A pile of manure by any other name…
I'm getting really tired of all the pissing and moaning on the left about Social Security reform. I'm not talking about the "is it broke and need to be fixed" debate (though it seems that the left wants to fix the "nonexistent" shortfall problem in the usual manner—raise taxes.) No, what really irritates me is their insistence that Social Security is a retirement program. Call it what it is people. It's wealth redistribution, plain and simple. The money I put into the system is not my money anymore. You're simply taking money from those who are working and giving it to those who aren't. This works great when there many are more workers than retirees. So great in fact, that politicians feel justified in using the excess money elsewhere. It has some minor logistics problems when the ratio of workers to retirees starts to drop.
So why all the gas over progressive indexing? Isn't that the left's standard approach to economics, tax the rich to pay for programs to support the poor? I also don't understand the resistance to diverting some of Social Security into an actual retirement account. Fear tactics about losing money in the stock market are disingenuous. You think those politicians on Capitol Hill earning six figures don't have any of their money in the stock market because it's too risky? I don't know enough on the subject to talk about administration costs, but it seems like the left would jump at the chance to create real wealth for the working poor. But that's not what this is about. Basically the left believes the poor are too dumb to manage their own money and wants to keep them dependant on the government. Yes, there are some who will squander whatever money they get their hands on. I tend to believe there are many more who are responsible, hard working individuals who just need a break.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to the wealthy lending a hand to those less fortunate. I mean come on, Bill, how many billions do you really need? I'm just tired of a left who cannot get their story straight, cannot articulate any real plan beyond pissing off Republicans and then wonder why they are taking such a beating at the polls.