This card allowed me to pay 7% of my pay to the government. It also allowed my employer to pay the government for the pleasure of hiring me. The government explained that they were just keeping the the funds for me and would let me have it back when I was almost dead.”
It was explained to me (some 50 years ago – of course I’m just a poor old country kid who attended public schools) that it was a way to help keep the old, poor people from dying in abject poverty.
But……….
correction I meant #19
UNCLE DAVE……sure the money they are using to pay you back now is from current workers…..but that’s only because they stole and mismanaged the funds all along. It still doesn’t negate the fact that you’re getting SOMETHING back for WHAT YOU PUT IN!!!! Do you get it now?
I’m at the end of the baby boom. When I retire many other people will be withdrawing. Unfortunately, when I retire it will likely be the original retirement age, not he raise retirement age that needn’t have been raised. I hear all the time that SS is in trouble but the fact is that it’s never actually gotten to the point of being in trouble. It’s always the future. Of course, this doesn’t mean it won’t be if we don’t continue working on it.
Fact of the matter is, it only seems to get into trouble when the far right talks about it (or libertarians). Too bad for them and unfortunately, me, if they continue to hold any power. I might see some of the money “back” when I retire but I’ll be relying mostly on other plans because the far right still has too much power to take that money away.
And remember, if Bush’s plan had gone into affect, SSN would really be in trouble currently because of the financial meltdown we’re under due to reversal of regulations by him, his buddies and other far rightists before.
You want things to work better and markets to do better, get liberals into office.
# 30 gmknobl said, “And remember, if Bush’s plan had gone into affect, SSN would really be in trouble”
Irrelevant. There is currently, ZERO money in the SS Trust fund. You can’t get “more in trouble” than that…
#25 – Unk
>>Still don’t get it, eh?
>>You are not getting “money back.” The money
>>you put in went to others. You are taking
>>money from current workers.
I don’t get it either. Is that a problem? If I put $1000 in the bank last week and take it out today, I’m not getting “money back”; they gave my money to someone else, and I’m getting yet another person’s money “back”.
#32 Well said.
31,
Not true. The SS fund is stuffed with IOU’s and T-bills.