Means testing and Social Security

Be assured that if I’m elected, I won’t let our government reduce Social Security and Medicare benefits. They want to, and are just waiting for a suitable crisis. They won’t let that crisis go to waste, and will attempt to reduce benefits claiming that they “have to!” I won’t let that happen.

The public will hear, loud and clear, what our government is up to and the uproar will stop them in their tracks. When the public speaks really loudly with one voice, our government will listen. When the public is fighting with each other, the government can do what it wants.

I will be the loud voice unifying the people against the reductions.

Based on my calculations, we will not see the end of our economic weakness for at least another decade. Why? Because of economic cycles, and cycles within cycles. Although the economy is slightly improving, external forces such as China’s rise to dominance will sideline our nation’s ability to bounce back to prosperity.

Within ten years, China’s GDP will be much greater than ours. Their GDP percentage is made up of a huge manufacturing base. Ours is 75% consuming Chinese stuff and selling it to each other!

The next, and worse, step is that they will wrestle away the dollar as the reserve currency of choice status, and oil will be priced in the Chinese currency or a basket of currencies with the Chinese Yuan dominating. We’ll be forced to use this new currency to buy oil. As we are an energy dominated society, our cost of living will spiral upwards.

My calculations indicate that by 2018-19, we’ll reminisce about how good the economy was in years 2007-13. We’ll also be threatened with bankruptcy, so our government will announce a slew of new programs to deal with the emergency. One will be “means testing” for Social Security.

As usual the Democrats will blame the Republicans, and the Republicans will blame the Democrats. Why? So the incumbents can stay in power with their faces in the public trough. That trough is full of money, power, influence, consulting and lobbying jobs.

They win, you lose.

At this time, when you retire and file for Social Security you are paid based on your contributions, irrespective of how much money you have saved and invested during your working life. The Social Security Trust Fund, periodically raided by the Treasury, is designed as a pass-through system. The working people pay for the retirees and when they retire, the new crop of workers do the same.

One of the problems with the general population living longer is that the payments burden is increasing so retirement age is slowly increasing but not fast enough to balance the books.

With our government’s anticipated bankruptcy, it will develop many programs to restructure or jettison the national debt potentially crashing the global economy. Naturally the Democrats and Republicans will be at each others throats, so it’s unclear which side will use the “means testing” phrase first.

In 1992, Ross Perot proposed means testing, and you know what happened to his presidential ambitions. His problem was that we weren’t in a perpetual crisis then, culminating in our bankruptcy so his timing was off.

So what is “means testing?” It means that if you had a productive life, you’ll be punished. If you have lived a reckless, non-productive life, our government will reward you. How? Simply phrased, if you don’t need the Social Security, you won’t get it, or will receive a limited amount. Why? Because our government will say that you don’t need it.

If you’ve spent your life with your hand out, then you’ll get the maximum Social Security benefits and you’ll vote to keep the politicians who gave you our national treasure. The number of people with their hands out are increasing.

So in addition to paying far more in Social Security payments, as you’ve been worked hard and productive, your reward will be a minimal or zero payout. If you have paid very little, you’ll get the most value from Social Security.

So the slide continues for the United States to become a nanny state, a neo-socialist country where is to fail is good, and succeed is bad!

What has happened to my America? I want it back. I want a country where success is rewarded. I want a nation where people are encouraged to succeed and not to fail so the government can take care of them.

To repeat, be assured that if I’m elected, I won’t let our government reduce Social Security and Medicare benefits. They want to, and are just waiting for a suitable crisis. They won’t let that crisis go to waste, and will attempt to reduce benefits claiming that they “have to!” I won’t let that happen.

The public will hear, loud and clear, what our government is up to and the uproar will stop them in their tracks. When the public really speaks loudly with one voice, our government will listen. When the public is fighting with each other, the government can do what it wants.

I will be the loud voice unifying the people against the reductions.