Why isn't anybody talking about the need to phase out Social Security and Medicare?

[Brad]

Medicare went bankrupt last year. Social Security will soon be bankrupt.

Yet, our "representatives" in Congress and the latest president who has failed to keep his oath of office (to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic; no president has kept this oath in at least 80 years, if not longer), have decided to propose an expansion of Medicare rather than making the necessary cuts to this insolvent program (think about how the socialists would react if private insurance companies and pension companies ran their finances like Medicare and Social Security, but of course socialists never apply the same standards to government that they do to the productive sector).

Social Security and Medicare are insolvent. Furthermore, they are undesirable programs that are a relic of a time when socialism was considered the wave of the future and the idea of economic freedom was considered outdated. Of course, these programs are considered politically sacrosanct and no politician wants to challenge them. This is why the ridiculous attempt by President Bush to "privatize" Social Security failed (I'm personally glad it failed, as it was an expansion of government power, but the way it failed says alot).

What I'd suggest as a solution is to change the laws so that the youth can have the option to opt out of these programs. I expect that you'll see a substantial opt-out rate, even among the numerous young socialists. I'd also suggest repealing Medicare Part D, the expansion of Medicare that was passed by the Bush administration. To fund these programs, I'd suggest selling off federal lands and also cutting wasteful spending elsewhere (one great source of spending cuts would be the bloated "defense" budget, which includes foreign military bases, a few wars of aggression, programs to attempt coups against foreign governments; I'd also suggest privatizing Amtrak and the Post Office and requiring these businesses to survive on their own merits; we also should probably end the Department of Energy and stop wasting money on "energy independence," which we have not attained after 3 decades of trying). If we slash spending elsewhere in the bloated federal budget, we can probably find enough money to keep Social Security and Medicare running for those dependent upon them. However, the long-term goal ought to be the restoration of the free market economy that once made this country great.

We need to face reality and recognize that we can no longer afford the welfare-warfare state and that the welfare-warfare state would be undesirable even if we could afford it. If we restore the free society that was abandoned in recent decades (enthusiastically by the socialists, but also less enthusiastically by the conservatives as a result of their greater desire to wage war against "godless communism" and "Islamo-fascism" and to promote "family values").

[Bob Loblaw]

Because it's a bad idea.

[Invisible]

I have personaly paid in over $200k for those. Can I get a check with my money back?

[chubbyairplane729]

The Social Security program has robbed over the years and the money was spent for pet projects and well as other needed projects to keep taxes down. They wrote I.O.U's for the money the congress took from the program. Now their stuck with a program that's running out of funds.

And people keep re-electing these CLOWNS back into office over and over again.

Vote out all incumbents this election AND DO YOUR COUNTRY A FAVOR !!!!!!!!

[Ben Dover]

Rush? Is that you?