Rules For Radicals

[PLC1]

We shouldn't be too quick to write off SS. It has had a positive cash flow for many years now, and is just starting to turn around a little bit. The program is pretty close to being in balance right now. It's time to make some adjustments to it, as the life expectancy is a lot more than it was at the inception of the program, but it's a long way from bankruptcy.

The "get rid of entitlements and all will be right with the world" mantra is not based on reality. Were we to get rid of SS today, the actual savings would be less than 1% or so of the deficit.

Medicare is another matter, but there are two big elephants in any room where Medicare reform is being discussed:

1. The cost of medicare is out of control because the cost of medical care is out of control. The total cost (public and private) is greater than all of the non medical expenditures of the federal government by a factor of about 2.

2. Without Medicare, seniors would not have access to medical care, not at any price.

 

[PLC1]

Grr I am so conservative!!! I bet if the questions were more clear I would come out more conservative than Rush Beck and Hannity put together

But Hannity is not really conservative as much as he is a republican IMO

Beck is becoming a Libertarian and I think I am too. Maybe I should say I am a conservative Libertarian ... Nah that is too much to type

Just say you're a Pragmatic Libertarian Conservative, a PLC.

 

[Lagboltz]

The beauty of that is we would find out what works and what does not. With very limited federal government interference, allowing for states rights... some states would thrive some would turn into or continue (IMO) to be stink holes. People would have the right just as they do today to leave bad states and move to good ones, It would not be long before we could see what works and what does not. Badly run states would be really forced to change if they wanted any kind of population.

Scientists have studied mice in social situations, but experimenting with people is far more serious with unpredictable consequences.

Honestly I would too but only what I thought was waste and even the military has it.

SS is a really hard one, its a bad system that I don't think should have ever been started but now here we are .... I have paid into it since i was 15 years old and I know I wont get a dime out of it. So I really have no answers for that one except that my kids are screwed!

Of course this discussion has been hypothetical so far. When it comes down to the realities of politics I don't see what can actually be done without bickering over the next decades. The US is like a very old car rundown car. It is too difficult to fix, but there is no other one available.

You probably picked yes to abortion and I picked no, that always seems to be what sends me over the edge on these kinds of quizzes.

Right.

 

[Pandora]

Just say you're a Pragmatic Libertarian Conservative, a PLC.

That is funny!

 

[Pandora]

We shouldn't be too quick to write off SS. It has had a positive cash flow for many years now, and is just starting to turn around a little bit. The program is pretty close to being in balance right now. It's time to make some adjustments to it, as the life expectancy is a lot more than it was at the inception of the program, but it's a long way from bankruptcy.

The "get rid of entitlements and all will be right with the world" mantra is not based on reality. Were we to get rid of SS today, the actual savings would be less than 1% or so of the deficit.

Medicare is another matter, but there are two big elephants in any room where Medicare reform is being discussed:

1. The cost of medicare is out of control because the cost of medical care is out of control. The total cost (public and private) is greater than all of the non medical expenditures of the federal government by a factor of about 2.

2. Without Medicare, seniors would not have access to medical care, not at any price.

I would not want to see it de funded, too many people need it and depend on it. But i would like to see some system for young people who clearly wont have this program when they are old.

 

[Lagboltz]

Grr I am so conservative!!! I bet if the questions were more clear I would come out more conservative than Rush Beck and Hannity put together

But Hannity is not really conservative as much as he is a republican IMO

Beck is becoming a Libertarian and I think I am too. Maybe I should say I am a conservative Libertarian ... Nah that is too much to type

OK. I concede. If you listen to Hannity and Beck, you are a real conservative. I listen to NPR and that is proof that I'm a flaming commie.

 

[Pandora]

Scientists have studied mice in social situations, but experimenting with people is far more serious with unpredictable consequences.

Of course this discussion has been hypothetical so far. When it comes down to the realities of politics I don't see what can actually be done without bickering over the next decades. The US is like a very old car rundown car. It is too difficult to fix, but there is no other one available.

Right.

We will bicker till the bitter end, mostly the extremes on the right and the left will bicker with each other.

Those in the middle who care enough to pay somewhat attention will side with the loudest or the one who has the highest poll numbers and the rest will be too busy watching American Idol they wont know or care and on voting day (if they vote) they will vote for the one who has the most TV ads.


Gosh! reading what I just wrote... I am cynical But it really seems true.. at least with the people I know

 

[Pandora]

OK. I concede. If you listen to Hannity and Beck, you are a real conservative. I listen to NPR and that is proof that I'm a flaming commie.

I practically am in love with Glenn Beck

We all have handles at work on the radio and just to upset the pack my handle is "Glenn Beck's girlfriend" It works out great, they refuse to call me so I get lots more work done

NPR is sooo boring, I have tried to listen to it but I always fall asleep.

 

[PLC1]

I would not want to see it de funded, too many people need it and depend on it. But i would like to see some system for young people who clearly wont have this program when they are old.

They will have if we enact some basic reforms now. Given the disfunctional government we have currently, I wouldn't bet on anything meaningful, so there is a possibility that there won't be such a program when they're old.

A much better program would be for young people to be able to put that 16% of their income that SS costs into an IRA type of program. They'd be millionaires by the age of 65, and then could spend it however they chose. The problem with that is there would be no money for the seniors who have been paying into it for years.

 

[Lagboltz]

We shouldn't be too quick to write off SS. It has had a positive cash flow for many years now, and is just starting to turn around a little bit. The program is pretty close to being in balance right now. It's time to make some adjustments to it, as the life expectancy is a lot more than it was at the inception of the program, but it's a long way from bankruptcy.

Right. Our SS money is still there. It's just that 2.4 Trillion is now part of the national debt.

The "get rid of entitlements and all will be right with the world" mantra is not based on reality. Were we to get rid of SS today, the actual savings would be less than 1% or so of the deficit.

Medicare is another matter, but there are two big elephants in any room where Medicare reform is being discussed:

Take away Medicare over my dead body. Hmmm. I guess that would be true.

1. The cost of medicare is out of control because the cost of medical care is out of control. The total cost (public and private) is greater than all of the non medical expenditures of the federal government by a factor of about 2.

My wife goes to the doctor over a lot of little things. A lot of people do. My doctor found a minimal trace of blood in my urine and urged - almost demanded - me to see a urologist. After more blood tests, a CAT scan, and a painful examination where people poked tubes where I don't want them to, they said it was nothing. Things like that drive up the costs. I'm sorry you tax payers, I will try to avoid unnecessary treatments in the future.

2. Without Medicare, seniors would not have access to medical care, not at any price.

Yep. Private insurance for seniors is astronomical.

 

[Pandora]

They will have if we enact some basic reforms now. Given the disfunctional government we have currently, I wouldn't bet on anything meaningful, so there is a possibility that there won't be such a program when they're old.

A much better program would be for young people to be able to put that 16% of their income that SS costs into an IRA type of program. They'd be millionaires by the age of 65, and then could spend it however they chose. The problem with that is there would be no money for the seniors who have been paying into it for years.

Yeah

It's a mess, Someone is getting screwed, its just who that group is we are unsure of. It's like a pyramid scheme. Those around when it started put in the least and got out the most and those at the end will have put in the most and gotten out the least...


I have a question for you

I have felt since I was 24 that there would be nothing for me when I was ready to retire so I started putting money away in a TSA. I also put into my PERS and another IRA thing. I will have 30 years in my job in 9 years but I will only be 54 then. Do you think its immoral for me to retire at 54 because I can even though others will have to keep working because they didn't think to put money away in TSA's exc?

It's not like I had lots of money to put away, I had to go without lots of things other young people got to do because I was tucking my money away. I knew I wanted to retire at 54 so I made sure I had been putting money away, made sure I got my house paid off exc. But some people I know think its wrong of me to retire at 54 when I am still able to work even though I have planned for it since I was 24 and sacrificed a whole lot to be able to do it.

 

[Lagboltz]

I practically am in love with Glenn Beck

We all have handles at work on the radio and just to upset the pack my handle is "Glenn Beck's girlfriend" It works out great, they refuse to call me so I get lots more work done

I don't know if you are being serious or not. Maybe if it became known that I'm Glen Beck's boyfriend, people will ignore both me and Glen Beck.

NPR is sooo boring, I have tried to listen to it but I always fall asleep.

We are a different breed.
My wife couldn't get to sleep so I started reading aloud to her. It was a Scientific American article on the "Nervous System of the Leach" She was out in a flash. I was fascinated and couldn't put it down until I finished reading it.

 

[Pandora]

I don't know if you are being serious or not. Maybe if it became known that I'm Glen Beck's boyfriend, people will ignore both me and Glen Beck.

We are a different breed.
My wife couldn't get to sleep so I started reading aloud to her. It was a Scientific American article on the "Nervous System of the Leach" She was out in a flash. I was fascinated and couldn't put it down until I finished reading it.

I really was being serious that is my handle
And I do like Glenn Beck and I was so upset when he left his show that I drank beer all that night!

I keep the radio on a show called Coast to Coast while I sleep, I get the most crazy dreams But I must have noise when sleeping. I could put it on NPR come to think of it but I wouldn't get the crazy dreams

 

[PLC1]

Yeah

It's a mess, Someone is getting screwed, its just who that group is we are unsure of. It's like a pyramid scheme. Those around when it started put in the least and got out the most and those at the end will have put in the most and gotten out the least...


I have a question for you

I have felt since I was 24 that there would be nothing for me when I was ready to retire so I started putting money away in a TSA. I also put into my PERS and another IRA thing. I will have 30 years in my job in 9 years but I will only be 54 then. Do you think its immoral for me to retire at 54 because I can even though others will have to keep working because they didn't think to put money away in TSA's exc?

It's not like I had lots of money to put away, I had to go without lots of things other young people got to do because I was tucking my money away. I knew I wanted to retire at 54 so I made sure I had been putting money away, made sure I got my house paid off exc. But some people I know think its wrong of me to retire at 54 when I am still able to work even though I have planned for it since I was 24 and sacrificed a whole lot to be able to do it.

Of course, it's not immoral for you to retire at whatever age you plan to retire. You have a plan to make the money, it's your money after all, to spend however you choose.

If someone else wants to go and blow their cash on a new Porsche and ignore their retirement income, it isn't up to you to pay for that retirement when they find themselves to be middle aged and broke.

It is immoral for the government to have collected SS funds from working people all these years, spent the excess, and now start making noises about how we need to end SS. That is highly immoral and unacceptable.

I'm not in the SS system. I put my 8% into State Teacher's Retirement, matched by 8% from my employers, just like SS. Unlike SS, that money went into a real trust fund, thanks to that "evil and socialistic" teacher's union that wouldn't let the state spend it, where the excess grew with the stock and bond markets. As a result, STRS is not in danger of going bankrupt, and my retirement is far, far better than it would be under SS. I also put additional into a TSA or two, and now am not worried about personal finances in the least.

I hope your plan to retire works out for you. If you do retire early, you need to have some hobbies or you'll be bored.

 

[Lagboltz]

I really was being serious that is my handle
And I do like Glenn Beck and I was so upset when he left his show that I drank beer all that night!

I keep the radio on a show called Coast to Coast while I sleep, I get the most crazy dreams But I must have noise when sleeping. I could put it on NPR come to think of it but I wouldn't get the crazy dreams

I simply don't understand how people can seriously watch Glen Beck. For that matter I feel the same way about Justin Beiber. I'm a Jon Stewart - Stephen Colbert guy myself.

But listening to NPR might have dangerous subliminal repercussions on your political persuasion.