01-04-2017, 04:45 AM
(01-04-2017, 01:20 AM)Warren Dew Wrote:(01-03-2017, 04:36 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: Social Security and Medicare are not problems, and are not the cause of the debt. They are paid-for programs. Relatively speaking, Social Security is better paid for than Medicare, but basically it's the same deal.
False. Social Security has unfunded liabilities of $32 trillion, not counting Medicare. That dwarfs the nominal debt of $17 trillion or so.
I don't think so, from all I have heard. Tax payments have been diverted from social security for decades. That's why the "lock box" was discussed during the 2000 campaign. Even in spite of that, money won't run out from the trust fund until at least the mid-2030s. That's plenty of time for Democrats to get in and pop or raise the cap on income taxable for social security.
Saying these things about social security probably derives from the neo-liberal echo chamber, along with the meme that it's a "ponzi scheme." Utter nonsense; it's a program that works and will continue to work as long as the Republicans don't keep messing with it and stealing from it to pay for wars and tax cuts.
I would reverse your statement. Without income from social security tax, the debt would probably be something like $32 trillion instead of the nominal debt of $17.