How long have you been paying into Social Security?

[jillan]

Fuck them for thinking they can take our money, our insurance policy away from us!

I am 55. I got my first job before my 16th birthday - I couldn't wait to go to work and have my own money.
40 years I paid into this system.

What about you?

[HockeyMom]

1. Since 1965 when I got my first full time job

at 17 after graduating HS.

[Kaleva]

2. From 1973 when I was 14 till 2009.

[dkf]

3. Most of your money was never saved for you. It went out to a retiree

You will get paid by someone else. You will get something as long as that other person pays for you. But will you get the equivalent of today's benefits? Depends how many workers contribute and how much they contribute. There is an amount that will be too much of a burden for them as there is an amount that would be too much for you to bear.

[Historic NY]

4. 40+ years am now collecting SS disability....it took 5 yrs to get it.

[L0oniX]

5. So where is that LSD camp at?

[Urban Prairie]

6. Paid into SS for ~23 years, collected for 4.5 years from SSD, paid into railroad retirement

for ~12 years. My current disability income is frozen at 40% of the total of my calculated annual retirement income, with the exception of receiving any future (haha!!) "COLA" increases, then it is scheduled to increase to 100% @ age 62, but I will not be very surprised at all, if before I reach that age about seven years from now, it likely will have been raised (much) higher.

Should my SSD income become a juicy target for deep cuts or even worse, completely ceases (due to lower or non-payment) from government-passed legislation, or if the Teathugs/Rethugs were/are to have their way, SS itself would/could be completely eliminated, then my former employers are "supposedly" responsible for making up the difference in my annual disability, and eventual retirement-pension income as a result, yeah, right!!

[unblock]

7. i started right around when reagan doubled it so we wouldn't have this problem.

[ThomThom]

15. there is no problem .... we paid so after boomers the numbers

(people paying to people receiving)are good again

[Xicano]

8. 28 years and counting.

Since my first job working at a drive-in theater at age 17.

[stevedeshazer]

9. The same.

I'm 56. Paid in since 1971.

So now I'm supposed to give it up.

So, if the Wall Street suits manage to highjack Social Security, I'll bet we won't get our money back.

[HappyMe]

10. 33 years.

As soon as I get myself a dang job, I'll be paying more. :-)

[Brickbat]

11. Less than I've been working -- I've worked abroad and am a freelancer.

[jwirr]

12. Since 1955 when I got my first job at the age of 12. However,

circumstances (being a woman and caring for a disabled child) have made it so that much of my income was disregarded due to lapsed time periods and low income. I did finally get my quarters in so I would be eligible for something anyway.

[ThomThom]

13. pay me what was promised when I was 15 years old

??

[dana_b]

14. 31 years

I got my first job at 14 working in the school cafeteria. woo hoo!!

[SoCalDem]

16. Since 1961, when I was 12 yrs old

:)

[csziggy]

17. I haven't paid INTO Social Security since 1976

I ran a business but never cleared enough money to pay myself. I think I have two years of part time minimum wage jobs while I was in college and one year of just above minimum wage at a crappy state clerk job. I don't think I paid in enough to ever collect a dime.

My retirement fund is my land which the farm business paid for. Too bad it is not worth as much as it should be worth. Of course, I can always make a deal with a tenant farmer to raise food we could share to survive. I had someone approach me last spring but it was too late in the year to do it.

But I want people who HAVE worked and paid for Social Security to get what they should.

[exboyfil]

19. How did you live if you had no income?

and how did you earn the income to buy your land that was not subject to the withholding? I am just curious and would like to compare your situation as a business person to someone who works for another.

[socialshockwave]

18. Never.

Am 19 and circumstances(REALLY SHITTY JOB MARKET + mental health issues) mean I've never had my "first job".