Your gut feeling... when do you think social security will run out of money?

[Luminous Animal]

[Hannah Bell]

1. uh - never. and it's not projected to "run out of money", either. not sure what the point

of this poll is.

[Luminous Animal]

2. Added never as an option.

[sabrina 1]

3. I would have voted 'never' if I had seen it. Oh well, voted too quickly.

[bdamomma]

32. me too did not see the "never"

they want you to think it will run out, such BS.

[Luminous Animal]

5. This is why.

Calvin Woodward's "fact" check.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110126/ap_on_re_us/us_state_of_union_fact_check

OBAMA: "To put us on solid ground, we should also find a bipartisan solution to strengthen Social Security for future generations."

THE FACTS: With that comment, Obama missed another chance to embrace the tough medicine proposed by the commission for bringing down the deficit. For example, he ruled out slashing benefits or partially privatizing the program, and made no reference to raising the retirement age. That left listeners to guess how he plans to do anything to salvage the popular retirement program whose trust funds are expected to run out of money in 2037 without changes.

[Luminous Animal]

6. I want to emphasize that this is a Yahoo News "fact" checker who claims that

SS funds will run out of money in 2037.

[Hannah Bell]

8. The "Trust Fund" isn't Social Security. The title of your OP is misleading.

As is the "fact check," as SS wasn't set up to have a massive Trust Fund that "saved" SS money for the future. That was reagan-Greenspan creation.

SS was set up pay-go. In 2037 the oldest boomers will be 92 & the youngest 76, & most will be dead.

[Luminous Animal]

9. I never said trust fund.

[Hannah Bell]

10. my point entirely. you asked when SS will run out of money, then presented the yahoo fact checker

who said the TF will run out of money.

The TF isn't "Social Security," & SS wasn't set up as a savings plan.

I still don't understand what the point of the OP is.

[Luminous Animal]

12. Actually, no. I presented the Yahoo fact checker later. Not in my OP.

[Raine]

4. Never

the claim that it will run out is just a myth being perpetuated by those who want to get their hands on it.

[Luminous Animal]

7. For those who voted between 2030-2049, I'd like to know why you believe that.

[Luminous Animal]

11. Nobody wants who believes that SS will be out of money by 2037 wants to defend their position?

Facts, links, quotes?

[rgbecker]

30. Here's a quote from my "Social Security Statement" ...

About Social Security's future...
Social Security is a compact between generations. Since 1935, America has kept the promise of security for its workers and their families. Now, however, the Social Security system is facing serious financial problems, and action is needed soon to make sure the system will be sound when today's younger workers are ready for retirement.
In 2016 we will begin paying more in benefits than we collect in taxes. Without changes, by 2037 the Social Security Trust Fund will be exhausted and there will be enough money to pay only about 76 cents for each dollar of scheduled benefits. We need to resolve these issues soon to make sure Social Security continues to provide a foundation of protection for future generations.

Vist www.socialsecurity.gov to learn more.

[mrcheerful]

13. The problem with SS money is in high unemployment times like we are facing today

it means SS takes in less money then it gives out, of course congress using SS money to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy also plays into the shortage. But reality is the folks who claim SS will be broke by 2037 are using some screwed up factors to make that claim, the number of people who will be collecting SS in 2037 and using todays unemployed numbers. The problem I have with this is it is nothing more then fortune telling. The one thing about the future is there is no way to predict 2037 and what the country will be facing in the future based on information thats available today. If nothing changes between now and 2037 SS will be broke. That is what they are saying.

[Luminous Animal]

15. Have you looked at the SSA web page? Does the government claim that SS will be broke?

And what do you mean by broke?

[mrcheerful]

19. I said the folks who predict that SS will be broke by 2037

That is fortune telling with nothing to base it on except whats going on at this moment in time. 2037 is a future event there is no way to know what is going to happen. It reminds me of my grand father who declared man would never step foot on the moon in 1967, he passed away 1 week before the moon landing in 1969. He based his prediction on what humans could do in 1967. That is what the SS dooms day folks are doing with SS and 2037.

[Luminous Animal]

21. SS has been solvent for 75 years based on predictions. Wall Street has been solvent...

Do you have any basis in fact to show that SS will run out of money in 2037?

And I mean totally run out of money as opposed to facing a shortfall.

[mrcheerful]

24. Where did I say SS was running out of money? What I said was that the folks who make this claim

base their predictions on faulty figures, like using todays unemployed numbers to show that in 2037 SS will run out of money because the same number of workers will be unemployed in 2037 as today. As well as the number of people who are or about to be on SS, but they ignore death rates of workers instead they use the longer life expectation that benefits the rich and not the people who will be on SS to try to say that the same number of people will be on SS in 2037. In the past predictions counted in unknown factors which lowered the figures, the dooms dayers want high numbers that show SS will run out of money to push their agenda, which is either killing SS or putting SS in the hands of the private sector.

[Puzzler]

14. Is this a kind of "when did you stop beating your wife?" question?

(in other words, it's framed from the question itself)

[Luminous Animal]

16. No.

[mrcheerful]

17. Nope it is more like I can tell you exactly every event that will happen to me

tomorrow and all the out comes of said events tonight.

[Luminous Animal]

18. Que?

[pacalo]

20. Dammit, I goofed. Should have voted "never". The way that it's set up & providing

the government keeps the system intact & disciples itself from borrowing from it, SS should never run out of money.

If there's ever any shortage of SS funds, it's strictly the politicians' fault.

[Puzzler]

22. Bingo!

[onethatcares]

23. the moment I become eligible to collect

I'll get an empty paper bag and a nasty look from the clerk behind the desk.

[Urban Prairie]

25. As soon as we have a large enough majority Rethuglican Congress

And a Rethug again is occupying the Oval Office. SS has long been the proverbial socialist thorn in their conservative sides.

Rightwingers will continue to attempt to propagate the perception that it ultimately will run out of funds, and then after "successfully" doing so, create, introduce, and attempt to pass legislation to change contributions to SS to being entirely voluntary, remove its tax-exempt status, and eliminate mandatory FICA deductions/payments from earned/declared income, and last, but certainly not least, privatize payouts and contributions, by linking it instead to the stock market, investments in real estate/property and/or precious metals/gems...ect.

They whole idea behind conservatives' fervent desire for a "smaller government" that is shrunk down to a size that can be "drowned in a bathtub" is not necessarily to reduce if not completely eliminate the "federal debt", but in actuality the rightwing's true intent is to greatly reduce, if not better still, completely rid the US of liberal/progressive/leftist/Democratic influence in legislation and representation in government at ALL levels. To accomplish this goal, everything with the exception of the three branches of government and the military will need to become entirely privatized, and all social services that the government provides and funds is completely eliminated.

[katnapped]

26. This.

Soon as TPTB get their filthy hands on it

[LiberalEsto]

27. One day before I become eligible. nt

[dkofos]

28. The day before I become eligible

[deaniac21]

29. You couldn't burn that pile of iou's in a lifetime.

[kenny blankenship]

31. The day Democrats sneak up behind it and cut its throat

to the applause of Republicans and their corporate sponsors.

When exactly? I don't know. Keep the Ides of March open on your calendar if you want to be prepared.