Social Security Poll

[Dufrel]

With all the comments about what is wrong with social security I see very few suggestions on how to fix it. So what would you do to remedy the problem?

If you have a solution other then what I have listed or a combination of both feel free to add it in.

[Dufrel]

Personally I would raise the retirement age and allow for some private investing of Social Security.

[potter]

Personally I would raise the retirement age and allow for some private investing of Social Security.

I would rather invest more during my peak earning years and retire at an early enough age that I can do something besides waddle around the house with a cane....

Shit...I don't want to work my ENTIRE life.... as it is now, I can't reture until 67(?) which leaves me what 10, 15 years of being able to do anything?

[3ChipDave]

Slowly phase it out while slowly phasing in a leaner, meaner safety net for only the low income seniors of tomorrow. The less money the Feds take out, the more money we have to invest. Add a strong econ/financial education initiative in high schools at the same time that teaches the young to make money work for them.

[Fredfredson]

Add a strong econ/financial education initiative in high schools at the same time that teaches the young to make money work for them.

Sounds good to me.

While we're at it do the following:

Put the Dollar back on a gold standard.

Forgive all foreign debt, public or private.

Abrogate all debt public or private.

Seal the borders to immigration of ANY kind.

Break globalization by mandating continental US production of all primary and strategic economic goods. Imports of raw material ONLY.

Essentially wipe the slate clean and start over.

Likely? Nope

Necessary? Yes

F
:pooter

[Geezer38]

Add a strong econ/financial education initiative in high schools at the same time that teaches the young to make money work for them.

I'm ambivalent about many of the solutions proposed but I do think that it's criminal to allow kids to graduate into the adult world without any education as to how to handle money. Someone needs to let them know early on that you can do more with money than spend it and you have a choice in life of working all of your life and spending it all, or work for years and make some of their money work for years too. If kids knew about that option and how their money could eventually earn more than they can earn, it might make a lot of difference in their lives.

I think that it must be taught in schools because they can't learn it from parents that have never known anything about growing money.

[infinite chaos]

There was a government consultation here for teachers (who have a pretty good but not as good as it was) Pension allowance.

There are additional payments you can make and there are schemes that work within the tax benefit allowance so that you can add to your pension BEFORE the tax is paid. Only problem is that it's not as efficient as the direct pension payments we make.

My chosen option for all (not just teachers) would be to allow us choice on how much we can pay in various taxes - within reason - so that WE choose the effect on pensions and social security vs some of the other things our taxes pay for.

[infinite chaos]

Seal the borders to immigration of ANY kind.

Break globalization by mandating continental US production of all primary and strategic economic goods. Imports of raw material ONLY.



1 - So you'd also accept that American citizens should not be allowed to emigrate and work in other countries? You'd agree to stop poaching highly trained British nurses for your private hospitals? (We poach Spanish and South African Healthcare workers to replace the ones who go to America)

2 - You'd stop exports of American goods in response?

You can't (as the Far Right fail to understand) have it one way only I'm afraid.

[thaanatos]

You can't (as the Far Right fail to understand) have it one way only I'm afraid.

omigorsh, did you just call Fred a member of the Far Right? I think I must have missed a lot while I was gone!

[Fredfredson]

:eek

1 - So you'd also accept that American citizens should not be allowed to emigrate and work in other countries? You'd agree to stop poaching highly trained British nurses for your private hospitals? (We poach Spanish and South African Healthcare workers to replace the ones who go to America)

2 - You'd stop exports of American goods in response?


Yes, Yes and Yes

F
:pooter

[sir digalot]

shoot anyone over 65 and give their money to everyone else?

(easier to implement then fred's plan, more popular with the NRA, and also means we will not get a doddering president in his 70's :lol )

sometimes i feel so welcome being an immigrant in another country, no matter how hard i try to assimilate into the culture... :\

[infinite chaos]

You can't (as the Far Right fail to understand) have it one way only I'm afraid.

omigorsh, did you just call Fred a member of the Far Right? I think I must have missed a lot while I was gone!

No I didn't however his ideas are very much like those of the extreme far right.

If you see his later response, you'll see how ludicrous they are. The only people who condone restricting travel in or out of any countries tend to be of some extreme view. I've lived in countries run by Dictators and come across posters from people who have such views. They're not funny, they're not open to debate and they tend to also like the idea of putting people who disagree up against a wall and shooting them.

The only American Export I'd like to see reduced is it's over-generous export of Greenhouse Gasses.

[silverkitty39]

1 - So you'd also accept that American citizens should not be allowed to emigrate and work in other countries? You'd agree to stop poaching highly trained British nurses for your private hospitals? (We poach Spanish and South African Healthcare workers to replace the ones who go to America) #ed_op#BR#ed_cl##ed_op#BR#ed_cl#How do you propose to keep all Americans from emigrating or leaving to work in another country? How tall would the fence have to be, and how deeply embedded would it have to be? The old USSR tried that , and even under the threat of death a few still escaped.#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[fancyred]

Wow, sorry, but I am seeing some very sick answers to this. The ones that made this country great are 65 and older. I see the thanks these people get by some of the answers. Yeah right, shoot them and give their money to everyone else. sheeeeeeeeeeeeeesh

[freespirit]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I'm most disturbed by the suggestion that Americans be disallowed to emigrate! Yikes!! Isn't that a bit Iron Curtain? I've battled with myself over the idea of leaving, and have come to the conclusion that I am American FIRST and will stay to fight for the ideals she is supposed to stand for. However, should shit get too scary, I wanna be able to get the hell out.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Fredfredson]

Just to clarify, on futher reflection, the intent of my statements was to make sure that America looks after America first.

Emmigration is no where near the problem that Immigration is.

In fact I would modify my statement to say anybody wants to leave that's fine.

Legal Immigration is no problem either because we know who it is and why they are coming and can control the numbers.

If what I was suggesting sounds draconian, it is and it will ultimately be necessary because the alternative is chaos the outcome of which NOBODY will have any control of.

We either act now in the best interests of the country and destroy those systems which are strangling us, globalization, corporate control and political/ideological extremism, and start again or wait for some of us to try to raise this nation from the ashes of the fires of chaos that will come.

(That view is a kind of extremism in itself I realize)

If we wait too long to wipe the slate clean there will not be enough resources left to begin the rebuilding.

Globalization is a raceto the bottom that the planet cannot long survive, kill it now while the USA is the driver as it will be impossible once China and India get rolling. (It may actually be too late already :/ )

F
:pooter

[toolman846]

"If we wait too long to wipe the slate clean there will not be enough resources left to begin the rebuilding.

Globalization is a raceto the bottom that the planet cannot long survive, kill it now while the USA is the driver as it will be impossible once China and India get rolling. (It may actually be too late already )"

Truer words have seldom been spoken, Fred. :yay

[infinite chaos]

make sure that America looks after America first.


I have no problem with that. A government / country that does not take care of or provide for it's citizens wont survive long.

Emmigration is no where near the problem that Immigration is.
In fact I would modify my statement to say anybody wants to leave that's fine.
Legal Immigration is no problem either because we know who it is and why they are coming and can control the numbers.

At last you are beginning to come into the 21st centruy.

act now in the best interests of the country and destroy those systems which are strangling us, globalization, corporate control and political/ideological extremism, and start again or wait for some of us to try to raise this nation from the ashes of the fires of chaos that will come.

---------------snip-----------------------------------

Globalization is a raceto the bottom that the planet cannot long survive, kill it now while the USA is the driver as it will be impossible once China and India get rolling. (It may actually be too late already :/

So just like Great Britain before (I'm talking Imperial Great Britain) you want the US to have stripped other countries of their resources, developed your economy and been an Imperial Superpower - but now the Chinese and the Indians could take over you think we should stop all development, globalisation and economic advance?

Here in the UK, the BNP and National Front advocate gentle but firm (publicly they say gently) repatriation of immigrants. If the Developed West was to return all the proceeds from raping the third world, repay all the lost lives and suffering and return all the stolen resources then such a policy would find some merit amongst us immigrants.

Globally, we will solve environmental problems, globally we will try to settle wars and globally we will improve the health and financial wellbeing of mankind. America was built on the sweat and toil of slaves and immigrant labour. You owe too much to those people to have such a viewpoint Fredfredson.

[Fredfredson]

You owe too much to those people to have such a viewpoint Fredfredson.

I don't disagree really.

However, I have been calling for this kind of action for 20 fucking years. Nobody listened then and they aren't listening now.

We are out of time, If we don't intentionally break the system it will fail on it's own and the outcome, FOR EVERYONE will be worse.

Don't think that I'm saying that America would ride through the resulting chaos without a hitch, it won't. There is no "good" solutions here, just "less bad".

I think that knocking the globalized crapshoot out now is "less bad" than letting it fail on it's own.

It's the equivalent of bankruptcy proceedings for the whole global financial system.

F
:pooter

[infinite chaos]

I don't quite understand what you are arguing for there Fredfredson. However, as you seem to have moved on from your much earlier posts we seem to be in a closer position although the "Global" word remains a point of disagreement. I can accept that.