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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]
Adjustments need to be made so that the system can help the most who actually need the help in the future. That's why I support means testing and raising the age when people start to receive benefits. The rich do not need this income. My friend's wealthy father, a pre-boomer, actually looked into sending the checks back once he started receiving them, but then found out he'd be taxed on the income even if he refused it, and gave up.[/quote]

Anyone who is sane supports means testing and raising the SS retirement age.  If you want to retire early, great - just save up.  And if you were fortunate hand have significant retirement assets, don't expect the federal government to kick in an extra $20,000 per year.  How is this remotely controversial?  [/quote]Actually I think means testing is a mistake and this is why.  Once you start means testing benefits, that is - they are no longer universal - then the public gets weary of them and they get reduced even for the people who really need them.  That's why in the US Social Security has so many supporters but TANF is always under attack while universal benefits to parents regardless of income in European nations has widespread political support. I'm not afraid of sacrifice.  As an upper-middle class professional who has prepared adequately for retirement I know that I could handle a cut in benefits.  But my brother, who struggled through health problems, and lives paycheck to paycheck even though he works hard as a nurse, would be hurt by it.  But what worries me on a broader level is that if people like me get reduced benefits, those benefits will lose political support.

So yeah people are self-interested and they want what they think "is coming to them."  And once it isn't"coming to them" they begrudge those benefits to others.  I think our society needs these benefits so let's raise the retirement age but I'm skeptical about whether means-testing is a good idea at this point in time.  [/quote]

First off a nurse shouldn't be struggling, they have the education and job demand to at live a decent lifestyle. He is doing something wrong.

Second everyone always brings up the minor cases of "we can't get rid of SS because of the poor sick children who's parent were killed while they were volunteering their time to other poor people" needs it. There are plenty of religous and charitable organizations that would help the miniority cases of real need. The goverment's job is security, defense and defending the laws nothing more. Even if the government still provided disability to the readl needs it would be much smaller than the current SS.

Ever notice that people magically have health problems and draw SS? A good example of the abuse of disability can be seen in Montgomery county where 40% of firefighters retire disabled even though they aren't.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/disability-claims-soar-montgomery-county[/quote]
1) You've completely missed my point about the importance of political support for a benefit that is good for society and how that diminishes once you means test it.  If you want to get rid of social security and medicare completely, fine.  But if you want to keep it only for some and not for others, there will be less and less political support for it over time.  It's not a good idea.
2) My brother only became a nurse five years ago.  Before that he was a mechanic.  He is not doing well financially because he had massive health problems which kept him from working.  What he did wrong was to get sick.  Okay, if you want to punish people for getting sick, go ahead.

My point was that means testing is not ultimately a good way of reducing costs. My argument was aimed at people who support the idea of social security generally.  You obviously do not - so please don't bother to waste your punitive moralistic crap by totally failing to grasp my point.

[/quote]

i guess your boomer selfishness didn't bother helping your brother out[/quote]

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