Presidential race 2016

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Truth is, fuck social security. It's only for idiots that can't save/invest their money anyway. I'm pretty sure we could do a lot better than the government with the dollars we're contributing to SS. It's all a rip off to help the stupid.

A lot of people work hard their whole lives and never attain wealth or have much extra to put away.

They just want to care adequately for their families and have counted on using the Social Security they paid into as income when they're old and retired. That doesn't make them all stupid, you rich elitist! And, not all disabled people who rely on Social Security are stupid either.

I think Bernie Sanders' idea, or something like it, is worth considering. He says lift the SS taxable earnings ceiling from $118.5k to $250k; don't change the tax percentage; don't raise the eligibility age; don't disqualify anyone who paid into it from collecting benefits upon retirement. I can see how that would result in a huge increase in the SS fund (though I imagine those making over the current ceiling would bitch about being penalized for being successful, and I get why).

Alternatively, I would like to see an analysis of how Social Security solvency would fair if there was no earnings ceiling, no age eligibility change, but the percentage tax for earnings over say $125k was cut from 6.2% to like 1.5% (just thinking out loud). I bet that would solve the problem, though I'm sure the rich would bitch.

I also understand Christie's point and Tiki's too. Social Security is a tax which was initiated to prevent the elderly and disabled from poverty. If you've got over $200k in retirement income annually and over $4 million in liquid assets, you are already "socially secure" by reasonable standards. Should you really qualify for benefits in that case? It's a reasonable question, IMO.

Yeah, I'm bitching. I've had enough since California increased income taxes.


New figures from the Franchise Tax Board show that the wealthiest 1% of Californians paid 50.6% of the state income tax in 2012 — up from 41.1% in 2011. It means that of nearly 15 million tax returns, about 150,000 generated more than half the revenue.

Brown's Proposition 30 tax hike took effect in 2012. Voters approved it in November, but the huge bumps in income tax rates for the rich were retroactive to January.

Under Prop. 30, the top rate was jacked from 10.3% to 13.3%, by far the highest of any state. The hikes began phasing in for single filers when their earnings exceeded $250,000.

I don't think that we're "rich". Not in the land where everything costs a fortune. As I said before, I don't mind lending a hand but it's become a hand an arm and both legs.

Over the years my husband has brought 3 Jr. partners in to his business. See? We even provide JOBS.

I've said in other threads that given our basically two-party system, I think it's necessary for the administrations to change between the two periodically to provide some balance. I'm pretty sure I'm voting Republican this cycle. In the last California election, I can't say I studied the candidates very much but I checked just about every damn Republican box I could.