How come we have SS surplus today with only 3 workers for each recipient?

[flpoljunkie]

Dubya's arguments, as usual, make no sense, but the media rushes to repeat Bush's every word. Tim Russert repeated this anecdote on Meet The Press Sunday. It is a red herring.

Bush is speaking right now on CNN about this--more incoherently than usual. It's "hard work" to sell the Amerikun people of a "crisis" in order to destroy the guaranteed benefits of Social Security. The Republicans' goal is to relieve the federal government of it's obligations to make good the rape of the surplus Social Security contributions by his and preceding administrations.

[gratuitous]

1. Well, it used to be 50 workers

But of course, that "statistic" first cited by the reformers turned out to be absolutely wrong. So Timmeh adjusted it to 32 workers for every retiree. And now it's down the three workers supplying the needs for those retirees. Is that progress or a sign of danger? Well, when it was 32 workers, remember the timing: 1935 and one of the worst years of the Depression. A lot of people weren't working, and those that were working weren't making piles of money.

See Bob Somerby's incomparable The Daily Howler for a dissection of Timmeh's standard dishonest presentations.

[dweller]

2. what? we need more workers per recipient?

well, then why doesn't loserdimwitnumbnutsmoron* create some f@$#ing jobs here???

yeah, there's a 'crisis'...one he's created.

dp

on edit: all those jobs outsourced...they are paying SS (fica) right? RIGHT?

[zbdent]

3. Those damn old people won't start dying!

They're just a drain on all that money the wealthy can't touch, despite the fact that they pay in just the same amount as someone who makes 80k per year.

[suigeneris]

4. Because we collect more in SS taxes than current outlays

That will continue at least until 2018. After that the fund will not be exhausted until at least 2042, perhaps 2052, and there is a decent chance that it will be never.

There is no crisis in SS other than the phony one ginned up by the boys and girls in the BA who are hell bent on their orgy of destruction on the basic elements of social justice in place in this country. That their pals on Wall Street get their hands on trillions from the public treasury is also no accident.

A good Krugman ref:
http://www.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1048&context=ev