THE 1000 POUND GORILLA IN THE ROOM IS SOCIAL SECURITY

(The Heritage Foundation/Huffington post/Forbes/Frazer Chronicle)

 

I couldn’t help it, I just love that term, for me, it’s almost as good as the “red assed Baboon” saying. Neither is possible, yet they seem so cool, just think how big a gorilla would have to be to weigh a thousand pounds and the size of the room, it would be enormous. I guess there really are red assed baboons, so even though I think the phrase is funny as hell, they do exist.

 

Social Security, I’m on it, and don’t figure on getting any raises, in fact when I opted to start receiving from the fund, I never even considered any kind of raises for any reason, cost of living, a nice jester, or just because the Fed had some extra money.

 

Something that few people understand is the fact that the original Social Security act, when enacted back in the 1930’s, the average life expectancy was 59, and social security didn’t kick in until a guy/gal reached their 65^th. year. A goodly amount of time for the act to gain some capital funds when people actually did live longer than 65.

 

Social Security actually is an act that was designed to help people in their “golden years,” or so they say, those years after 65, when people choose to retire, when they get sick, or when there to damn decrepit to work. Its kinda like how I go through the motions of life from day to day, just sitting, reading the news paper over and over, taking naps, and drooling all over the place.

 

The actuaries really got their bean counting fingers fouled up when they set the parameters originally for what was, at the time a revolutionary program. Employees   and employers setting aside a portion of the paycheck for a future pay-back. A retirement aid…..making employees set aside money, matched by the employer for the golden years.

 

Like I said, “the bean counters really screwed up,” they anticipated people not living to retirement, “65” so the pay-out from the newly enacted law would do nothing but build, and build, earning a simple interest rate, that over the years would grow to unimaginable amounts. Sadly mankind outgrew those early guesstimates of the aging process, and we now find the fund in a real precarious position.

 

CALLING DOCTOR FIX-IT:

It’s almost funny; the possible fixes that some people in high places, with degrees and pedigrees hanger all over their office walls talk about, when they suggest overhauls for the social security program. From higher taxes, to re-evaluating payments and benefits, to having younger people invest “on their own” or have private industry take over the stewardship of the account all-together.

 

All sorts of ideas start flying around, and conservatives actually start to salivate when talk centers on changes to the fund. Future generations deserve a prosperous and sustainable Social Security plan. Huh, why in hell does anybody deserve prosperous or sustainable, life is a crap shoot…..the best laid plans of men and mice, this dribble, “prosperous and sustainable” sounds like a bunch of liberal crap to me.

I read somewhere last week about some dude collecting unemployment benefits even though he was a millionaire, why, “because he earned it and was entitled to it…..”Shut the front door,” that attitude is differently part of the problem.

 

Or what about the couple of grandparent types collecting Social Security benefits even though between their savings, investments and pensions, they would live comfortably without the additional money from a program that is going broke.

 

Or what about the family of orphans living with a struggling mother who works as hard and as much as possible to provide for her family after a tragic accident has taken her husband. Oh sure, you say, the family is just collecting what the father had paid into the fund.

 

The above are real instances where people are drawing from a fund when, even though they can get by without the money, receive payment. The mother with her orphaned family actually needs help, but absolutely not from Social Security. Here is a place that can be “overhauled,” where money can be saved. The overhaul…..a half percent of Social Security payroll deductions go to an “orphan fund” for these kinds of unforeseen problems.

 

Doctor fix-it is now working overtime, he talks about “strengthening family bonds,” collecting a deceased person’s payments from some sort of Personal Retirement Accounts, P.R.A.’s in the event of an early death…..the family deserves it. Guess it doesn’t matter whether the kids are working or not, they deserve that money. “What a bunch of hog wash.”

 

A guaranteed minimum payment, above-poverty government benefit for all retirees, “Shirley you jest,” actually I’m not jesting, and please don’t call me Shirley. It’s another of Doctor Fix-it suggestions. How in hell can anything in today’s society be guaranteed, again, “Life’s a crap shoot.”

 

THE SIMPLE TRUTH:

A reality check people, Social Security, and actually Medicaid are in trouble, the reason, way too many people are living way to long, some people are collecting when they don’t need the added benefit, and with regards to Medicaid, many, many people are taking advantage that shouldn’t.

 

The Medicaid thing is for a different time, but Social Security needs an overhaul, of that I have no doubt. What to do…..well we could start by establishing a cut off figure. Anyone drawing 75% of what they made when they were working from whatever, needs to have their Social Security benefits slashed accordingly.

 

Anyone who made a certain amount of money during their working years needs to have their payments cut back, or possibly receive no payments at all. Some will say that this idea isn’t fair, “well gee whiz,” rotten luck, you shouldn’t have been so successful or lucky during your working years…..but for the good of the country…..”no soup for you.”

 

Change is tough, the older we get, the less we like change, it’s upsetting, it threatens our comfort zone, and it curtails the time that we have to watch entertaining programs on television like Tru-TV. I feel your pain, but it’s for the good of the country. So let’s pull up our collective boot straps, and get on with these changes, or like the man said, “Let’s call our elected officials,” and get the old ball rolling.