Sen. Sanders slams the Radical Right on Social Security

$2.6 trillion dollar surplus in the Social Security fund and they are including it in the national debt? It adds absolutely nothing, NOTHING, to the national debt. So what's with all this talk of privatization of Social Security due to its affects on the deficit? It's all Wall Street talk to destroy the working class of America. And they want to talk about raising the retirement age to 70! Hell no!

They don't know hard labor, everyone in my family worked manual labor their whole lives whether it's house cleaner, carpenter, masonry, fiber optics, manufacturing, what have you, my family has done that hard work. And my grandfather is 69, they would want him to keep working one more year, he couldn't do it if he tried. These people have no clue about hard labor so 70 to them is no problem at all.

Social Security has been the most effective thing our government has ever done in its history, Sanders is 100% correct. You want second amendment remedies, eh? You touch Social Security and I'll give you #ing second amendment remedies!!

Thank you again to the great Independent Senator from Vermont who is truly an advocate for the people, he is not my Senator but I have supported him through the years with my money. Every Friday at 12:00 Noon Eastern he is on the Thom Hartmann Radio show and takes live unscreened calls from the public, I never miss it, look for a progressive radio station near you.

Thank you also Senator Sanders for addressing Social Security and telling us the truth about it and the fact that it hasn't added one nickle to the National debt.


This is for those with their heads in the sand.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/776310b1c0ab.jpg[/atsimg]

reply to post by Misoir


well someone is lying here but the numbers dont lie.............

58 million americans living on social security
43 million americans liviing on welfare
17 million americans who are umemployed


118 million americans right there

120 million americans who actually work right now

the baby boomer generations accounts for around 76 million americans...............

you do the math

120 million less 76 million = 44 million to support 194,000,000

the congressman is off his rocker and for those of you who beleive that social security is solvent and will be there for you arent living in reality...................


reminds me of fanny and freddy barney frank and dodd were going no no theres no problems everything is just peachy keen...............................

when a politcian tells you everything is ok.....................ITS NOT OK.......................run like hell

reply to post by Misoir


I like this guy, he has a cool accent too. Its good to hear some facts come out of a politicians mouth rather then just using emotional rhetoric to pander to peoples fears.

What Bernie isn't saying is that this $2.6 trillion is paid for by non-transferable treasury bills issued during the Clinton admin. That means that they are only redeemable at the Treasury, they have no value outside of the SSA or the Treasury.

These IOUs were issues for the actual money in the SS coffers so the Clinton admin could make it look like there was a surplus. There's no surplus in SSI. Just a stop-gap measure whose cost will come due soon enough.

reply to post by Aquarius1


I recieve emails from him frequently, I have almost always admired his work and dedication. He even took on the FED, but was attacked by members of ATS for backing down, that is because he lives in reality as many here live in fantasy land where they actually think you can make any real reforms on the FED.

reply to post by neo96


So I should listen to you, the partisan whack job over the #9 most respected male politician in America when you offer me no links and no resources whatsoever to back up your claims.

www.politicsdaily.com...

reply to post by woodwardjnr


Bernie Sanders is not the typical politician because he is Independent and doesn't collect corporate campaign contributions, so he is completely independent and answers only to the people of Vermont. He votes with his conscious for the people, that is what I like and that is why I like Bernie Sanders.

reply to post by projectvxn


Source please?

Even if what your saying is true, will neither confirm nor deny, the only reason it would go into the negatives is due to the Reagan(?) administration allowing the government to raid Social Security for funds for the military. It has done the job required of it and has succeeded, it was to never be tampered with by politicians for other expenditures.

Originally posted by Misoir
$2.6 trillion dollar surplus in the Social Security fund and they are including it in the national debt? It adds absolutely nothing, NOTHING, to the national debt. So what's with all this talk of privatization of Social Security due to its affects on the deficit? It's all Wall Street talk to destroy the working class of America. And they want to talk about raising the retirement age to 70! Hell no!

They don't know hard labor, everyone in my family worked manual labor their whole lives whether it's house cleaner, carpenter, masonry, fiber optics, manufacturing, what have you, my family has done that hard work. And my grandfather is 69, they would want him to keep working one more year, he couldn't do it if he tried. These people have no clue about hard labor so 70 to them is no problem at all.

Social Security has been the most effective thing our government has ever done in its history, Sanders is 100% correct. You want second amendment remedies, eh? You touch Social Security and I'll give you #ing second amendment remedies!!

Such assertions are ridiculous when you look at the actual numbers of the debt owed to the trusts.

Government uses the trusts as gigantic ponzi schemes, sucking off the surplus cream of the social security trust and using it for general government spending.

In actuality, the "surplus" of social security IS NOT A SURPLUS - it shouldn't even be called that. ALL OF THE MONEY IN THE TRUST IS ALREADY ALLOCATED TO BENEFICIARIES.

The trust funds are negative by well over 4 trillion dollars, possibly more as that number is old. Which means government could not pay off all the beneficiaries if it wanted to.

This is PRECISELY the kind of ponzi scheme Bernie Madoff was running. The trust funds are completely insolvent. As the population ages, the funds will not only be drained completely dry, they will go negative.

This is a scam of the highest order.

The system is a FRAUD being perpetrated against the American public - at gun point.

Not only that, but the return is absolutely dismal compared to a person that bought an equal amount of gold during their life.

A the average worker putting all the money they would have put into socialist security into gold would have well over half a million dollars to retire on.

reply to post by Misoir


no man i dont expect you to do anything.............. im just an average john doe who isnt bought and paid for by the powers that be............................"claims" i have tried the links deal but people will discount any and every link but the ones they bring to the table...........anyhow i offer one last bit of wisdom from a man who has been around the block once or twice in his 4 decades of living......................"you know how you can tell a politician is lying?....his/her lips are moving"


and really you want to disprove what i said by saying "you have to link it before i will believe it"

hmm man i dont expect anyone to believe anything i say someone tells me something i go out and see if its the truth on my own volition........



"partisan whackjob" ?? who made this comment?

"You touch Social Security and I'll give you #ing second amendment remedies!! "


really man time to grow up.........

very well spoken
I recommend everyone to take 5 minutes and listen to this senator

reply to post by Aquarius1


You can thank me for voting for him. I've always supported Bernie and he's the only VT politician that enjoys broad support from a wide range of people, old and young.

reply to post by neo96


You mean that 4 decades of living has made you bitter and angry to a point where someone like Bernie comes along and you can't see it?

You talk about politicians like this but I bet you vote too.

Tell me why I need the government to take some of my hard earned money every week and hold it for me until I am in my sixties. Then when the government it ready to start returning my money they TAX it. So the government takes $1 and gives me back .50 cents before they tax it. Why is this a good thing again?

A person would have twice as much money for retirement if they would have put the money in a very conservative account with only a 1 or 2 percent return rate instead of the government scam.

Social Security is a stupid and retarded system of which only the ignorant would want to be a part of.
Practically nobody would be a part of this scam if it was not mandatory.

reply to post by The Sword


bitter an angry? and just how do you get that from that post? just words on a webpage..............

maybe your just transferring you own emotions on to it................and man you do not even know me so if i were you i wouldnt be judge ,jury and executioner of me or my ideals.........

and yeah i do vote i think people should vote and complain about the current state of the union

unlike i am sure there are people on here who complain and never have voted in their entire lives............

Originally posted by Misoir
reply to post by projectvxn

 

Source please?

Even if what your saying is true, will neither confirm nor deny, the only reason it would go into the negatives is due to the Reagan(?) administration allowing the government to raid Social Security for funds for the military. It has done the job required of it and has succeeded, it was to never be tampered with by politicians for other expenditures.

This isn't the only source, but it's the one I had readily on hand:
www.safehaven.com...

From Note 5, the taxes that have been collected, but not yet paid out to beneficiaries "are invested in interest bearing securities backed by the full faith and credit of the Federal Government, generally U.S. par-value Treasury special securities." Further, these securities are "non-negotiable and non-transferable in the secondary market." In other words, all of the surplus money collected since Social Security's inception, which should have been saved for future payments, instead has been lent to the Government in exchange for privately issued Government debt. In fact, the US Treasury does not hold assets against the privately issued Government debt, making social security taxes no different from other federal taxes in that the Treasury uses the money for "general Government purposes".

But this isn't anything new. Government has been stealing SS money for decades. It may have never been intended for what is has actually been used for(i.e. milking the American people), but this is government we're talking about here.

reply to post by WhatTheory


This "stupid" system is the only way people like my grandmother can live. My grandfather worked and paid in so she could still live on her own and pay her bills.

It's not that stupid when you look at the fact that before it, people had NOTHING.

reply to post by neo96


Oh but I do vote. Nice try at the ad hominem attack there.

You pretty much confirmed what I thought.

reply to post by projectvxn


Okay you are correct. But my point still stands that SS was a good system which was enacted before Neoliberal politicians got their hands on it. The welfare state overall has grown too large and bureaucratic, but Social Security is a successful invention and has worked well until the government started raping it for funds for its little military adventures and bailouts.