Yep, you heard it.

The title is sensational on purpose, but in the end, this is that's happening. What both Republicans and Democrats want to do, is reform Social Security so that only those who are deemed in need, get it.

So if you were a good steward of your capital, you get nothing. If you weren't, you get a pension from the government.

So, they are keeping Social Security in name, but it's no different then if they just got rid of the program and let welfare cover the elderly.

This is the quote from the House Minority Leader (a Republican):

"If you have substantial non-Social Security income while you're retired, why are we paying you at a time when we're broke?"

Still trust government with your money?

To follow up, I wounder if I could use the same definition of "broke" as he does with respect to the government.

Meaning if I make $10,000 a month, but have obligated $9,800 of it to whatever I felt was important, then I should qualify as "broke", and be able to collect Welfare, as I only have $200 left over income.

The government is far from broke. In fact they are the largest income collecting entity in the world. They just happen to spend everything, and far more then they make, on shit they don't need to be spending money on.

This does not make them broke. It makes then extremely poor consumers, and woefully unqualified at what they do.

Because you promised it?

The whole idea of mandatory Social Security is infuriatingly paternalistic to me to begin with. It's the government taking your money and saying, "We'll give it back to you when you grow up." The fact that these dumb fucks can't even balance a checkbook makes it all the more laughable.

Most people in America spend far more than they make. If there not broke,then why do they keep borrowing from china. They have to do something to reform social security. You have to understand that people are living longer and the goverment is paying out,more than they get from social security taxes. They simply can't substain it.

This happens in the UK as well. Because my grandparents have a few thousand saved up in a bank account (were poor but careful in earlier life), they miss out on tens of thousands worth of council tax subsidies, tax credits, pension credits, free bus passes et cetera.

When it comes to welfare, those ON it should recieve a lot less in total value than those who don't need it. Not the other way around.

So it depends on where the threshold is and what kind of disparity it creates as to whether this proposal is any good. But I expect it to hit those just over the threshold the hardest; probably those who were poor but did work all their life.

I don't mind paying for those who need it. I would do that anytime. But I am seriously getting tired of paying for people to come into my store and spend up to 40-50 dollars on candy and monster energy drinks. I mean come on. That money is supposed to be so you can live, not get fat.

I do think they need to crack down on who gets money though. Alot of people are just abusing the system now.

Let me make it clearer... If I made $5,000 a month, and spend $2,000 a month on a boat, $1,000 a month eating out, and $1,800 a month on going to strip clubs, am I broke?

Some might say yes, because after pissing away $4,800 a month, I only have $200 left. Others (me) would say no, your not broke, you make $5,000 a month. You just spend your money poorly. Sell your boat, cook your food, and stop going to the strip joints, and you will be fine.

Broke is a guy making $1,500 a month who spends $600 on rent, $200 on a car, and the rest eating and clothing himself.

The government spends a ton of money on crap they don't need to spend money on. Just because they piss it away more then any other entity in the world, does not make them broke.

yea,but alot of people need the to. I personally know people that are struggling and have gotten assitance. Your always going to have people abusing any kind of goverment run program. This is unavoidable.

I don't get what your trying to say? The government has always spent a ton of money on crap they don't need. When you have a federal goverment that big and a bunch of red tape,then there's always going to be things that fall through the cracks. When you have a goverment that put's earmarks in a bill,that they know is going to get approved,then yes there's going to be wasteful spending. Do you really think with Obama in power,that all of this spending is going to stop anytime soon?

Than the best way to stop all of this waste is to let american people keep the money they earn, and to let them spend it themselves how they need.  People should not be paying 30-50% of their income through various taxations. We are adults we should be able to stand on our on two feet or fall by trying. Government needs to take a step back from running our lives.