GOP against cutting Social Security now that there is an election

[MillCreek]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/gop-changes-tune-on-cutting-social-security-with-elections-on-the-line/2014/10/23/d8e57db2-5ad0-11e4-b812-38518ae74c67_story.html

The first rule of politics is to get elected, after all.

[Balog]

But, he said, “In elections, you do whatever you think will work.”

There are obvious advantages to accusing one’s political opponent of monkeying with Social Security. A new survey out Thursday from the National Academy of Social Insurance found overwhelming support for the program among voters in both parties, with 69 percent of Republicans agreeing “it is critical to preserve Social Security benefits . . . even if it means increasing the Social Security taxes.”

More than 70 percent of Republicans and 92 percent of Democrats agreed that top earners should pay Social Security taxes on their entire earnings, not just wages under $117,700. Meanwhile, three-quarters of those surveyed oppose raising the retirement age and reducing cost-of-living increases, for example, by adopting the chained CPI.

[roo_ster]

Nobody wants to be the guy who says, "No more free candy."  Better just to wait until the system fails under its own weight.

Glen Reynolds is wont to write, "We have the worst ruling class this country has ever had" or some such.  He is correct.

[Balog]

If you look at deeds not rhetoric, both parties make Louis XVI look like a model of fiscal restraint.

[SADShooter]

I'll repeat: two trains, same cliff, minor variance in speed and window view.

[RocketMan]

I'll repeat: two trains, same cliff, minor variance in speed and window view.

One train, speeding toward the cliff with a Democrat engineer at the throttle, shoved to the wall.  A Republican engineer is standing behind the Democrat begging the him to...slow down just a little bit.

[cordex]

One train, speeding toward the cliff with a Democrat engineer at the throttle, shoved to the wall.  A Republican engineer is standing behind the Democrat begging the him to...slow down just a little bit.

Until the Republican gets the throttle. Then it is full speed ahead, but firewalled with the right hand instead of the left.

[Balog]

Until the Republican gets the throttle. Then it is full speed ahead, but firewalled with the right hand instead of the left.

They're much more compassionate about destroying us fiscally.

[makattak]

Of course they are now against it.

Explaining why the money is going to run out is HARD. And if we know one thing about politicians, it's that any sort of actual work scares them.

[cordex]

And if we know one thing about politicians, it's that any sort of actual work scares them.

That may be too cynical. I believe many politicians are willing to work extraordinarily hard. At least to worm their way into greater power, or to abuse their power in increasingly twisted ways for their own benefit.

[MechAg94]

Do we really need to cut social security and by how much?  This gets talked about, but no one ever talks about the actual details much.  My two questions are:

1.  How much SS money is paid out for stuff other than retirement benefits?  
2.  How much of the SS money spent is eaten up by administration?  

I bet #1 and #2 are much higher than even pessemistic people think.  I bet no adminstration really wants to report those numbers.  I think everyone knows if they consider it that there is a lot of waste, but it never gets mentioned in these discussions.

Has anyone seen any spending analysis for the SS Administration recently?

[HankB]

1.  How much SS money is paid out for stuff other than retirement benefits?  
2.  How much of the SS money spent is eaten up by administration?  

Couple of decades ago when my Dad applied for SS benefits, for some reason he had to go down to the SS office in person. (Probably because this was before the Internet really took off.)

He said that AT LEAST 2/3 to 3/4 of the applicants were NOWHERE NEAR retirement age . . . and a great many of them spoke NO ENGLISH!

Fast forward to the administration of Bush 43 . . . where was a bit of a ruckus when it was disclosed that GWB wanted to open another SS office to make it easier for people to get benefits . . . in MEXICO CITY.  <expletive> <expletive> <string of expletives>

This are just a couple of reasons why I believe a good part of SS's projected problems involve fiscal & political mismanagement, and aren't due solely to the graying of America.

[Monkeyleg]

Do we really need to cut social security and by how much?  This gets talked about, but no one ever talks about the actual details much.  My two questions are:

1.  How much SS money is paid out for stuff other than retirement benefits?  
2.  How much of the SS money spent is eaten up by administration?  

I bet #1 and #2 are much higher than even pessemistic people think.  I bet no adminstration really wants to report those numbers.  I think everyone knows if they consider it that there is a lot of waste, but it never gets mentioned in these discussions.

Has anyone seen any spending analysis for the SS Administration recently?

Out of my relatively small group of acquaintances, I know of two who have been on SS disability for nearly all their adult lives. Neither is disabled in any way.

[Ben]

Do we really need to cut social security and by how much?  This gets talked about, but no one ever talks about the actual details much.  My two questions are:

1.  How much SS money is paid out for stuff other than retirement benefits?  
2.  How much of the SS money spent is eaten up by administration?  

I bet #1 and #2 are much higher than even pessemistic people think.  I bet no adminstration really wants to report those numbers.  I think everyone knows if they consider it that there is a lot of waste, but it never gets mentioned in these discussions.

Has anyone seen any spending analysis for the SS Administration recently?

Based on what we were discussing here:

http://www.armedpolitesociety.com/index.php?topic=45972.msg937766#msg937766

#2 has to be ridiculously bloated, inefficient, and corrupt (or inept) . It's the only way to get such crappy returns compared to most any other common investment vehicle.

[Firethorn]

Based on what we were discussing here:

http://www.armedpolitesociety.com/index.php?topic=45972.msg937766#msg937766

#2 has to be ridiculously bloated, inefficient, and corrupt (or inept) . It's the only way to get such crappy returns compared to most any other common investment vehicle.

Uh...  It's simple enough, and actually very 'efficient' - SS invests in exactly ONE financial vehicle - US Treasury Bonds, complete with lousy interest and Congress spending that 'loaned' money as though it was direct income taxes.

[Balog]

Uh...  It's simple enough, and actually very 'efficient' - SS invests in exactly ONE financial vehicle - US Treasury Bonds, complete with lousy interest and Congress spending that 'loaned' money as though it was direct income taxes.

Except they don't even get "real" Treasury Bonds, they get a special even more worthless kind.

[MechAg94]

I had heard a while back we signed some sort of or agreement with Mexico saying we would pay their retireed people here and they would pay ours down there.  I am sure we are just paying both.

Couple of decades ago when my Dad applied for SS benefits, for some reason he had to go down to the SS office in person. (Probably because this was before the Internet really took off.)

He said that AT LEAST 2/3 to 3/4 of the applicants were NOWHERE NEAR retirement age . . . and a great many of them spoke NO ENGLISH!

Fast forward to the administration of Bush 43 . . . where was a bit of a ruckus when it was disclosed that GWB wanted to open another SS office to make it easier for people to get benefits . . . in MEXICO CITY.  <expletive> <expletive> <string of expletives>

This are just a couple of reasons why I believe a good part of SS's projected problems involve fiscal & political mismanagement, and aren't due solely to the graying of America.

[MechAg94]

Out of my relatively small group of acquaintances, I know of two who have been on SS disability for nearly all their adult lives. Neither is disabled in any way.

Exactly, even if we say we will continue that stuff, it should not be tied to or under the umbrella of SS at all.

[makattak]

Couple of decades ago when my Dad applied for SS benefits, for some reason he had to go down to the SS office in person. (Probably because this was before the Internet really took off.)

He said that AT LEAST 2/3 to 3/4 of the applicants were NOWHERE NEAR retirement age . . . and a great many of them spoke NO ENGLISH!

Fast forward to the administration of Bush 43 . . . where was a bit of a ruckus when it was disclosed that GWB wanted to open another SS office to make it easier for people to get benefits . . . in MEXICO CITY.  <expletive> <expletive> <string of expletives>

This are just a couple of reasons why I believe a good part of SS's projected problems involve fiscal & political mismanagement, and aren't due solely to the graying of America.

That was similar to my wife and I's experience when we went there to change her name on her SS card. Although being in northern VA, those numbers were 90% or higher.