Where in the Constitution does it give the government the authority to force me to participate?

Question

in a state retirement program?

Answer 1

In Article I Section 8 -- Congress has the right to tax (take your money) and spend it for any purpose rationally related to the general welfare (which includes retirement benefits).

I don't agree with the process -- but that's the constitutional authority that they enacted Social Security based on.


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EDIT: And yes, the first poster is absolutely correct -- Social Security is by definition a Ponzi scheme, and would be illegal if anyone other than the govt attempted to do it.

Answer 2

Where in the Constitution does it say there should be an income tax? A state tax? A social security tax? Where does it say we should be forced to pay for car insurance? Wear motorcycle helmets? Wear seat belts? The list goes on.

1. There is the Constitution & Ammendments.
2. There is a Legislative Branch that writes bills that will later be signed into law by the President.
3. There is a state legislative branch that also writes bills to be passed into law by the Govenor in the state.
4. There is the local branch of Govt.

If the Govt says you will, you will. If you don't, you go to jail. You can appeal. You can do that all the way to the Supreme Court & back if you have the money & the will.

Pssst......did you know there are those that are still trying to fight the income tax law? Fact is, the 16th Ammendment was passed by a corrupt Congress in 1913. However, there are many questions that have been raised whether or not it was ratified by the states.

See what you're up against? Good luck!!

Answer 3

Republican rhetoric turned Social Security into the Ponzi scheme we have today because they were afraid of sound financing...

[ Arthur Altmeyer, head of the Social Security board, came under heavy fire at a Congressional hearing. Looking for a way to safeguard the reserve, he made an intriguing suggestion: why not let the government invest in sound private securities, and thus insulate the surplus from Congress's eager hands? As Altmeyer recounted in his memoir, Arthur Vandenberg, a Republican senator from Michigan, threw up his hands and snickered, ''That would be socialism!''

To quell the furor, Roosevelt turned to that standby device for embattled politicians -- an advisory council. The council arrived at an expedient solution, though one with troubling longer-term implications. It suggested increasing benefits for the first generation of retirees, even though that group had paid little in payroll taxes. An amendment in 1939 raised their benefits and also created new classes of beneficiaries -- wives, widows and survivors. This was a departure from the principle that all workers would be treated equally (couples would get more than single workers) and added an element of ''need'' -- a point that would rankle conservatives and later fuel the privatization movement. But in the political climate of 1939, it had the advantage of soaking up surplus taxes and greatly reducing the rate at which reserves would accumulate in the trust fund. F.D.R., anxious to have the controversy settled, went along, even though the changes paved the way for the eventual deficits he had feared. ]

As usual, uninformed, demagogic conservative rhetoric led us down an unsustainable path.

Answer 4

So refuse to take SSI when you come of age. But everyone has to give to SSI unless you are a teacher in my state who has to contribute to a state run retirement fund. Actually, I think more people are happy with the SSI program than aren't. There would be alot of senior citizens living on the streets if SSi didn't exist. SSI actually saved capitalism. But you would have to understand history to understand that. Unfortunately, since Reagan took office the program has become a ponzi scheme. Look it up.

Jadis... that's because the government keeps spending the money on things other than SSI recipients. Things like war, subsidies to the military industrial corporate complex, other corporations such as Halliburton and the oil corporations. And, the fact that you believe what you are saying is exactly what the Republicans want you to believe.

Answer 5

State or National? I did not see it in the National. But the National does support States rights. Force you? Do you work for the state? Are you forced to work there?

Answer 6

It doesn't, but where is it forbidden? You might have an easier time arguing it from that side instead.

Answer 7

liltrix, there won't *be* any SSI when we get to retirement age!