Investors lose a trillion dollars in one day

[Riot]

Gee - if only our Social Security funds were privatized in the stock market, like the Republicans want.

[Clip-Clop]

Originally Posted by Riot

Gee - if only our Social Security funds were privatized in the stock market, like the Republicans want.

Losing 10-15% would be far better than losing 100% though, no?

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Clip-Clop

Losing 10-15% would be far better than losing 100% though, no?

We haven't lost anything. We've paid 100% of our social security debt on time, always, and always will. Social Security is fully solvent through 2037, and everyone knows it.

Wall Street has always had lobbyists complaining about Social Security, in an attempt to get it out of the governments hands, and into private hands so they can steal what they can from those billions. Screaming that there isn't a pile of actual physical cash sitting there - and that somehow that is wrong?! - is an old, old scam from the Reagan years.

Peoples private retirement funds have been decimated on Wall Street in the past 10 years. Thank god for Social Security as the government fail safe fallback for them. That's exactly what it's there for.

[joeydb]

Originally Posted by Riot

We haven't lost anything. We've paid 100% of our social security debt on time, always, and always will. Social Security is fully solvent through 2037, and everyone knows it.

That's today. Wait until our creditors do cut us off and then there is no way to pay the "unfunded mandates" (what an oxymoron).

That's apparently what the liberal Democrats want since they won't agree to cut spending - and taxes are already way too high.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by joeydb

That's today. Wait until our creditors do cut us off and then there is no way to pay the "unfunded mandates" (what an oxymoron).

Baloney. You are not entitled to make up crap out of thin air. Facts matter.

First: we have no trouble paying our bills, We have no anticipation of trouble paying our bills in the future.

Plenty of countries have a worse debt to GDP ratio than we do (and have retained their AAA rating - oh, and all remaining current AAA rated countries have national health care, btw)

The only reason our creditors would cut us off is if the Tea Party got it's way, and we agreed to not pay our bills by not raising the debt ceiling. That nonsensical temper tantrum by the Tea Party is what caused S & P to downgrade us. It's not the financial facts (S & P was off by $2 trillion on our debt! Treasury correct them and they still downrated us, which is bs) - S & P downrated us because the Republican party is acting like irresponsible idiots.

That's apparently what the liberal Democrats want since they won't agree to cut spending - and taxes are already way too high.

More baloney.

Facts: the Democrats cut spending in every single deal on the table during the debt negotiations, it is the GOP Tea Party faction that refused the deals for $4 trillion, making us take the lesser deal for $2 trillion.

And your taxes have literally never been lower, and Obama has helped lower them.

Stop repeating the false right-wing lies. It's beyond absurd.

[joeydb]

Originally Posted by Riot

Baloney. You are not entitled to make up crap out of thin air. Facts matter.

First: we have no trouble paying our bills, We have no anticipation of trouble paying our bills in the future.

Plenty of countries have a worse debt to GDP ratio than we do (and have retained their AAA rating - oh, and all remaining current AAA rated countries have national health care, btw)

The only reason our creditors would cut us off is if the Tea Party got it's way, and we agreed to not pay our bills by not raising the debt ceiling. That nonsensical temper tantrum by the Tea Party is what caused S & P to downgrade us. It's not the financial facts (S & P was off by $2 trillion on our debt! Treasury correct them and they still downrated us, which is bs) - S & P downrated us because the Republican party is acting like irresponsible idiots.



More baloney.

Facts: the Democrats cut spending in every single deal on the table during the debt negotiations, it is the GOP Tea Party faction that refused the deals for $4 trillion, making us take the lesser deal for $2 trillion.

And your taxes have literally never been lower, and Obama has helped lower them.

Stop repeating the false right-wing lies. It's beyond absurd.

Bull Riot. I am not one of the 47% of people in the country who don't pay income taxes. I'm getting creamed.

We can currently pay the interest on the loans. Is that what you mean by "no trouble paying our bills"? When is the principal going to be reduced? It has not been reduced in 51 years! THAT is why the rating went down. And I have news for you - we don't deserve AA+ either.

We have to SPEND LESS THAN WE TAKE IN. Literally, not rhetorically: do the math!

[Riot]

Originally Posted by joeydb

Bull Riot. I am not one of the 47% of people in the country who don't pay income taxes. I'm getting creamed.

What is your tax bracket? The facts are, your taxes have never been lower.

If you want to pay zero, and are angry you think other people are getting something you are not, I suggest you move to another country. This is a society where we all contribute to our common good through income tax.

Alot of that 47% btw, as opposed to the Faux News screaming about welfare queens (left over from the Reagan years) are very, very wealthy people, who pay far less a percentage than you.

Why are you not mad at them? It makes no sense to me.

We can currently pay the interest on the loans. Is that what you mean by "no trouble paying our bills"? When is the principal going to be reduced? It has not been reduced in 51 years!

Yes, Joey, we have no trouble paying our bills. Yes, we have to curb spending.

But this has been two months of false, ginned-up Republican electoral rage about nothing. It's pure political theatre, meant to harm Obama.

We should have raised the debt ceiling routinely as we always do - as we have 79 times before - two months ago, then congress could have spent all the time they wanted on cutting things out of future spending. Congress didn't do that. The Republicans chose political theatre over helping this country. They are toast.

THAT is why the rating went down. And I have news for you - we don't deserve AA+ either.

Our rating went down because the Republicans spent two months in Kabuki theatre, and that's exactly what S & P said in their press release announcing it.

We have to SPEND LESS THAN WE TAKE IN. Literally, not rhetorically: do the math!

Then I suggest we raise our revenues back up to where they were before Bush gave it away. Because that's when we could spend less than what we took in. Bush decimated our income - that's the fact of it, and that alone with his wars s responsible for 1/2 our current debt.

You do the math - we cannot "cut" our way to prosperity. The math doesn't work. It's impossible. We need to have the income we had before Bush gave it away. Only a small portion of that is due to the recession.

[Clip-Clop]

Originally Posted by Riot

We haven't lost anything. We've paid 100% of our social security debt on time, always, and always will. Social Security is fully solvent through 2037, and everyone knows it.

Wall Street has always had lobbyists complaining about Social Security, in an attempt to get it out of the governments hands, and into private hands so they can steal what they can from those billions. Screaming that there isn't a pile of actual physical cash sitting there - and that somehow that is wrong?! - is an old, old scam from the Reagan years.

Peoples private retirement funds have been decimated on Wall Street in the past 10 years. Thank god for Social Security as the government fail safe fallback for them.

I am 36, have paid over 100K in my 20 years of working and paying taxes. Do you think that solvent through 2037 means anything at all to me?
It means I get to continue paying for another 26 years (est 150K) and get nothing for it.
Stop with the 2037 already. Find a new rationale.

[joeydb]

Originally Posted by Clip-Clop

I am 36, have paid over 100K in my 20 years of working and paying taxes. Do you think that solvent through 2037 means anything at all to me?
It means I get to continue paying for another 26 years (est 150K) and get nothing for it.
Stop with the 2037 already. Find a new rationale.

This is what liberals consider to be fairness. You work your ass off, and instead of getting principal plus interest, you get a modest payment per month until you croak, assuming it's solvent. However, the good news is that someone else who didn't work as long, as hard, or earn as much gets supplemented from your funds. In fact, if they're illegal aliens or a lifelong welfare recipient, they get infinite yield since they invested nothing.

[Clip-Clop]

Originally Posted by joeydb

This is what liberals consider to be fairness. You work your ass off, and instead of getting principal plus interest, you get a modest payment per month until you croak, assuming it's solvent. However, the good news is that someone else who didn't work as long, as hard, or earn as much gets supplemented from your funds. In fact, if they're illegal aliens or a lifelong welfare recipient, they get infinite yield since they invested nothing.

Yes, that.

[Riot]

[quote=joeydb;798537]This is what liberals consider to be fairness. You work your ass off, and instead of getting principal plus interest, you get a modest payment per month until you croak, assuming it's solvent.[/QUOTE

If only you bothered with facts. The truth is, that most people get more out of Social Security and Medicare than they put in.

You know, that's why you have been told to scream it's broke?

You can't have it both ways

[Clip-Clop]

[quote=Riot;798575]

Originally Posted by joeydb

This is what liberals consider to be fairness. You work your ass off, and instead of getting principal plus interest, you get a modest payment per month until you croak, assuming it's solvent.[/QUOTE

If only you bothered with facts. The truth is, that most people get more out of Social Security and Medicare than they put in.

You know, that's why you have been told to scream it's broke?

You can't have it both ways

And THAT is exactly the problem. Well put.

[joeydb]

Originally Posted by Riot

If only you bothered with facts. The truth is, that most people get more out of Social Security and Medicare than they put in.

Uhhh... isn't that where debt comes from?

So much for it being successful. It's a sinkhole. It's a loser. It needs to go.

[Danzig]

[quote=Riot;798575]

Originally Posted by joeydb

This is what liberals consider to be fairness. You work your ass off, and instead of getting principal plus interest, you get a modest payment per month until you croak, assuming it's solvent.[/QUOTE

If only you bothered with facts. The truth is, that most people get more out of Social Security and Medicare than they put in.
You know, that's why you have been told to scream it's broke?

You can't have it both ways

which is exactly why there needs to be real reform of ss, medicare, and medicaid. it's a continuing increase in spending-something has to be done with those programs, which take-what, half or more of the federal budget? that percentage continues to increase, which is one of the reasons we're having to rethink our budgeting, including tax increases.
it's not a matter of paying the money out-it's the fact that we can't continue to borrow to pay our bills, with us only paying down interest. sooner or later it becomes too big of a bill, much like all the people who treated their home equity lines of credit as an atm-and then couldn't believe the fallout.

our 'entitlement' programs (which shouldn't be called that, we pay for them) are becoming an ever-increasing part of the budget, and it's not going to get better unless there are changes made.
had the govt not borrowed those funds, they wouldn't have to borrow, with interest, to pay that money back out now-but that is water under the bridge.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Clip-Clop

I am 36, have paid over 100K in my 20 years of working and paying taxes. Do you think that solvent through 2037 means anything at all to me?
It means I get to continue paying for another 26 years (est 150K) and get nothing for it.
Stop with the 2037 already. Find a new rationale.

Facts matter : Social security is solvent at 100% of payouts to 2037, and after that can pay out of 78% of current benefits if we do nothing at all.

If you are worried, then why are you supporting the political party that is tearing Social Security apart? Why don't you support the political party that wants to do the usual tweeks we do every few years to Social Security, to keep it the reliable, 100% successful retirement safety net it has always been? One of the most successful programs in the world.

[Clip-Clop]

Originally Posted by Riot

Facts matter : Social security is solvent at 100% of payouts to 2037, and after that can pay out of 78% of current benefits if we do nothing at all.

If you are worried, then why are you supporting the political party that is tearing Social Security apart? Why don't you support the political party that wants to do the usual tweeks we do every few years to Social Security, to keep it the reliable, 100% successful retirement safety net it has always been? One of the most successful programs in the world.

FYI I support no political party or politician, frankly I would like to see the whole thing taken down and started over from scratched based entirely on some well written and well thought out guidelines.

I wonder if such a document exists...

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Clip-Clop

FYI I support no political party or politician, frankly I would like to see the whole thing taken down and started over from scratched based entirely on some well written and well thought out guidelines.

I wonder if such a document exists...

Yes, it's the Constitution, where one of the first and most important tenents is that our government has the power to tax for the common good of us all. Like ensuring our elderly no longer die in poverty, without health care, on the streets like they used to before we decided to make Social Security and Medicare as safety nets.

Don't forget - those programs came out of need.

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by Clip-Clop

I am 36, have paid over 100K in my 20 years of working and paying taxes. Do you think that solvent through 2037 means anything at all to me?
It means I get to continue paying for another 26 years (est 150K) and get nothing for it.
Stop with the 2037 already. Find a new rationale.

exactly, Riot acts like 2037 is the distant future. its right around the freaking corner! it affects basically everyone under the age of 40. to believe its "okay" is one of the most selfish things i've ever heard.

Yeah, lets just throw all the burden on the younger generations. who gives a rats ass about them as long as I get mine.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

exactly, Riot acts like 2037 is the distant future. its right around the freaking corner! it affects basically everyone under the age of 40. to believe its "okay" is one of the most selfish things i've ever heard.

It's not "selfish", that's just a ridiculous unwarranted personal attack by you against me.

It's just the measurable facts. The financial facts are what they are, and your snark doesn't change them.

You guys are worried about social security, yet you support the party trying to tear it apart and make it go away. It's astounding, to watch you not support your own best interests.

Social Security will be there for you well after 2037. If you want 100% of the benefits given out now, rather than 78%, it just needs a few tweeks. That's what we have done for the past many, many decades. Everyone pays into the system,and it's a safety net for the old. The most successful in the world, with 100% payouts. We've tweeked it many times before, and we will again, as populations change.

The Republicans have been screaming "the sky is falling!" in an attempt to privatize social security since Reagan. That's false.

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by Riot

It's not "selfish", that's just a ridiculous unwarranted personal attack by you against me.

It's just the measurable facts.

You guys are worried about social security, yet you support the party trying to tear it apart and make it go away. It's astounding.

I do want it to go away. I'd be better off taking that 6-12% of my paycheck and putting the money in a fire proof safe than I do with Social Security.