the cato institute explains why young people should be pissed off

[Q Classic]

How old are you?

old enough to know that if she doesn't live with my brother, she's going to get the room farthest from mine.

Now let's say that tomorrow you are struck by a falling tree and paralyzed. Would you still then argue against social security measures being used to benefit you, even though the accident wasn't your fault, or anyone else's?

actually, yes. because in that case, i should have had the foresight to have my own health insurance.

the only two forms of social security i can stand are unemployment benefits and student loans. anything else in its current form are excessive and poorly run.

there's a proverb from somewhere that says it's worse to have married badly than to have never married at all. social security is no different. the current system is so poorly run that it is doing more damage than if we didn't have one. this is not to say a good system isn't a good idea--but sometimes it's better to raze the entire structure and start from scratch.

hell, it almost worked with atlanta, didn't it?

[connorkimbro]

My only consolation is, by the time I get to be aged 65 (40 years from now) the whole ****ed up system will have collapsed, and a new, better system will be in place.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Q Cubed
the only two forms of social security i can stand are unemployment benefits and student loans. anything else in its current form are excessive and poorly run.

Do you actually have any statisitical evidence to prove this, or are you just letting the CATO Institute do your thinking for you, "moderate."

[Caligastia]

Social Security is basically there for people who lack the foresight to plan for their retirement. The govt is not the only entity capable of handling your retirement funds reliably, in fact it's probably the least reliable option. Some here seem to forget how many promises the govt has made and broken over the years.

If SS had never been implimented, the elderly who were too stupid to put money aside for their retirement would deserve what they get. Unfortunately we are now stuck with a system that has encouraged years of govt dependency. Now it's a part of our culture to expect the govt to take care of you.

[chequita guevara]

You, get out of our country. Now.

[Caligastia]

[Q Classic]

from where i'm sitting, the government doesn't know how to handle money at all.

1. in education, it insists on promoting the mediocre above the deserving, meaning we get half-assed initiatives every four years or so, which promise revolutionary new abilities, only to forget them with the next administration, after having spent fortunes on it.

2. unlike a good corporation, which tries to keep as much of a balanced budget as possible, the government always seems to seek lower revenues while increasing spending. furthermore, they are deferring payments until they're out of office. who will be holding the bag when the lenders come a-knockin'? my generation. so we'll be ****ed while our elders had a wild time.

3. politicians do not have the moral courage, integrity, or long-view, meaning that they're focused on the here and now, conveniently ignoring whatever problems may sprout up from their idiotic initiatives.

4. some of the reason this country's in the fix it's in is because of the abrogation of personal responsibility. if you're not happy with your life, it must be your parents' fault. if you pig out and get fat, it must be the restaurant's fault. if you smoke and get emphysema, it must be altria's fault. if you can't be arsed enough to get a job, it must be the fact that you have the wrong skin color.
social security merely continues the government coddling individuals, emasculating and castrating them.
that said, yes, there are some things outside of the control of individuals: if you have a job, you ought to be able to make ends meet: minimum wage isn't enough, one needs a living wage. altria should have been fined enormous amounts for deliberately lying to the public. but the point remains: by and large, you can control how things end up. therefore, if you don't plan on retirement, and you don't have kids, you'd better figure out a way to live out your golden years pronto--that excludes stealing from those younger than you.

5. i view this like i view affirmative action. i'm against affirmative action because my minority doesn't get it at all. i'm against social security because my generation won't get it at all. how egalitarian.
you get me affirmative action for asian americans, i'll shut up about it. you guarantee social security for my generation, and i'll shut up about it.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
You, get out of our country. Now.

Wow -- you're sounding more and more like SlowwHand everyday.

[Q Classic]

he is slowwhand. he's just batting for the other team.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Q Cubed
from where i'm sitting, the government doesn't know how to handle money at all.

1. in education, it insists on promoting the mediocre above the deserving, meaning we get half-assed initiatives every four years or so, which promise revolutionary new abilities, only to forget them with the next administration, after having spent fortunes on it.

Welcome to the real world of compromises.

2. unlike a good corporation, which tries to keep as much of a balanced budget as possible, the government always seems to seek lower revenues while increasing spending

How many real corporations have you worked for? I've worked for tow ot the largest nd most powerful, and let me tell you this, they are no where near as efficient as right-wing citizues of the government would like to pretend.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Q Cubed
he is slowwhand. he's just batting for the other team.

ah

[Q Classic]

How many real corporations have you worked for? I've worked for tow ot the largest nd most powerful, and let me tell you this, they are no where near as efficient as right-wing citizues of the government would like to pretend.

i'm working for a private school now. compared to the insides of a corporation, it's even less organized and efficient.
that said, at least they're still able to pay for charge they make without making their successors pay for it.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara How many real corporations have you worked for? I've worked for tow ot the largest nd most powerful, and let me tell you this, they are no where near as efficient as right-wing citizues of the government would like to pretend.

True, corporations are also inefficient, but until competition is replaced with cooperation, the profit motive will always trump the service motive.

[Caligastia]

I'd also like to add that I have worked both in the corporate world and in the government, and in my experience the government is far more wasteful.

Yes, competition is wasteful, but at least it creates motivation for efficiency. The government doesn't have to worry about the consequences of inefficiency nearly as much as a corporation does because it's source of revenue is fixed, and is not tied to it's performance. In the corporate world it's survival of the fittest.

[chequita guevara]

Actually, companies and people can move, so government revenue is not fixed.

Q3,
With universities, you are also paying for future generations, and, you keep paying for much of your life. Alumni are a constant target for donation compaigns.