America Turns Inward in Tough Times

I don't think reporters have fully understood that most boomers won't retire until they are 67 or 69, NOT 65. I worked until the day I was 65, and yet I don't get full social security because for 25 years of my life I was in business with my ex-husband and so do not qualify. The only years that qualify are when I worked for wages!!

Now the earliest "boomer" born in 1945 won't qualify for social security until 2012, three years from now.

Those born in 1955 (after this date they become "baby busters") won't qualify until 2022! And not even then - unless at some point they paid into it.

Originally, it was Social Security INSURANCE but the wisdom of Washington DC took that program and placed the money into the regualr budget instead of a separate fund, and since they have always overspent, there went the social security funding! People forget this, but I am old enough to remember. I also feel that those few who are wealthy should not be receiving these funds even if they paid into it - consider it INSURANCE not golf fees!

I don't know what will happen to this program in the future, but wives who expect to live on one-half of what their husbands made had better look for other income in their retirement years. If he was self-employed, they won't get social security at all unless they were full partners (legally) in the business.

That's a fact, unless laws have changed recently.

Grammy of CA 1:43AM September 07, 2009