Why conservatives hate social security

[ivolsky]

Atrios asks why the media hates social security. Here is what I think: The media/conservatives hate it because it is a successful and popular government program. And according to their world view, laws and institutions which impede a person's pursuit of personal gratification and success must be abolished, along with government programs that provide help to the undisciplined. They believe that the government's sole function is to support and protect only those citizens that are self reliant and prosperous. Government regulations and programs are mere impediments to the pursuit of self.

more:www.politicalthought.net

[chomskysright]

1. that's sick but its probably correct...

[sandnsea]

2. moral values, caring for elders

You're absolutely right. We've got to pick that up, that was the basis for social security. Also, caring for widows and their children, and the disabled; moral values. SSI & SSD are not retirement accounts.

Why do they hate it? It's Communist and they really believe anything that isn't complete free market is communist.

[Warpy]

3. Not only that, but Wall Street has always thought of

any dime being paid to support the elderly is a dime that is escaping from them. They take this very personally, and have come up with scheme after scheme to get FICA to pass through Wall Street.

Folks, FICA is insurance. It's not an investment. FICA is supposed to be pay as you go, to support the elderly, surviving children and disabled who need it now. This is a concept that has totally eluded the ignorant right wing.

Social security is solvent until 2050, period. It's solvent at 80% of payout until 2100, at least. The hue and cry over how the baby boomers are going to break the system is just more generational and class warfare from the pigs on the right.

Stop listening to them. Teach everyone you know the basic facts about social security. Fight these greedy bastards!

[Ian David]

5. DAMN IT!!! THEN END FEDERAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE FIRST!!!

Why do we let the red states tax us to rebuild their homes when they're washed away for a third time on the same floodplain?

[amazona]

10. because we pay to participate in federal flood insurance

And people who live on floodplains pay a very high price indeed.

The National Flood Insurance program does not take any money from you if you don't pay into it.

It does make it possible for people to have security in their homes and businesses in a very large area of the U.S. that would otherwise be uninhabitable by the middle class families which can't absorb the loss of the family home, the single largest investment open to most people who are not wealthy.


Fighting amongst ourselves, especially about a bogus issue created by the likes of John Stossel, is not the way to save social security. We need to unite, not keep tearing each other apart. We are all looking for the same thing -- safety and security for our families and future.

[Egalitariat]

6. I don't really think of FICA as insurance

Insurance, to me, is shared risk. You insure against something that might happen, not something that is guaranteed to happen. Getting older is almost guaranteed.

Of course, FICA's not really an investment either.

It's just another program whereby the government spends money to better society. Just like education and road building.

[Malva Zebrina]

4. Besides caring for elders

it was to see that the children of those elders did not have to take them in and provide for them when they were old.

[kodi]

7. simpler: force workers to work harder or worry about starving when old

.

[TrustingDog]

8. the 'virus' must be stopped. Like it was in Nicaragua, etc.

can't have the great unwashed getting a fair shake and possibly getting all uppity about how the world should really work. A strong population is a dangerous population.

The last targets left is us.

[amazona]

9. because they want their parents to hurry up and die

Sometimes I participate on a finance board. These people are scary. They are fine with their parents being thrown out in the street, indeed, I've gotten emails and read posts about how "I wish my mother would hurry up and die, the wicked witch." I am not kidding. Go onto a board with lots of wingnuts and express a concern about having your mom (or mom-in-law!) needing to live with you, and you'll be shocked at what crawls out of the woodwork.

They aren't worried about having to have 3 generations living in a home because they will allow their own parents to die.


On Edit -- on the board in question I finally started blocking emails from that source because of the psychos. I have my own issues with my upbringing, but it doesn't mean I would use it as an excuse to starve my own parents.

[lolly]

11. Cheap Labor Republicans

They hate it because it allows a large section of the potential workforce to leave, thus loosening the competition for jobs.

If we eliminate SS, just think of all the 67-80 year olds who will be forced to compete with the rest of the workforce for crappy sales jobs, driving wages down even farther.

[NEOBuckeye]

12. They Hate our Freedoms!

n/t

[The Flaming Red Head]

13. It's no fun being rich unless you have starving peasants

[KT2000]

14. Agree

we need to do a national exercise where we all examine our reliance on government funding. Some people actually believe they are living their lives without any help from the government.