OK, not enough jobs to go around, so let's raise the retirement age?

[Capitalocracy]

I feel like I'm eating crazy pills.

We should chop 10 years off of the retirement age and raise the minimum wage to the actual cost of living and therefore raise more revenue for social security and pay for the difference in retirement age and free up a bunch of jobs.

Is this not completely obvious?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. Let's raise it to burial!

:woohoo:

[Wickerman]

2. Could also accomplish a lot by removing the cap on the upper end

Fully fund? :think:

[Capitalocracy]

13. Definitely also a good idea. nt

[Billy Burnett]

15. Repugs LOVE pushing flat tax schemes - EXCEPT for SS.

That is THE ONE flat tax they object to.

:crazy:

[Capitalocracy]

16. In the future...

they'll define "flat tax" not as "the same percentage" but as "the same dollar amount". Hey, shouldn't everyone pay the same? (Sounds a little Communist to me, but what do I know?)

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Sure, every 56 year-old is ready to retire and live on what, maybe 40% of their meager projected SS

monthly payment. They don't still have mortgage payments or aren't still supporting their college aged kids or anything. I'm sure that getting $500 or $600 a month would do it.

It would be a ton easier to raise the cap on income taxed for SS and Medicare.

[JDPriestly]

4. No one is forced to retire early. But if they can't get a job or are

physically not really able to work or have saved a lot of money and don't need to work, they should be able to choose.

If jobs were available, many of the healthy people over age 65 who are now taking Social Security benefits would continue to work. If you work and receive Social Security your benefits are for practical purposes reduced quite a bit. If you are working, your income continues to be subject to FICA (Social Security) taxes so you will get a higher benefit once you are full-time retired and no longer earning any income from work.
Offering benefits earlier actually makes a lot of sense. I would still be working if jobs were available.

[sinkingfeeling]

5. The OP is wanting to cut Social Security's retirement age by 10 years. He wants people to retire so

that younger people can have the jobs.

I'm currently 62 and intend to keep working full time for at least 3 more years.

[DrDan]

6. it is not an isolated opinion

I have seen it expressed here before.

Like - shouldn't these "seniors" step aside and head on out to the pasture. For some reason, this makes more sense to some than simply raising the cap.

[Capitalocracy]

9. I'm not saying that

but a lot of them WILL be put out to pasture by their employers before they reach retirement age.

I'm not saying anyone should step aside who wants to work, but some people don't want to keep working. Hell, if you hate your job or it's physically demanding, you should be allowed to retire earlier.

Edit to add: And RAISING the retirement age means a lot of people will NOT have a choice and have to work more whether they want to or not. And it certainly won't help the jobs issue.

[sinkingfeeling]

10. Anybody may retire at any age. But Social Security benefits either won't be there for them at 40 or

at 55. I've already retired once at age 54 and receive a monthly check from my old employer (IBM). Raising the retirement age would not mean they would have to work any more than you have no choice today in retiring before the retirement age of 66.

[Capitalocracy]

12. And I'm just saying they should be available earlier.

I mean, if we're going to talk about when they should be available, I think we should go earlier rather than later. That's all.

[eridani]

22. Why not? It wouldn't be required. Just an option that many would take

For those who want to become community activists or investigate second careers, it's now or never.

[Dawgs]

7. No one would make you retire. Although, some of your 60+ peers might.

Lowering the Medicare age would also help.

[CLANG]

8. Just because the age is lowered dosen't mean you can't keep working

But there are lots of people that can't afford to retire until 65/67 and would otherwise be happy to retire and give their job up to the younger generation. I say put the retirement age at 60 for full benefits, and 57 for partial benefits.

On edit: As Dawgs pointed out, Medicare would be lowered to 57 also.

[sinkingfeeling]

11. And who's going to pay for it?

[Capitalocracy]

14. Cut the cap, raise minimum wage, stop robbing the SS fund...

plenty of ways to pay for it

[oldlib]

19. SS Retirement age is raised

not lowered as indicated by the originator. Am I missing something?

[CLANG]

21. I'm afraid you are.

[JDPriestly]

20. It's great to work as long as you can get a job.

Problem is that a lot of people lose their jobs when they are in their 50s and 60s, usually through no fault of their own.

You don't get much money if you go on Social Security, so if you can continue to work, you should. That's my advice as one who had to take Social Security.

[kenfrequed]

17. It's a great idea!

If your goal is to drive down wages and increase poverty.

[Capitalocracy]

18. So should we raise it?

[kenfrequed]

23. Sorry...

I don't know how to use the 'sarchasm button' or whatever. Obviously we should Not raise the retirement age. It sort of puts retirement out of the hands of people that have worked their whole lives expecting to do so and makes use of an evil kind of longevity calculus that insurance companies often use that relies on people dying before they collect social security.

If anything lower the age and remove the caps on social security taxable income.

[Capitalocracy]

24. All good, my bad

Sarcasm button is becoming more and more necessary because there are so many crazy ideas floating around you never know if someone's picked one up. Like a disease. :toast: