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Old 10-23-2007
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Evil_inKarlate Evil_inKarlate is offline
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Member Since: May 2005
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Re: It's Official - Babyboomers Start Collecting Social Security

Quote:
I've taken no substantive stance in this thread other than to say that SS is fully funded until 2041/42 and no posted data has contradicted this.
Okay, then, I apologize for not explicitly arguing the real point of contention - an underlying premise. You're looking at SS in a vaccuum. In that vaccuum, yes, SS is solvent for many years to come because of the SS trust fund. I look at SS in the context of the overall Federal budget and/or US economy; in that context, the SS trust fund is really the SS slush fund because it has all been spent. Thus unless the tooth fairy pays back the SS slush/trust fund, SS effectively becomes insolvent as soon as payouts surpass receipts in 2018 or so, and even starts having a negative impact next year when there will gradually be less and less annual slush fund surplus available to prop up other Federal spending.

Quote:
I'm here only to discuss substantive policy issues. If any serious discussion breaks out in here, I'll be back.
Substantive discussion requires some compatible underlying premises. So, are we discussing things in some on-paper accounting fantasyland, or in real life? I'll easily concede that SS isn't Too bad on paper, but in real life, there are significant issues to be addressed.
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