Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Social Security Choice

Club for Growth has started a new website called Social Security Choice. The name says it all.

Club for Growth advocates, along with President Bush, an ownership society where, ::gasp!:: you are responsible for your own future. What a concept! Let me tell you, if I had been offered the chance (not that it's been offered to anyone yet) when I first starting working to put a portion of my Social Security taxes into a separate account that I own and I am responsible for, I would have jumped into it with both feet.

I don't know about you, but I get the heebie-jeebies when I think about someone else controlling some aspect of my life. I don't like giving the government, no matter how altruistic the government is, control of my future retirement funds. I've come lately into the fold of wanting to take responsibility for my own future and I don't have many years left to plan for retirement, but I am doing everything I possibly can to have a comfortable retirement. The government does not guarantee that I will ever see a penny of the money I've put in. And, dad-gum it! It's my money! I earned it and it was taken from me at the point of law before I was born, much less started earning a living. I had no say-so, I had no choice. And I still have no choice in how it's invested. It's one of those times when I feel like someone has patted me on the head and said, "There, there. Don't you worry your pretty little head. Daddy will take care of you." I loved my Daddy, but he was never so condescending to me. My Daddy raised me to make my own decisions and to take responsibility for my own mistakes.

I don't own much stock, but I've made a few good choices. Had I been able to put money into the stock market when I started working, I would have a nice nest egg now. Do you realize that the stock market averages a gain of about 12% per year? Social Security increases averages about 3.5% per year. What a difference! But, due to poor choices on my part (credit cards-the handwork of the devil!) and having money taken from each and every paycheck and turned over to the federal government, I'm playing catch up. See, I'm taking responsibility for my poor choices and would like the chance to be responsible for my own future. I like knowing that I own my home (or at least am paying a mortgage). I also like knowing that the choices I've made for my future are my choices, not someone else's.

I pity the person who is afraid to make their own choices and want to leave it up to someone else. Actually, I have to admit that there probably are people out there who shouldn't be responsible for their own futures. They don't want the responsibility, they want to sit back and let someone else take care of them. Some just can't take care of themselves for one reason or another. Some just can't be bothered. They want someone else to make all the decisions and take care of them. You know, there used to be a term for that sort of person.

When the government takes money in the form of Social Security taxes, I have no say where it goes. If I could have said give it to my mom, or dad, or aunt or whomever, it might have been different. The government can't and won't even guarantee that I will get any of it back, much less all that I have paid in over the last thirty-plus years. And when I die, what is left of the money I paid in won't even go to my heirs. It goes into the coffers to pay someone else. If it at least went to my heirs, it wouldn't be so bad. But my heirs will get something like $250.00. That's it. Not enough to put me in a cardboard box and cremate me. When my Dad died, he died on the 25th day of the month. Do you know we got a notice from Social Security to return the money for the five days of the month he didn't live? My brother and I lost our dad, and the government wanted five days of his Social Security back. He had paid in almost since the inception of Social Security, over sixty years and they wouldn't give us those five days. Nice. When you die, make sure it's on the last day of the month so you get your full check.

And, black men have it even worse. Many, if not most, black men don't live to collect Social Security. They pay into all their lives, and die before they can collect what they've paid in. Oh, some might get a few years of benefits, but not as much as any other group.

Social Security has been a hot button for the Democrats for years. Whenever the Republicans start talking about changing the system, or even running for office, the Democrats drag out the Social Security platform: the evil Republicans want to take Social Security away from you! If the Republicans get into office, they'll take Social Security away from you! The elderly will be eating cat food! The blacks will have even less than they have now! It's a plot to keep blacks in the 'hoods! Vote Democrat! We'll save you!

Let me ask you: Has it happened yet? Nope. And it ain't gonna happen. In order for the Republicans to just totally do away with Social Security, it would mean one of two things 1. The Democrats didn't do their job to keep Social Security in place, or 2. The Democrats were in on it from the first. . The Democrats want to keep the poor and lower income people (like the elderly) under their thumbs. One way of doing it is to make sure that they are scared the evil Republicans will take their Social Security away. It's just a form of slavery. Think about that. You know I'm right

Social Security in some form, hopefully better, is here to stay. I wish I could say the same as a couple of radio commentators say. They won't take Social Security for themselves. They say they'll give it away and live on what they've earned and planned their futures for. I say I earned it, I paid into the system (well, only because I had no choice), and I want my money back. As much as I can possibly get.

And I plan to live for a very long, long time.

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