Will you still support President Obama if he raises the retirement age?

[Dawgs]

I'm not saying he will, or will not, do anything. Just curious?

[here_is_to_hope]

1. Morning Dawgs...

I voted 'already lost me'...
I feel all of this is just pissing in the wind any more.

[lisa58]

2. We're already raising our own retirement age...

[barbiegeek]

9. SS is not sustainable w/ our longer life spans

Raise the age or raise taxes. Which do you think the American public will support.

[msongs]

14. it is completely sustainable. just cut the welfare parasite military budget by 50% nt

[barbiegeek]

15. I know your RIGHT, the pessimist in me thinks that will never happen though

[golfguru]

23. The unfunded liabilities for Medicare, Medicaid & SS are much

bigger than military budget, unfortunately. I am all for
cutting miltary budget by 50% and close those 800 overseas
military bases paid for with money we don't have and keep
borrowing from China. With the budget deficits as far as
the eye can see, we will be paying ever increasing interest
for ever and ever.

[amandabeech]

70. Social security can be fixed.

Medicare and Medicaid are not so easy

Please post your source outlining why SS cannot be fixed.

[jtown1123]

52. Raise the cap. Cuts are completely UNNECESSARY.

[Doctor_J]

69. Thanks for that Hate Radio talking point

I can always count on a few of you

[Honeycombe8]

74. Actually, we've known for decades that this was coming. Are you younger than 30, maybe?

You may not realize that this has been discussed for at least two decades as an impending problem with Social Security.

The current SS payEES (me) are paying for the retirement of the current retirees (my dad). When I (a baby boomer) retire, my retirement will be paid for by the then current workers/SS payees. There will be fewer workers at that time than there are retirees, because of the huge # of baby boomers.

The problem is not here yet. And I don't know how long the problem will last (eventually the baby boomers will die!).

The only difference between the 2 parties on this issue is how to solve the problem. Progressives think taxes should be raised enough to cover the shortage in incoming SS funds. Far righters think the SS system should be privatized, or alternatively, retirement age raised AND benefits cut. Centrists seem to think that some combination of all those things may be needed.

There is no disagreement between the parties that this is a problem coming down the pike within the decade.

[Doctor_J]

82. And it has worked just fine for 70 years, and will continue to

Social Security is in absolutely no danger. I will give you half of your last sentence:

There is no disagreement between the parties

Therein lies the problem

[LongTomH]

84. Life expectancy in the US is not rising that much!

From the Daily Health Report:

While the United States has shown improvements for treatments of heart disease and cancer, the country falls short when compared to other developed nations in terms of increasing life expectancy, a study shows.

Life expectancy numbers for both men and women in the United States have increased. However, residents in other countries can generally expect to live longer according to an in-depth report by National Research Council and National Academies researchers.

Here's the real kicker:

The most concerning fact for many researchers is that the overall physical and mental health of Americans is generally worse, even though costs are nearly double.

Unfortunately, Daily Health Report is using the usual 'obesity and sedentary lifestyle' copout for the problem instead of addressing the high costs of healthcare for most Americans. Think: Are people in Japan or Scandinavian countries that much more active than Americans, or is it their national health care plans?

[texshelters]

86. great point

I will probably have to teach until I drop dead in the classroom.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[dipsydoodle]

3. There is a degree of inevitability

for all countries needing to do that.

[Ozymanithrax]

4. Not a one issue type of person...

I don't think that raising the retirement age on people yet unborn may be the best way to address retirement, but that doesn't mean there are not other policies that I would support.

And if this is about the election in 2012, well who I vote for depends on which of the Candidates that has a chance of winning is the best.

[chelsea0011]

5. I support raising the retirement age as long as there is still the ability to retire

early at shorter payments. Some people have worked their asses off and are ready to retire at 62-65 while others may be in the position to work much later in life and won't be affected by the later retirement age. But I think there needs to be options for everyone.

[CTyankee]

50. I "could" have worked past age 65 but all of the over 60 staff were being systematically

phased out through a variety of techniques, some of them of questionable legality and none of it ethical. So "could" doesn't matter if they want to replace you with a younger, cheaper staff person....

[elocs]

6. What kind of Democratic sheep would bleatingly vote: "Yes. He knows best."?

It's like "my country, right or wrong"--a concept and philosophy blindly followed by the GOP and freepers and those incapable of independent thinking.

[earthside]

10. Not just about the money.

Social Security is part of the contract with the American people ... cutting benefits by decreasing payments or by increasing the retirement age telegraphs the message that war and bailouts and low tax rates for the rich are a higher priority than keeping seniors out of poverty.

If Pres. Obama comes out in favor of any 'reforms' that cut Social Security benefits, that more or less adopts the right-wing, Repuglican assault on that program, well, then he just isn't a genuine member of the party of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Indeed, how anyone at DU could vote for a poll option that includes the words "he knows best" is beyond comprehension after the eight proto-fascistic years of Bush/Cheney.

[Supersedeas]

41. graat point...but it appears that we are being primed for more compromise

[great white snark]

12. Not surprisingly, it's the only "yes" answer. nt

[Dawgs]

30. Actually, Other could also be a "yes" answer.

So no surprise.

[golfguru]

37. He has a degree from Harvard

How many here have that? He his much smarter than all of us here.

[elocs]

43. Well I guess we all better just shut up then and not ask questions or have doubts.

He's president, not god. I don't believe in my country right or wrong and that goes just as strongly for my president.

[mkultra]

58. well, one thing we learned from BUsh

having a big mouth and being sure doesn't make you correct.

[Autumn]

48. Didn't Bush have one from Yale?

I would hate to think he is much smarter than all of us here. If a degree is all it takes I think we all owe him an apology.
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Forkboy]

75. Bush had a Yale certificate.

How many of us can say that? Therefore, by your logic, everything Bush did was correct, because he's smarter than us.

[Ignis]

83. Oh man, I sure hope that's sarcasm.

My boss with an MIT PhD still manages to walk into glass doors. Intelligence is not a single-faceted attribute.

[mkultra]

56. yeah, that option was meant to insult Obama supporters.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

7. he must veto it

[femmocrat]

8. He lost me on the tax cut for billionaires.

That was my line in the sand. I don't oppose him... I'm just not a very enthusiastic supporter anymore.

[populistdriven]

11. +1

[jenmito]

39. Assuming you're going to get a tax cut, too,

are you going to reject it?

[quakerboy]

76. How exactly would one go about

"rejecting" a tax cut?

Just curious about how the mechanics of that work?

[mkultra]

59. yeah, like you i wish he would have let those unemployeed go without

It would have been an acceptable causality in order to prevent the deficit from rising.
:sarcasm:

[woo me with science]

73. He lost me on the tax cuts for the rich, defending TSA crotch searches

for Americans not accused of any crime, corporate bailouts while Americans lose their homes or emerge from college buried in a lifetime of debt, greater entrenchment of for-profit insurance companies in our health care system, and major appointments for corporate CEO's who have outsourced thousands of American jobs.

[Davis_X_Machina]

13. He can't. Congress can. N/t

[Autumn Colors]

16. Other

I don't support him anymore ALREADY, so your question is moot.

[hollowdweller]

17. More people will just file for Soc Sec Disability earlier

Pretty much when you get over 55 you have SOME medical problems.

If you get your disability you can receive the full payment that SS would give you at 65 earlier.

Most of these people will not be allowed on the initial or reconsideration level, but when you appeal for a hearing before an administrative law judge they are incredibly lenient depending on the judge and the part of the country and the lawyer.

So basically we will see an even bigger explosion of the disability rolls if they roll back the retirement age.

What that will mean is rather than just granting people retirement like now, there will be a huge amount of money the gov't will have to put into hiring disability examiners, purchasing medical examinations for people, and hiring more Administrative Law Judges and staff at the Office Of Hearing and Appeals.

Also since most people hire a lawyer at the hearing level that will mean a large amount of the money from the program and from the peoples awards will go to paying attorney fees rather than going to the person.

Mark my words. Raising the retirement age will be hugely "Penny Wise and Pound Foolish"

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

18. He can't raise the retirement age. Only Congress can do that.

[TheKentuckian]

19. If he fails to veto and/or engineers such behind the scenes then he owns it.

Pretending otherwise is intellectually dishonest in the extreme.

[jtown1123]

53. he can do a deal like the tax cut one where House &Senate Dems will fall in line

[mkultra]

60. i guess they better stand up and act before that happens then eh?

[Red State Rebel]

20. I'm almost 54, the countdown is on! I don't want it messed with.

[bmbmd]

35. Just turned 56

I could retire now, with a limited budget, but that scares me to death. I plan to work 'til my late 60's, maybe longer-depending on my health.

[golfguru]

38. Retire early

and focus on your health. A boat load of money won't do any good
if health is not the best it can be. It is much easier to keep
good health without stress of a job and time for exercise of your
choice. I am speaking from personal experience.

[HeroTwins]

21. Hey Dawgs, take a gander at the NY Times. Obama's not cutting Social Security.

Now you'll have to find something else to post push polls on.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[HeroTwins]

25. I don't know why, but that struck me as hilarious.

:)

[dionysus]

27. i thoughtt hey served that kindof pie...

[Dawgs]

31. "Push poll" wouldn't have an other option. n/t.

[jtown1123]

54. Obama has never said he is against cuts. What article are you referring to?

[SidDithers]

24. Will you still support President Obama...

if he makes Puppy and Kitten Jambalaya mandatory eating for everyone's Sunday dinner?

I'm not saying he will, or will not, do anything. Just curious?

edit: and LMFAO at the "Obama's dead to me" 47%

Sid

[Dawgs]

34. Did he start a commission on making puppy and kitten jamalya?

Or add people to his administration that are for the making of puppy and kitten jambalaya?

[SidDithers]

36. Well, neither the Jambalaya commission nor the defect commission...

were able to agree on a final set of recommendations, so the point is moot.

Sid

[quakerboy]

77. And yet the people that the president appointed to lead

the cat food commission did come out with a highly publicized list of recommendations.

Did the leaders of the Jambalaya commission make a big news conference publicizing their recommendations?

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jefferson_dem]

33. Yes, it does...

Used to be a reality-based board.

[FormerDittoHead]

28. If Palin is running 2012 he could abolish Social Security and I'd still support him.

The problem is that one doesn't support a candidate in a vacuum.

There's always a choice, and the Republicans don't have anyone close to someone I'd ever vote for.

[mkultra]

61. yup, not supporting Obama IS support for Palin

that is the real polotic

[Unvanguard]

29. In the sense of "vote for, and encourage others to vote for", of course.

I'm not foolish enough to think that a Republican president would be any better.

But I'd be disappointed, certainly.

[jefferson_dem]

32. Haha...

Funny poll. Thanks for the chuckle.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

40. ...now there's a stupidly loaded set of poll answers.

[silverweb]

78. +100

Isn't it, though?

[Name removed]

42. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jenmito]

44. If, for example, he raises it by 2 years starting in the year 2075, yes. n/t

[jtown1123]

55. So basically you are screwing over my generation. Nice.

[namahage]

66. How old are you?

Tell me how raising the eligibility age for full benefits to 67 in 2075 would affect you.

Unless, of course, you're under 2 now.

[quiller4]

45. Yes. I support a gradual increase in the full retirement age

coupled with changes in rules for SSD. It should not be as difficult as it is for a physically impaired individual over 60 to claim disability.

[jtown1123]

57. Where are the jobs for seniors? How on earth do you expect

people in service and construction sector jobs to work until 70? There is no good reason to raise the age. Raise the taxable income cap and SS shortfall is solved.

[RoadRage]

46. I'm 30 years old....

I don't PLAN on having SS when I retire.. so I don't care one iota as to what the retierment age is. If they started a progressive age increase.. say 1/2 year every 5 years to get it up to 75 or so.. i'd be totally fine with that. Start doing it on people who are 30 or younger so we have time to save - and will know what the age will be when we get to retierment age.

I like that plan better then "DO NOTHING - DON'T TOUCH IT".. and watch it all disappear in about 30 - 40 years when there are far more on SS then who are working and able to support it. But, I guess that is probably thinking to far ahead.

[JoePhilly]

49. I felt the same back in the 80s when the raised the age.

Starting then, I determined that I would never see a dime of that money. I'm in my mid 40s now, and still don't expect to get it. Way back then, I took the advice of a friend who told me to take every raise I got early in my career and get to the point where I max the 401k contribution every year. That is the only retirement money I count on.

If I get Social Security some day, great. But my "plan" is structured so that Social Security would not be "everything" for me.

[CTyankee]

51. geez, I hope your 401k doesn't suffer in the meantime...

[JoePhilly]

62. Thanks ... mine is doing quite well ... and ..

I can put mine in a wide array of investments, including cash, simple money market, even CD like investments. Or I can be very aggressive.

The last crash didn't hurt me much because when the DOW hit about 13k, I moved to the more conservative investments. That run up (from 12k to 13k, and then to 14k) was too fast. And anytime you see a run like that, you shift your investments to safe things, wait for the "cool down" and then consider re-engaging, or not. I started to move back in when the DOW hit about 8k, but slowed as we continued down. As we came back to about 8k, I re-engaged again, and am quite happy now.

If the DOW continues the recent run much past 12k or up to 13k I will be shifting to more conservative investments for a while because again, the rate of increase will likely reflect herd behavior, not actual market dynamics. A bubble.

My POINT however, was that it is a MISTAKE to count on Social Security, particularly for those in their 20s and 30s. Those who have TIME to save and invest. Their retirement PLAN should NOT be reliant on Social Security. They should begin to invest early, and regularly, build up as much as they can.

And understand, I want the Social Security, and I think we all should get it ... including the 20 and 30 year old folks. I am simply describing how one should PLAN relative to SS. If you are in your 20s or 30s and you PLAN to live on Social Security when you retire, you are making a mistake.

[CTyankee]

63. I agree. I am retired, and while I have growth in my investments, I am not buying

any green bananas, as the saying goes. I now have a big chunk in annuities which I have not annuitized but do have income from. I went thru a shock with GM's demise but did recover half of my investment (I thought it would all be for naught). I have an inheritance, which saved me from a very uncertain future. And I live frugally, altho I do travel (I have a bucket list!). But I also need every dime of my SS. I have considered teaching a course or two at a local college...crappy pay for the work, but if I had great students I wouldn't mind...of course, that's what every teacher wants!

[JoePhilly]

64. Years ago, I helped my mother take her pension and set it up ...

as an annuity to help her not be totally reliant on Social Security. The SS definitely helps her. But my intent was to ensure that if she had to, the annuity would be enough.

And again, that's the point. No one, particularly the young, should be planning to use Social Security as their most important source of income when they get older. To do so is very dangerous.

[CTyankee]

68. Of course not, but what is the alternative if they don't have a pension or investments?

I had an inheritance and they were investments, but without them where would I be? Nowhere...but how many people have investments that they inherit? It's a crazy scheme...

[JoePhilly]

80. I think that those who are young, regardless of income, need to ...

start saving for retirement in some way from the start.

The model goes like this. When you get the very first job you ever have, you SAVE 10% of what you make for retirement. Then you save some more for the next expensive thing you want to buy (assume 5%), then the rest is your discretionary money. You live on that.

Using this approach, as your jobs and salary improve, which it tends to do when you are young, it gets easier to save.

And so, even on a modest salary, putting 5K (10% of 50k) into a retirement fund year after year, makes a big difference. But most people don't do it. They get in credit debt early, and buy a car or house they can't afford. And this locks them in to a situation in which they save nothing.

Pulling out 15% when you are young and single is easy, and once you set it up, you'll keep doing it when you get married. You get your spouse to do it to if they work.

I was a poor kid. My parents never owned a home. When my father died, we received some insurance money, which didn't last long.

I put myself through college with loans, and when I finished, I followed the model above. 10% for my retirement, 5% for thing I wanted to buy, some had to go to student loans, and the rest was what I could live on. 20 years of that model has worked very well.

[RoadRage]

85. Yup.. this is exactly what I am doing..

When I was 12 I started saving $20 a month in babysitting money.. when I hit 16 and worked at a fast food restaurant I'd put away $100 of the $250 a month I made (I was living at home and didn't have many expenses). When I got my first job out of High School I rented an apartment below my income level and started saving $200 per month, etc.

I am now living well below my means just so I can stash away money for the future. I know it's easier for me because I don't (yet) have medical problems and I have a good job that I haven't lost... but if I did, I know I have a safety net.

I know far to many people who drive BMW's.. live in McMansions.. and have their credit cards maxed.. but don't have a dime in savings. It's probably fun now.. but it's not going to be fun in 20 or 30 years... those are the people I DON'T feel sorry for. The people who have lost jobs, have sick kids or parents they are supporting and financial hardships.. those are the people who I feel for - because they never seem to be able to get ahead.. and it's not like they're blowing $$$ on fancy cars and vacations.. they're trying to decide if they should pay the rent or buy medicine that month.

[JoePhilly]

89. So true ...

My family was lower middle class to poor depending on the year. My father saved nothing. He was a gifted carpenter and would work only when he wanted to. He'd make a few thousand dollars, stop working, blow the money, then start over.

I started with a paper route. And each month I collected the money and thought I was rich, until I paid the news paper company for my papers, and factored in the people who had not paid me for weeks. Then I got a job in a cemetery. Much better money. I started to save, and also pay for the things I wanted since my parents didn't have much money anyway.

When I got to college, I took some economics and that was the first time I had any real idea about how an investment works. It helped me a great deal.

I'm teaching my kids this lesson so they start saving in the beginning.

[Jennicut]

79. I am 35 and my husband and I and really most in my generation don't expect it to be around for us.

Or at least in a limited capacity. I mean, there is just a lot less of us (Gen X) then our parents (baby boomers). I also don't expect to live a really, really long life either. I will take what I can get, hopefully to 65 without major medical issues. I am a type 1 diabetic and already have some issues at only 35. I am okay with a slight age increase but reality tells me there are not many jobs for over 65 year olds to begin with. Some tough choices ahead for sure.

[stevenleser]

47. Other: Moot point, he is not going to do it n/t

[baldguy]

65. What should be raised is the payroll deduction cap.

Or eliminated.

[ProudDad]

67. What do you mean "still"?

:shrug:

[Teaser]

71. boring

.

[burrowowl]

72. Support

but we don't have much of a choice do we?

[impik]

81. This pathetic thread is still here?

[thelordofhell]

87. Other......as in

I can't believe this bullshit is still being discussed.

:tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat:

[rko_24550]

88. NO