I like Bernie, but...

ETcallhome said:
speaking strictly about our budget. SS and Medicare are the two largest items. So to say socialism is ok, just look at ss and medicare isn't very comforting.
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That SS and Medicare should be the two largest budget items should make perfect sense to you. Something would be horribly wrong if they weren't! Social Security is the basic, stop gap retirement program for an entire nation of 350 million. Why would you think for one moment that the amounts involved wouldn't be huge? Medicare is the medical expense coverage plan for everyone over the age of 65 among a 350 million population in a country with medical costs two to four times higher than in any other advanced economy. Why on Earth would you think that the amounts involved wouldn't be huge?
 
piezoe said:
That SS and Medicare should be the two largest budget items should make perfect sense to you. Something would be horribly wrong if they weren't! Social Security is the basic stop gap retirement program for an entire nation of 350 million. Why would you think for one moment that the amounts involved wouldn't be huge? Medicare is the medical expense coverage plan for everyone over the age of 65 among a 350 million population in a country with medical costs two to four times higher than in any other advanced economy. Why on Earth would you think that the amounts involved wouldn't be huge?
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makes perfect sense until you try to balance the budget. Imagine if we had socialized housing, that would be really big. I don't think anybody thought they would become the two largest items in the budget when they were passed.
 
ETcallhome said:
makes perfect sense until you try to balance the budget. Imagine if we had socialized housing, that would be really big. I don't think anybody thought they would become the two largest items in the budget when they were passed.
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Social Security is self funding. The only time it causes a budget problem is when Congress doesn't do what the actuaries tell them to do. Congress borrows the money it needs to prosecute it's wars by selling bonds to the Trust. You should worry more about the wars and less about social security. Everyone who counts knew that when social security was passed that it would be a huge part of the total government budget. But of course S.S. is "off budget", but don't let that concern you. It is only an accounting artifice.. S.S. is its own animal. It is illegal to spend social security revenue on anything other than social security. But of course that does not keep Congress from borrowing from the Trust.

You may not realize it but the reason Social Security and Medicare are called "ENTITLEMENTS" is because its your money that you have given to the government to hold in Trust for you. The government is your Trustee. And you are entitled to your money.
 
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