"well if socialism is sooo bad then why do we have social security?"?

Question

Last week, i was answering a question about "Universal" health care. I basically said it was socialism. and this is the stupid question i got in return."well if socialism is sooo bad then why do we have social security?" Do people acctualy think this way? do they not read, or pay attention to their country? If they did tehy would know how social security is unsistanable, as is socialism,in any form. From "Universal" Healthcare to social security. here is a link to that question http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ap_hit2AirjUrSIgvex5ofHty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20071120081620AALF0Yh&show=7#profile-info-98TGHjEaaa

Sarah- Socialism isn't "Fair". it reduces incentive. Why work hard if you get the same share of the pie as those who do?

Westhill- The average American draws $1044 a month.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15313393/
I could do much better with MY MONEY than the government.If there weer no social security, it would encourage more to save for their retirement. It's just another way to keep citizens dependent on the government.

Monk- Capitalism only fails those who do not realize the opportunity it gives. Produce and succeed and prosper. It's not a hard concept.

Randy c- Those who are working at burger king and raising kids are the ones who have made bad choices in their lives. Why should i be punished for their mistakes? Why should i give to charity against my will? I want out of this system that rewards the lazy and keeps minority's beholden to politicians. How about "loving" our poor. Telling them they have it within them to live a better life. A life more fulfulling, a life of true freedom. I give to my local food bank, as well as other charitys, as in most things I can do a much better job at charity that our government.

Monk- I’m sorry you failed. Small business is not the opportunity in this country. hard working people do fail sometimes, but does that stop them from working? NO. My parents worked hard their entire life, my mom is a mail clerk, my dad was a chemical operator. They provided my sister and I with a great life, and an education. We wanted for nothing. In a socialist society they wouldn't have benefited from that hard work. God Bless America!

one more thing monk. i think is kinda being a pussy that you hide your questions and answers. Ashamed of what you believe?

Answer 1

Social Security is the biggest theft scheme in history. It plays on people's greed and insecurity to convince them that the government will take care of them by taking money from others and giving it to them. It is evil and those who support it are enemies of freedom.

Answer 2

Social Security really doesn't have anything to do with socialism whether it works or not. It probably is a broken system that will fail to function sometime in the not too distant future but it has nothing to do with socialism.
Socialism is a economic model. It is a system where the government controls and administers some amount of the services and industries in a country. A pure socialist society would mean the government owned everything and ran everything.
Social security is nothing more then a government run and required retirement plan. It is an extra tax for the promise of a retirement check.
Socialism is a poor system the more you use it but every country uses it to some extent. In moderation it can be a fair way to handle a public need. Roads for instance. In a pure capitalist system all roads would be toll roads. We have public roads. They are not perfect but you don't pay every time you use them. You support them with taxes and for the most part you can go where you like without problems. The police as well. In a pure capitalist system there are no police only security guards. If you want protection then you purchase it or you do without. You see socialism is not always bad so long as you don't apply it to everything. If you try pure socialism then the system is even worse then you can imagine. Even the U.S.S.R was not a pure socialism or communism. None of these systems work as an absolute.

Answer 3

Well, we also have unemployment benefits, disability benefits, medical care for the poor, medical care for children whose parents cannot afford insurance, and medical care for the elderly. Unless you are very wealthy, I guarantee that at some point in your life, either you or a close family member will use at least one of these benefits and that you will be glad they exist.

Medicare is actually more unsustainable than Social Security. Social Security can be fixed with a few minor adjustments, but unless it is changed radically Bush's Medicare prescription drug benefit will bankrupt the treasury.

To answer your question on whether some people actually think Social Security is good, the answer is yes. The program has kept the elderly out of poverty for many years and some people think that our country is a better place to live because our elderly aren't eating dog food and sleeping on street corners. These people pay attention to current events, but they don't think that programs that have worked very well for America in the past need to be scrapped just because there are a few problems. They know that changes and compromises can be made and that government can be effective and that it can work for the benefit of the people. They have a practical way of looking at things, they are not ideologues or absolutists.

Answer 4

People in American and other nations like America are afraid of socialism because it contradicts our current policy of laissez-faire. With socialism, the government would control all basic aspects of life. With this, we wouldn't have any free enterprises. American is known for being a 'rags to riches' nation where people are 'rugged individuals.' If we have socialism, it would be harder for individual businesses to prosper and stuff like that. When you think about, America was basically socialist during the world wars. Back then, the government took control of many industries.

Answer 5

I know a woman who gets social security because of her x-husbands death. Combine her unemployment with that and she hasnt had to have a job in 6 years.

Im sure it does do some good but it is also serving to empower the lazy while plundering my paycheck. I pay more for SS on my check then I do anything else. (benefits included)

Its a good idea I think to help folks but it NEEDS REFORM so that it doesnt encourage idleness.

You cant empower the poor by taking from the rich, it never works. You have to give incentive. How about they only get that SS if they make over a certain amount or work so many days a year??????????????

Answer 6

I collect Social Security benefits. I am a conservative. But I am opposed to Social Security. It is a giant Ponzi scheme that has been propped up by the US government over the years. The original tax was 3% and FDR swore it would not go higher. The rate today is almost 13% and it is destined to go higher.
Socialism does not work.

Answer 7

Social security and all the other social programs are an admission that capitalism is a failure!!! Without those programs, the disparity between rich and poor would have produced a revolution. The way things are going, a revolution is not that far away.

The hard concept you don't seem to understand is that a quarter of all business fail within the first year and three-quarters fail within five years. Most are hard working people who think they are taking advantage of a great opportunity. If that is success, then how would you define failure. Get a clue!!!

Answer 8

There must find a happy median. The elderly can't work...Maybe private direct deposit in safe stock would be a better option than SSI. What about the handicapped? We must care for those whom cannot care for themselves.
On the other hand what about the service industry workers. You can't work at Burger King and raise to kids without assistance. Generational welfare is dipping but will always be here. We must find a happy median. Right now we don't have it.

Answer 9

What's additionally bad about this -- is that the over 60 crowd has the luxury of time to vote each and every election. And do you think they are going to vote for politicians that want to privatize (ie. do away with) SS and Medicare?

If enough of the under 40 crowd actually paid attention to the major intergenerational screwing they are getting -- and would vote for their future and not about issues like abortion...something positive might happen.

The additional problem is that when more and more of the baby-boomers start going "online" for Treasury checks -- a higher and higher percentage of the voting population will reside with people who do not want things to change.

People under the age of 40...are you listening?


What a surprise -- I get thumbs down from those already abusing the political system. greedy losers.

Answer 10

I agree, Social Security was a stupid idea in the first place.
But unfortunately, some people do think that the cure for the problem socialism creates is more socialism.