A little while back we got a forwarded e-mail from a
correspondent who occasionally sends us . . . provocative materials. This
piece, with the subject line, “Do You Think She’s Pissed?” contains language
that really doesn’t have a place in a learned forum such as this, but it would
detract from the overall impression to delete it. We don’t even know if this thing is real, but
that’s not the point: it expresses what many people believe Social Security to
be, i.e., a bank account with our
money in it, earning interest for our retirement.
We’re not posting this for the shock value, but to explain
the problem — and the solution — from a Just Third Way perspective. Here’s the e-mail, edited somewhat for
punctuation, spelling, and grammar, but not much else.
#######
Subject: Do you think
she's pissed?
If you feel the need to vent, this
will help; [it] needs to go to a whole pot load of Senators and Congressmen
Alan Simpson, the Senator
from Wyoming, calls senior citizens the “Greediest Generation” as he
compared “Social Security” to a milch cow with 310 million teats.
Here's a response in a letter from
a lady in Montana . . . I think she is a little ticked off! She also tells it like it is! Oh, so-o-o true!
Hey, Alan, let’s get a few things
straight!
1. As a career politician, you have
been on the public dole (teat) for fifty
years.
2. I have been paying Social
Security taxes for 48 years (since I
was 15 years old. I am now 63).
3. My Social Security payments,
and those of millions of other Americans, were safely tucked away in ‘an
interest bearing account’ for decades until you political pukes decided to
raid the account and give our money
to a bunch of zero losers in return for votes, thus bankrupting the system and
turning Social Security into a Ponzi scheme that would make Bernie Madoff
proud.
4. Recently, just like Lucy and
Charlie Brown, you and “your ilk” pulled the proverbial football away from
millions of American seniors nearing retirement and moved the goalposts for
full retirement from age 65 to age 67. Now,
you and your “shill commission” are proposing to move the goalposts yet again.
5. I, and millions of other
Americans, have been paying into Medicare from day one, and now “you morons” propose
to change the rules of the game. Why? Because “you idiots” mismanaged
other parts of the economy to such an extent that you need to steal our money
from Medicare to pay the bills.
6. I, and millions of other Americans,
have been paying income taxes our entire lives, and now you propose to increase
our taxes yet again. Why? Because you “incompetent bastards” spent our
money so profligately that you just kept on spending even after you ran
out of money. Now, you come to the American taxpayers and say you need more to
pay off your debt.
To add insult to injury, you label us “greedy” for calling “bullshit” to your incompetence. Well,
Captain Bullshit, I have a few questions for you:
To add insult to injury, you label us “greedy” for calling “bullshit” to your incompetence. Well,
Captain Bullshit, I have a few questions for you:
1. How much money have you earned
from the American taxpayers during your pathetic 50-year political career?
2. At what age did you retire from
your pathetic political career, and how much are you receiving in annual
retirement benefits from the American taxpayers?
3. How much do you pay for your government provided health
insurance?
4. What cuts in your retirement and healthcare benefits
are you proposing in your disgusting deficit reduction proposal, or as
usual, have you exempted yourself and your political cronies?
It is you, Captain Bullshit,
and your political co-conspirators called Congress who are the “greedy”
ones. It is you and your fellow nutcase thieves who have bankrupted
America and stolen the American dream from millions of loyal, patriotic
taxpayers.
And for what? Votes and your job
and retirement security at our expense, you lunk-headed, leech.
That's right, sir. You and
yours have bankrupted America for the sole purpose of
advancing your pathetic, political careers. You know it, we know it,
and you know that we know it.
And you can take that to the bank,
you miserable son of a bitch. No, I
did not stutter.
P.S. And stop calling Social
Security benefits “entitlements”. WHAT AN INSULT! I have been paying in to
the SS system for 45 years “It's my money” — give it back to me the way the
system was designed and stop patting yourself on the back like you are being
generous by doling out these monthly checks.
#######
We’ll respond to this in
tomorrow’s posting.