Republican e-mail on Social Security

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

The following e-mail was circulated by a coworker of mine on company e-mail. I responded by telling him he was misusing company e-mail and that I and several others would be glad to debate him face to face on the issue of Social Security.

Per the e-mail, don't you love it how the Repugs control all three branches of government yet still blame the Democrats for the Repug's incompetence?

SOCIAL SECURITY:

Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social Security (FICA) Program. He promised:



1.) That participation in the Program would be completely voluntary.

2.) That the participants would only have to pay 1% of the first 1,400 of their annual incomes into the Program.

3.) That the money the participants elected to put into the Program would be deductible from their income for tax purposes each year.

4.) That the money the contributed by participants would be put into the independent "Trust Fund" rather than into the General operating fund, and therefore would only be used to fund the Social Security Retirement Program, and no other Government program.

5.) That the annuity payments to the retirees would never be taxed as income.


Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are now receiving a Social Security check every month only to find that we are getting taxed on 85% of the money we paid to the Federal government to "put away," you may be interested in the following:

Q: Which Political Party took Social Security from the independent "Trust" fund and put it into the General fund so that Congress could spend it?

A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the Democratically-controlled House and Senate.


Q: Which Political Party eliminated the income tax deduction for Social Security (FICA) withholding?

A: The Democratic Party.


Q: Which Political Party started taxing Social Security annuities?

A: The Democratic Party, with Al Gore casting the "tie-breaking" deciding vote as President of the Senate, while he was Vice President of the U.S.

Q: Which Political Party decided to start giving annuity payments to immigrants?

A: That's right! Jimmy Carter and the Democratic Party. Immigrants moved into this country, and at age 65, began to receive Social Security payments! The Democratic Party gave these payments to them, even though they never paid a dime into it! WHY - NO other country does this for immigrants!

Then, after doing all this lying and thieving in violation of the original contract (FICA), the Democrats turn around and tell you that the Republicans want to take your Social Security away!

And the worst part about it is that uninformed citizens believe it!

Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during this 2004 election year!

If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe good changes will evolve.

How many people can YOU send this to?

Keep this going clear up through the 2004 election!! We need to be heard

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. Mostly lies...

And part of a plot to get YOUR money, your retirement funds, into the stock market and largely out of your control.

A very few others will make out if this happens. You won't.

[Warpy]

2. Try Snopes

http://www.snopes.com

Type in Social Security

This piece of right wing bullshit has been thoroughly debunked there, along with some of the even clumsier ones.

[Stocat]

3. debunked

A denuker was posted here if you care...or don't know about it http://www.dubyad40.com/html/dbunkssi.html

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

5. Thanks

I'm in the process of printing out the web page you've linked to. Looking forward to giving it to my dimwitted coworker.

[Longhorn]

6. Here's the Snopes link

http://www.snopes.com/cgi-bin/news/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=000003

They find a couple of the points technically true but with some clarification. A little light reading before bedtime (NOT!)

[Eric J in MN]

4. Which President ran a buget-surplus, which protect Social Sec.?

Which President ran a buget-surplus, which protect Social Security?
Bill Clinton.

Which person-in-the-office-of-the-President turned that into a massive budget-deficit, which raids Social Security?
George W. Bush.