* pop usofa "Federal Benefit Payment"

[SumDumGuy]

The government is now referring to our Social Security checks as a "Federal Benefit Payment."

This isn't a benefit. It is our money paid out of our earned income! Not only did we all contribute

to Social Security but our employers did too. It totaled 15% of our income before taxes.

 

If you averaged $30K per year over your working life, that's close to $180,000 invested in Social

Security. If you calculate the future value of your monthly invest-ment in social security

($375/month, including both you and your employers contributions) at a meager 1% interest rate

compounded monthly, after 40 years of working you'd have more than $1.3+ million dollars saved!

This is your personal investment. Upon retirement, if you took out only 3% per year, you'd receive

$39,318 per year, or $3,277 per month.

 

That's almost three times more than today's average Social Security benefit of $1,230 per month,

according to the Social Security Administration. (Google it – it’s a fact).

 

And your retirement fund would last more than 33 years (until you're 98 if you retire at age 65)! I

can only imagine how much better most average-income people could live in retirement if our

government had just invested our money in low-risk interest-earning accounts.

 

Instead, the folks in Washington pulled off a bigger Ponzi scheme than Bernie Madoff ever did.

They took our money and used it elsewhere. They forgot (oh yes, they knew) that it was OUR

money they were taking. They didn't have a referendum to ask us if we wanted to lend the money

to them. And they didn't pay interest on the debt they assumed. And recently they've told us that

the money won't support us for very much longer. (Isn't it funny that they NEVER say this about

welfare payments?)

 

But is it our fault they misused our investments? And now, to add insult to injury, they're calling it

a benefit, as if we never worked to earn every penny of it.

 

Just because they borrowed the money doesn't mean that our investments were a charity!

Let's take a stand. We have earned our right to Social Security and Medicare. Demand that our

legislators bring some sense into our government.

 

Find a way to keep Social Security and Medicare going for the sake of that 92% of our population

who need it.

 

Then call it what it is: Our Earned Retirement Income.

 

 

 

-- Terry Harmych

[mhr]

 

Just because they borrowed the money doesn't mean that our investments were a charity!

Let's take a stand. We have earned our right to Social Security and Medicare. Demand that our

legislators bring some sense into our government.

 

Find a way to keep Social Security and Medicare going for the sake of that 92% of our population

who need it.

 

Then call it what it is: Our Earned Retirement Income.

 

Hear, Hear - Foxx For President!

[lissa]

thank you, foxx. that needed to be said.

[Dreamingcoyote]

Robbed our SS funds to buy more BOMBS!

[Steady1]

Thanks Foxx,

 

I'm sick, tired and disgusted at having social security referred to as though it were a some sort of unearned charitable event that one should be ashamed of.

Bull Hockey, that social security check was earned by over fifty years of "forced contributions". Unfortunately, earned social security retirement income

has been thrown into the barrel of charitable benefits that our benign government so generously distributes.

[dave-0]

A couple of things I learned from my dad. He qualified for Social Security, although I never will. He said when Social Secufity came out in the 30s, it was hailed as the greatest system on earth. In fact, after a few years of operation and contributions from everyone's paychecks, there was a time of real plenty with respect to SS funding pool. So much so that politicians and citizens alike reveled in the idea that their retirements were now 'secure'. Not only that, but people who didn't even pay into the system, like farmers and some laborers, were encouraged to sign up for SS. He had an uncle that had a farm in Illinois. No contributions ever, but he was told he could sign up for the gravy train. He did and drew a SS pension after he 'retired'.

 

But our country is based on debt, at least since 1913, 1934, and 1974. And wherever there is actual money in funding pools, they need to be depleted, because expedience always triumphs over wisdom. I've been paying into a broken system too, called the CSRS. It is just like any other old style pension funding that has been depleted so that some war could be fought (in this case, Vietnam, Johnson era). Eventually, money will have to be 'printed' in order to pay those promised some pittance. As my dad has said many a time, you make your own retirement. It's great to have SS, CSRS, or any other defined benefit, but don't count on it being there -- the only thing left now is borrowing at tomorrow's expense.

[siyotanka]

Yes, I love SS...and the fact that once you "hit" 65 you have to have Medicare...oh, and did they tell me, we had to pay for it? Well, my wifely unit turns 65 next month...and guess what, she has to sign up for Medicare. Oh, and did they tell her it would cost $140 a month? Conveniently deducted from her SS check. Looking at ALL the informational lies they sent her...it said it would only cost $104 a month....well, guess what, for ALL new Medicare recipients starting 1/1/16 they upped the cost to the $140...not one dambed thing in writing about this increase...BOHICA! The crappola about all this is my previous life provides me health insurance for life...yes that is correct...and I pay the extra to have my wife on my personal insurance. BUT, the good ol' GUBBERMINT sez I have to have Medicare....Phutttttt!