I caught another "discussion" on the evening news last night while at the gym, and got all pissed off. As with all of these "discussions," 55 seems to be the grandfathering cutoff for most of the idiot Republicans’ schemes to destroy Social Security. Those of us born after 1955 should not even be debating whether to go to the polls in November - it should be a given that we will show up, to the last man and woman.
So it seems that after having been in the workforce in some capacity since about 1980 or so, and paying my payroll taxes, and not complaining too much about it, that for whatever reason, the Republicans think the government won't be able to afford my retirement. Oh, you people out there who are already eligible to join AARP (I think you have to be 50) are good to go, but since I won't be on AARP's mailing list for another few years yet, Rand Paul, Sharron Angle, or the GOPer running in my congressional district aren't afraid of me.
This has to change.
So this is what's probably coming if the Republicans manage to wrest control of the federal government from the Democrats again.
Full retirement age will go to 70.
Early retirement age? You gotta be kidding. Prorated out of existence, if you're lucky.
Younger workers, usually defined as anyone not yet 55, will get the chance to "opt out" in some form or another. Which means you're getting boned.
What I want to know is, if I’m one of the people getting royally raped in the arse (at age 48 or so), what is to become of the funds I’ve contributed to the Social Security Trust Fund? Now, don’t tell me that money has disappeared; Social Security feels obligated to keep track of it, so it apparently exists. If I’m going to get offered the "opportunity" to opt out, do I get any of that money back?
And then there’s the matter of my employers’ contributions going forward. I'd have to have rocks in my head if I thought I'd actually see any of that in my paycheck. A favorite pastime of mine is watching right wing young people's heads explode when I explain this. You pay 7.5%, and your boss pays 7.5%. There's the 15% figure the conservative media keeps throwing out there as if 15% of your paycheck is getting deducted for this purpose. No. It's 7.5%. You never see the other half, unless you're self-employed. Are you self-employed, sitting there behind the counter at Radio Shack? I didn't think so.
If I wanted to not opt out, what then? Presumably my boss would still be obligated to kick in that 7.5% or whatever it is, right? If I did opt out, I would guess my boss still not be obligated to pay his share for nonparticipants. It wouldn't take a Nobel Prize-winning economist to figure out that this creates a situation where one could be made an offer one couldn’t refuse – opt out, or be replaced by a new college hire that you will get to train on your way out the door. Opting out really isn’t an option for those young enough to be "eligible," is it? Of course, for those who are on the other side of the cutoff, if you think they have to put up with age discrimination now, just you wait.
So to sum up, if you're middle-aged, and not enthused about voting, you're an idiot. Simple as that. Get up off your fat ass and just do it.