Angry Mouse's current front page diary uses a common neo-con framework that is wrong, misleading and, frankly, offensive to every person who receives Social Security income. I object!
In a comment to that diary, I say this:
Your diary, by implication, suggests that simply collecting Social Security is a sort of government welfare program.
I object. I am collecting Social Security and feel that I am receiving repayment of the money that government mandates took from my paychecks over 40 years of earnings. That is not welfare, government aid or anything close.
Go to the Social Security website and request a report of your contributions. You will receive a listing of every year you received income subject to S.S. deductions, the income and deduction amounts.
It's not a huge leap from there to decide this is not a welfare program so much as an enforced savings/insurance program.
In my mind, my social security income is nothing more than repayment of 40 years of contributions.
Neo-Cons love to characterize Social Security as a welfare program. Please don't buy into that meme. I paid for it for 40 years, the money is owed to me and I expect it to be paid.
Framing Social Security as a form of welfare has been a conservative misdirection for so long that it has even stuck in the dialogue of Democrats. BUT, IT IS WRONG! WRONG! ... er is that clear?
You see I've worked for 40 years. Every paycheck I've ever received has had money withheld from it for Social Security. Look at your next pay stub. You'll find deductions for SSI (and medicare/medicaid).
Social Security is not welfare or government aid. It is enforced savings for retirement. Yes, it is actuarily modified to account for our lifespans and re-distributed a bit to account for differences in income.
Maybe the government should not have raided those funds for "temporary" cash needs. Maybe the government should have invested those funds to earn more than a paltry 3% per year. None of those issues change the governments responsibility to repay me when I reach retirement age.
BUT, let's not confuse that with welfare. The blunt fact is:
- I paid for Social Security income through 40 years of paychecks.
- The Federal Government has held that money all those years.
- I have reached the Federally approved retirement age.
- Now, I expect those funds that were withheld from my net pay to be repaid.
- This is not welfare, it is fulfillment of a contract.
Is that clear?
UPDATE: Sigh, now I remember why I resist writing diaries in opposition to anything on DKos. If there is any possible way to misinterpret, twist or otherwise shift the point of a diary some fool will find a way to do it. (I'm looking at YOU earicicle).
The thesis of this diary is that I paid the money for Social Security income at retirement age. The government removed money from my paychecks for 40 years. Now I have reached retirement age. I don't like anyone, including Angry Mouse, implying that income is welfare. In this frontpage diary Angry Mouse said this:
Apparently, the New York Times reporter did not bother to ask Mr. Grimes when he would be giving up his Social Security so he can figure out how to do it on his own.
To me, that implies a view that Social Security income is some sort of welfare. I object to that!