Why don't Republican candidates like McCain/Palin propose to do away or reduce Social Security Taxes?

[John D]

Social Security is with little doubt, the most socialist and even communist program we have. Why don't Republicans attack it and propose to do away with it if they are so against "socialism"?

Why is only proposal Republican candidates have is to privatize SS and pump money into the stock market and thus into the hands of the corporations? Imagine if SS was invested into the likes of Enron and all these financial companies!

Could it be true that Republicans want the very "handouts" they attack? Do they want the government to take care of them when they are retired but just won't admit it? Can't they be fiscally responsible and save for their own retirement?

[blamewhitey4it]

They have proposed individual accounts that politicians could not get their hands on. Look at it now. SS goes into the general revenue fund. It is being spent not saved and soon will be bankrupt. How do you think Bill Clinton showed a surplus. He counted in the SS fund. Notice the national debt went up each year. What are you going to do when it does not exist. YEt you have paid in and will not be able to draw?

[DAR]

Ron Paul does, for the young, while funding vested interests already 'paid for' by contributions by drastically reducing the empire.

He also never voted to raid Social Security funds, and spend it on anything other than those who had paid in for benefits, as it was originally intended. Had they stuck to that, it would be in good shape.

[clano5]

Even if they did submit such a proposal it would never get through. There are too many people who rely on it currently (who didn't start their own retirement funds and now it's too late) and too many people who are taking advantage of it and don't want to lose the meal ticket (ss pays for disability too). Also, it has turned into a bank account for the government to spend and borrow against. I don't think anyone is really interested in getting rid of it except those of us paying into it without hope of future benefits.

[zackadoo]

A Day in the Life of Joe Republican

Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to ensure their safety and that they work as advertised.
All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer's medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance - now Joe gets it too.
He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.
In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some crybaby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained.
Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for the laws to stop industries from polluting our air.
He walks on the government-provided sidewalk to subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.
Joe begins his work day. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe's employer pays these standards because Joe's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union.
If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he'll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some stupid liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.
It is noontime and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe's deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some godless liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression.
Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae-underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some elitist liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime. Joe also forgets that his in addition to his federally subsidized student loans, he attended a state funded university.
Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards to go along with the tax-payer funded roads.
He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers' Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans.
The house didn't have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification.
He is happy to see his father, who is now retired. His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn't have to
Joe gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn't mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day. Joe agrees: "We don't need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I'm a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have."