Why Are Conservative Repubs Against Social Security?

[Macadamia Daze]

I think privatizing SS would be a good idea. I just hate leaving something as important as retirement in the hands of a government which has proven time and time again to be incompetent and corrupt. So I prefer private solutions for helping those in need.

[Citadelgrad87]

Um, excuse me right back. NOBODY, exactly NOBODY is calling SS recipient lazy, that is a lie.

It is a fact that social security was instituted at a time when workers had a life expectancy of 2 years after retirement, now it's 30 years. There were FAR more payers than takers at the time, and it was specifically stated by FDR that it was not supposed to be a replacement for retirement.

It is going bankrupt, that's not a party position, that's a mathematical certainty. There isn't enough money to keep running it the way it is being run, but you disgusting liberals just want to whislt off the cliff and ignore reality, or, worse, people like you pretend that republicans want to screw the elderly.

See what that gets us in 10 years, oh caring one.

[BALD EAGLE 1776]

because they never liked it from day 1

[Gentlemenqueen876]

Here are my issues with social security.

1) the money goes to the general fund and it is spent by the head politician in charge aka congress. They can't control spending, so we are throwing our money away right now.
2) government has made promises it cannot keep and the program is bleeding money aka its spends more than it takes in.
3) too many people get disability and it is too easy to get on. Since Obama has been president the disability payments for this program have exploded.
4) Stocks and other investments earn on average 8% rate of return. We get no interest on our money
5) This program is structured like a Ponzi scheme. The population is not growing fast enough and there are not enough workers paying into the system to fund the retirement promises to all of the baby boomers much less the current citizens that are 18 to 40 years old.
6) This program was designed in the 1930's when the average person lived to be 65 to 68 years old. Today people are living until the late 80's and get 20 to 30 years of benefits when it was designed for 5 to maybe 10. Therefore they get more in benefits than they ever paid into the system. Retirement age needs to be increased to 67 or 70.
7) People treat SS like their personal retirement program and therefore they do not save enough money because they are too intent on "keeping up with the Jones's" (houses, cars, iphones, etc.) so they are completely reliant on this program due to their own stupidity. Then they whine that they paid into the system and that they deserve more money.
8) If I die early, the government confiscates everything I put into the system. My ex-wife would get supported, but she is my ex-wife for a reason. I should be able to transfer this to my children.

My parents worked hard and also paid into this system. However they were smart with their money and saved a boat load of money and made good investments. Its not that this program is bad, it is poorly run and poorly structured. If we were forced to invest 20% of our income into a "safe" investments for our own personal use that were endorsed by the government and we were forced to put 20% of this money to help support the poor in their old age, then the program has a fighting chance and more people will be happy with the program.

I should be allowed to will my balances to my children instead of the government confiscating it. This is how you build wealth and even the poor can do this.