How to Prepare for the End of Social Security

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Millions of under-educated, unskilled 18-19-year-olds are graduating from H.S. pouring out into the market with no chance of landing well-paying union jobs like their fathers had. They also have little chance of landing office jobs. Why? They have little or no value to the employers. For some reason, they have decided that their "version" of English is acceptable, i.e. "ME and my friend, we . . ." "Like, you know, like, it's like nobody will GIVE me like a job" and on and on. The average off-shore customer service rep has superior communication skills in English, as well as a better grasp of critical thinking.
Add to the "like" generation lingo the disgraceful "My friend and me, we axed (asked) about getting a job wit (with) goot (good) benefits but there ain't none.
The fact that we tolerate (don't challenge) their poor speech, slovenly dress, rude mouths guarantees their failure. I have a recurring dream that in order to graduate from high school, each student must pass an oral exam: Speak on any subject for 5-7 minutes, have it transcribed and, if more than an allotted number of errors occur, they just DON'T graduate. Period. An extra year in school wouldn't hurt one bit, and it might do some real good!

B Taxey of TX 1:11AM June 21, 2009

Millions of under-educated, unskilled 18-19-year-olds are graduating from H.S. pouring out into the market with no chance of landing well-paying union jobs like their fathers had. They also have little chance of landing office jobs. Why? They have little or no value to the employers. For some reason, they have decided that their "version" of English is acceptable, i.e. "ME and my friend, we . . ." "Like, you know, like, it's like nobody will GIVE me like a job" and on and on. The average off-shore customer service rep has superior communication skills in English, as well as a better grasp of critical thinking.
Add to the "like" generation lingo the disgraceful "My friend and me, we axed (asked) about getting a job wit (with) goot (good) benefits but there ain't none.
The fact that we tolerate (don't challenge) their poor speech, slovenly dress, rude mouths guarantees their failure. I have a recurring dream that in order to graduate from high school, each student must pass an oral exam: Speak on any subject for 5-7 minutes, have it transcribed and, if more than an allotted number of errors occur, they just DON'T graduate. Period. An extra year in school wouldn't hurt one bit, and it might do some real good!

B Taxey of TX 1:11AM June 21, 2009

Social security would not be in any trouble at all if the funds had stayed in the form they were before Bill Clinton decided to simply put them into circulation with the rest of the country's funds. The money is there, it is just not being allocated to social security any more.
Why are benefits not indexed according to need? I have known people with astronomical incomes in old age who still collected their social security every month, while others who were not so fortunate scraped by on the relatively small amount that ss provides. Remove the income cap on withholding, and place a needs-test on benefits. And start accounting honestly for the funds. End of problem.

propitiousmoment of CA 1:06AM June 21, 2009

YOU CAN ALL ARGUE AGAINST THE DEMOCRATS OR THE REPUBLICANS.
YOU CAN ARGUE THAT SOCIAL SECURITY IS UNFAIR, WHICH IT IS.
ALL THE OLD FARTS SHOULD JUST HANG TOGETHER-FROM A ROPE. THAT WON'T SOLVE ANYTHING. SOCIAL SECURITY IS A PONZI SCHEME; NEVER INTENDED TO ACT AS RETIREMENT.
WE HAVE ALL BEEN SCREWED AND SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER. IT IS NATURAL FOR US TO TRUST OUR ELECTED POLITICOS. WE TRUSTED THEM AND THEY ARE ONLY INTERESTED IN RE-ELECTION.
ALL THEY DO IN WASHINGTON IS FIGHT WITH EACH OTHER FOR POWER.
ALL THEY NEED IS FOR US TO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE PARTIES; AND IF WE DO THAT THEN THEY WILL WIN.
NONE OF THE ABOVE MEANS ANYTHING. AS SOON AS WASHINGTON GETS THE PRESSES GOING AND PRINTS ENOUGH MONOPOLY MONEY TO BUY MORE VOTES THEN MOST OF YOU WILL SELL YOURSELVES FOR ONE HATEFUL PARTY OR THE OTHER.
THEY SAY THAT THE AVERAGE I.Q. IS 100. THIS SIMPLY MEANS THAT 50% OF THE VOTERS CAN EASILY BE BOUGHT. THE ONLY WAY OUT IS WITH TEA.

FRANK, THE CRANK of CA 10:10PM June 20, 2009

my suggestion is that anyone that make over 500,000 a year for their 3 years of hightest earnings ( which bebufuts are based on ) is not eligible for Soc Sec at any age.
They can take care of themsleves.
There are too many wealthy people that do not even come close to needing Soc Sec but are collecting it until they die. As they are fully insured being in the top percentile, they can afford to keep their health insurance.
This should get us out of trouble until about the year 2099.

Scott M of GA 6:49PM June 20, 2009

one thing that is rarely mentioned in the mass media and even here is that there is an easy fix for this crisis that is 30 years off. remove the cap on social security witholding. it is currently around 100,000 (and i am sure a subsequent comment will improve the accuracy of my approximation). any income above the wage cap is simply not taxed for social security, taxes are income tax only. this will go a long way towards closing the money gap.
a second solution that is mentioned even less is to increase the witholding rate that both employers and employees pay into the system. it is really very simple and all we have been hearing for years is the neocon republican litany of how social security benefits must be cut/trimmed/reduced etc. no one (including democrats and almost everyone else) recalls the other side of the economic coin: raising cashflow into the system is more effective to building a sound system than reducung costs so most folks live a life of semistarvation. and as mentioned above, don't borrow the surplus for other things.

ernie entwood of ME 10:42PM June 19, 2009

I am 67 years old and have supported alot of people with my payment into Social Security since age 12,YES I am retired but not by choice,and had to file backruptcy due to Medical bills for 21 surgeries since 1989 Terminal Cancer,and I had Insurance.
Now I am unable to work,but want to,and still have my CDL for driving 18 wheelers,I had planned on working until I was 71 when my CDL,by Law has to be renewed with a cost of over $200.00,and aDOT physical every year after that age,and would have continued to support those who went before me.
It seems that the present Generation X is so self centered as to even ignore the fact that as they sit and cry like the small children they are,screaming foul,unfair,I am being cheated,well that is why we are in this fix cause no one,(including Generation X),kept watch on those elected to care for our future intrests,and now you have done it again by being so self centered,serving and gratifiying as to think you as an indivdual have all the rights,and those that are in dire straights that helped you get where you are were just so many steping stone on who's back you gained the upper hand to enjoy a better income and benefits than we did because we fought for them for you and now that we are old we have become a burden and you want us out of the way in your Pursuit Of Happiness.
Well if it were not for these old people with all the knowledge,and how to apply it you would never have had the oppertuniy to reach you presumtive,assinine "GOD COMPLEX" which is a form of mental illness,but thne you are all seeing,knowing and have the right solution to your future problems....."NOT"!!!
It will take all of us to rectify these problem,not just us old people,unless this X Generation lacks the intestinal fortitude to care for something else other than good time .booze,broads,and drugs,and learn some respect for those that preceeded them and won their freedom to cry like infants for lack of their binky!
What I am saying is Put Up or Shut Up,and quit undermining your bettrs,until you have learned by age,and become one of us................

Gilbert Soto of OR 9:44PM June 19, 2009

What a shame that some young people won't know the struggles today's seniors have faced until they themselves struggle and find themselves old. Yes, families should help each other. What about the unfortunate people who have out lived their family? Should we "put them to sleep" like we do animals who are no longer wanted or productive? Present day seniors have also paid into this fund all their lives and helped others. It is not their fault that our elected officials have raped the funds they paid in. I feel sorry for all the young people who think like "Mark"--"An Act of War"--comment. What misery looms ahead for our country with a generation that thinks like that.

Carol Johnson of IL 7:52PM June 19, 2009

As it is presently constituted, Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid are acts of war against Generation X and the Millennials. The ONLY moral and ethical solution is the immediate ERADICATION of these programs, root and branch.
CUT. THEM. OFF. NOW.
It is immoral to rob a worker of his earnings to subsidize the unearned leisure time (and medical care, for Medicare recipients) of an elder that that worker doesn't know and will never see. Worse yet, it deprives that worker of resources that he/she needs to provide for his/her OWN family.
If potential retirees bought into the central government's promises of "retirement security" and didn't provide for themselves, then tough. Let them go to their families for help; that's what families are for. If that doesn't work, then too bad. There is absolutely NO reason for my family to have to suffer because of someone else's incompetence and failure to provide for themselves. If a non-government person/group pointed a gun at me and said "Give me your money so I can give it to this elderly person over here", we'd call it ROBBERY. That person would be prosecuted and sent to jail. If the State does it, we call it "Social Security". Morally, what is the difference ?
Here's a more moral deal: I take care of mine, and you take care of yours.
End Social Security NOW. End Medicare and Medicaid NOW ! Stop the War against Generation X !

Mark Andrews of NY 7:18PM June 19, 2009

Do we realize that every problem facing Americans today can be placed at the door of our elected officials? SocSec has been raided by them consistently for purposes other than the original intent.
Our financial woes are due to Congress repealing the laws put there after the Great Depression to ensure that never would happen again. Congress caved to business interests to do away with those protections so business offered mortgages that were unsupportable.
Our dwindling employment opportunities and lower salaries are due to companies being allowed to just move out to other countries where folks are paid next to nothing AND to allow illegals into the country which drives salaries down for the rest of us.
Again, this is Congress pleasing business interests rather than representing the public.
More bankruptcies are caused by medical issues than any other, and these are middle class folks who had insurance.
We are the only western nation that does not have a public health care option - and when we do get it, unlike other nations, ours will probably also cover illegals or at least the huge broods they have in this country to ensure that their kids get benefits all their lives.
It is the greed of our government, representing business and not the people, that has caused these problems and they are continuing. We, the people, are expected to bail them out of the mess that they have caused.

Joan Dalton of AL 6:48PM June 19, 2009