Why should we privatize social security? please use some logic. Any good links?
410821
First, because we do not own it. If we die, we lose it. It is 14% of what you make, and you (and your family) might never see any of it. It is a tax, and the government can eliminate the benefits if they feel like it - you have no entitlement to it.\n\nIt pays horrible returns. If allowed to invest this money via some managed brokerage type deal, you would not only have more money to retire on, it would be all yours. If you died, it would go to your family.\n\nPoor working class people would be able to accumulate wealth and leave it to their families.\n\nThe government has been dishonest with us. Over all the years, they've taken the excess social security taxes and spent it, dropping IOUs into the so-called 'lock-box'. They've taken billions upon billions. Guess who gets to pay back these IOUs? We all do. More taxes.\n\nIn short, it's a bad deal, and you lose lots of money, that gets spent by slimy politicians who are blowing smoke up your ass.
190566
Holbright you and i are on the same page mostly  I believe, However the the biggest security risk that the majority of American families face in the past and currently is financial security! Different branches of government currently produce official documentation with their conclusion of the 2005 federal budget, none of them are numerically consistent and are highly suspect as to being cooked! This we do know for certain congress authorizes the production via U.S. Treasury and their is no shortage of paper and ink! The Bush administration borrowing from other country's is likely outrageous and irresponsible! Why not reform capitalism and grant open equal access instead of the establish structure in place!Sure there would have to be some rule applied to like stopping immigration,maybe price index freezing for awhile and you would not hand money to those whom lack the mental ability to utilize properly,but their welfare should be respectfully honored!Are you in favor of letting our legal citizen's control capitalism instead of the current structure?
517669
Good idea! Perhaps ot will encourage people to actually get out of welfare, instead of propagating so that they can collect more. Brilliant!\n\nPS: Will nip corruption in the system though, hence might not be feasible.
1069872
Social Security - it will be able to meet all of its obligations through the year 2042. The whole idea that Social Security needs ‘reform’ is nothing but hype...  I am very happy that grassroots activism influenced public opinion enough to stop Alan Greenspan, Bush and the Democrats from throwing future senior citizens to the wolves with their stupid privatization, Wall St. benefitting plan.\n\nLong live Social Security, a great acheivement for all Americans!
353968
The Social Security crisis is not a myth, it's an inevitability of demographics that there will be more people drawing than paying in to it in the future.  The so called trust fund has been invested in very low yielding bonds for a long time, mostly so Congress could have access to the money to hide deficits (both parties share blame equally for this).  Generally speaking the average person  would be able to get a better return on on that money in a self directed IRA, 401K plan, or buying annuities.
1044447
You obviously have no concept of conservatism.  Not only do conservatives not steal from the poor, they donate billions of dollars a year to charities to help the poor.\n\nConservatives don't like the social security system because it is broken.  Whereas a person can earn 4% interest in a savings account, social security is earnining less than 1% interest.  See the problem?  The people, especially the poor, are getting screwed in this deal.\n\nConservatism is a set of beliefs, a primary one of which is that you need to set up systems to allow people to help themselves.  If you just keep handing out money to the poor, they will always be poor.  You're not giving them the tools to get out of poverty.  So just keep handing out money and assuring generational poverty.  Liberalism is actually much, much crueler to the poor than is conservatism.\n\nI know hundreds of Republicans and conservatives (not always the same thing).  None of them are wealthy, many aren't religious, and not a single one of them is stealing from the poor or trying to harm the poor.\n\nAnd by way, insulting conservatives with all your little talking points and phrases doesn't help the poor climb out of poverty.  It just exposes your ignorance and irrational hatred.
340953
Yes, Stupid,Why Do You Think They Invented Social Security # For
204075
Social security is not insurance but a pay as you go system. The money we pay today is used to payout current recipients and to build a fund for payments in the future.\nThe truth is, Social security is alive and well. The problem is that the government is borrowing money from the fund it is building, Tthe fund now only contains iou's from the government.\nHowever you would save nothing if you quit paying social security. The governments need for money would not decrease, they would simply have to increase taxes and borrow the money from somewhere else. Smoke and mirrors, politicians want us to concentrate on social security rather than government over spending.\nIf we drop social security the cost will remain the same or higher but our increased expenset will not go into your account!
691274
I am for total private control. The government should give every American back every penny they put into Social Security over the years, tax free, with interest. Let them invest it themselves to be drawn on, tax free after they retire. It's called personal responsibility. Disband the whole system.\n\nThe problem with this is that the money's not there. All that's left in the "Social Security Trust Fund" is a bunch of I.O.U.'s.\n\nI started my first 401k in 1984 and, although I've rolled it over many times, it's still there.
921557
So, let me get this straight, you are blaming an illegal alien (or what you think might be an illegal alien) for your families failure to plan for your own future?  Social Security was NEVER meant to be a catch-all.  It was mean to be a supplement.  (That is why it is called supplemental security income).  All Americans must fend for themselves in retirement.  Lets face it, people my age (45-55) won't get a red dime from SS.  If we are smart, we save. \n\nOur problems are not caused by illegal aliens.  Our problems are caused by ourselves and our own inability to plan.  Your parents made the decision to send you to parochial schools even through they could not afford it.  That is like buying a Porche that you cannot afford when a Chevy will do just fine.\n\nWe are all in charge of our own destinies.  This is the only real right we have in the US.  We make our own decisions and need to accept the consequences of our decisions, both good and bad.\n\nAs far as the illegal.  I don't support their right to be here.  If caught, they should be deported.  However, no illegal alien makes a dollar off of social security and yet quite a few pay into the the system.  Believe me, some of the jobs taken by illegal aliens are very hard work - work that 99% of us would not take (ever been sprayed by pesticides every day? -- that is the life of a farm worker making $8 an hour)\n\nAdditional:  What about YOUR obligation to your mother?  I help out both my mother and grandmother by paying some of their bills, paying for any extras, etc.  YOU have an obligation to your own family.  YOU want to government to pay for something that YOU should be obligated to do on your own.  We all need to be responsible for our extended families and less dependent on taxpayer handouts.  \n\nI am doing pretty well myself, but I buy generic brands as well.  (they are not that bad)
199592
Personal accounts.  Or better yet just end the dang system and invest our own money anyway we see fit and we will retire in better shape than if we had Social Security
1046319
I can't believe how many people answered your question with more taxes.   Have more taxes ever turned out to bring the American people anything but more government spending?\n\nWe recently had a tax cut, and govt collected tax $s actually went up.  Increasing the tax rate puts less $ in people's pockets.  Less money means less spending, less spending cripples the economy, which means less job, which then in turn means less people paying into social security.\n\nYou would need to privatize the system bc when the govt spends or invests money they do a poor job with it (remember the 1 bill Katrina $s that were misused).  Or you would need to create a wealth building system that  allowed employees to place their money in safer option investments.   You could easily outperform the returns you receive from social security, it's not that hard.  \n\nIf you actually thought taxes were the issue, how about giving Americans ALL the money they earn with the fairtax.   That way, you're not taxed unless you buy something that's not a necessity, so you control your tax bracket, not uncle sam.  Plus, ever illegal immigrant and visitor to the US now pays into SS with everything that they buy when they are here.
1182297
Until it's gone.  The surplus SS funds are spent on other programs every year, rather than being saved for the retirment benefits of baby boomers.  More people are putting into the SS fund(babyboomer generation), than the number of people currently collecting.\n\nChile had the same problem and took measures to phase out their social security program, by privatizing it.  This is something Republicans want to do and Democrats are fearful of, I wonder why?  Democrats won't have access to SS funds if they are private, that's why.  Democrats won't be able to borrow SS money and give it to "tax draining" social programs.  Republicans want you to save money for your retirement, they also want that money to be there when you retire.  If the Government is allowed to borrow from it like it has every year, chances of it being there when you retire are less.  If You and the Gov. can't touch the money, it will be there when you retire.
945525
When  you include everything, all our debt, the number is over 50 trillion.  " A billion here and a billion there, soon you are talking about real money."  It is all a colossal shell game perpetrated on the public.  Social Security was supposed to be a fund that contributions went in to, and benefits were to be taken from the interest.  If left alone, there would be more than enough money now to draw from.  Instead, Congress adopted another criminal  practice and started, in the sixties, dumping that money in the general fund to be spent every year on their pet projects, like Vietnam.  Today is  the same with Iraq.  I imagine they call it creative bookkeeping 101.
121220
No, alot of older conservitives don't want social security messed with, It really is a bad idea to invest in a stock market with its ups and downs. There must be an answer between that and the way it is going.
273955
In terms of monetary income loss to most americans I would be far more concerned with corporate malfeceanse than welfare.  Things like the bail out of TWA's Employee Benefit packages have a much larger effect on the economy.  Bush Jr. Is leaving us bankrupt and unable to afford social policies anyway.....so their simply won't be money left for many social programs regardless.  Some cynics might think this was intended.
88727
Social Security, I pay hundreds and some pay thousands to people who didn't plan for retirement that we will never see again.  In 2018, according to the numbers, SS will be giving more out than it is taking in.  I don't know about you, but I'm bitter that I'm paying someone else and won't be paid back.  That's why I'm saving in a 401(k).  I know that money won't be there for me when it's my turn.