Noam Chomsky: "But I think, myself, that there's a more subtle reason why they're opposed to it, and I think it's rather similar to the reason for the effort to pretty much dismantle the public education system. Social Security is based on a principle. It's based on the principle that you care about other people. You care whether the widow across town, a disabled widow, is going to be able to have food to eat. And that's a notion you have to drive out of people's heads. The idea of solidarity, sympathy, mutual support, that's doctrinally dangerous."
Portrait, Noam Chomsky, 06/15/09. (photo: Sam Lahoz)
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You're exactly right, Mr MidwestT; Social Security was not "to build housing etc., etc." Help me out here: where on earth did you get this faux fact? Could you please provide a link to the story so I can read it for myself?
Social Security is based upon the premise of slavery of citizens to the state, that people have no right to their own life, time or effort that the government owns us and can redistribute the produce of our time, property and effort as bureaucrats wish - under the lie that charity comes from the end of a tax collectors gun.
another false premise of Chomski is that social security is fully funded - a treasury is a debt instrument. While the Social Security administration calls them an asset, Fact is when these debt instruments mature - the tax payers are required to pony up to make them good on the principle and interest - essentially forcing tax payers to pay twice.
You are laboring under the false impression that our wages are entirely our own. We pay a price for living in a community. We also allocate what each person's portion of that total price. It is called taxes. Social Security is paid from our taxes as a special set aside.
We as a community have decided that after seeing our elderly suffer in poverty during their old age, we will collect taxes to alleviate it. Later, we expanded the same benefit of living in a very wealthy community to the disabled.
Are there ways to earn more on the same money over the time one contributes to this benefit? Of course, but SS is intentionally a low risk, conservative set aside.
But it is very efficient at making life better for lower wage persons and the disabled when they are no longer part of the workforce.
We, as Americans, have created a community that takes care of all. Why do you want to destroy that?
So what d'you wanna do; leave it all to Wall Street ponzi-brokers?
If you are goin' to criticize something that many of us are forced, against our most independent entrepreneurial instincts, to depend on in these straitened times, and was institutionaliz ed so that the robber-barons could NOT get their greedy paws on it, at least offer something better (as you perceive it) instead of making vague criticisms without solutions.
If the treasury is a debt instrument, then what of Wall Street?
When the end of cheap energy was manifest in the summer of 2008, the job shifted from distribution of wealth to staving off famine.
The government will at some time call in all Gold and Silver in order to protect ability to import motor fuel and necessities of life not produced domestically. Nationalized oil production will be part of this scenario, as the worldwide price of oil/motor fuel becomes to much to manage.
US over-reliance on rubber tire transport, a good thing enjoyed in excess, is largely at the root of the military-industrial oil based economy. The oil economy is collapsing in slow motion; Social Security and other good things based on oil-based production, consumption, and re-investment are in chronic distress.
All hands see Richard Heinberg and Lionel Badel. Look at US transport/distribution methodology (updated with renewable etc.) pre WW-II for ideas on returning USA to lending not borrowing nation status. Social Security requires a sustainable energy economic model.
Liberty minded folks - simply want a small government constrained to protecting person and property and otherwise staying the hell out of the way.
A small government won't be able to create war in Libya (and lie calling it a kinetic action) or Iraq or Baharan, or have 900+ bases around the world or grab your nuts at an air port or rack yo $46,000 debt per person or tell you who you can or can't marry.
Social Security is not even close to slavery. That accusation is an insult to all Americans who have ancestors that suffered as slaves.
When some one else owns the produce of your labor and owns your time and owns the results of your effort - if it is not slavery then what is it? It certainly is not freedom.
It's called a tax. All civilized nations tax people. It's how civilization is maintained. It's a civic responsibility of people who love their country.
Capitalism fits very well into that definition, and unchecked capitalism, i.e., "free market" ideology, "smaller gov't" deregulation, "trickle down" economics, is the force that brought on the Great Recession of 2007. To continue the same actions and expect a different result is the Einsteinian definition of insanity.
Those Wal-mart door greeters aren't getting paid as much as the average CEO.
I guess the real question is WHO'S person and property you want protected.
By the way, your argument about the government "protecting" us, is the EXACT argument all the OTHER repugs are using to justify the 900+ bases they have NO intention of ever shutting down.
You should discuss your plans for "smaller government" with them first before you try them out on us.
The reason the right hates Social Security is simple:
They can't stand to watch all of that money not going into the stock market, where they can play with it and see what happens.
Well, the Republicans have outdone us all, they have become the "Death Party".
Death to Seniors , children, working class, middle class Americans and any one else whom they deem "unfit".
Now, we know where the "Missing Link" is . They have congregated, in the Republican and Libertarian Parties.
I am sure they begin each "Death Party" meeting with Prayer...but who's listening?
Because that has been proved to make Social Security fully funded for at least 75 years. And the elite don't want that! They want to eviscerate all social programs.
I think the so-called RIGHT and the 'TEA PARTY' and REPUBLICANS and CONSERVATIVES and THE LIKE are now far less Political Party and an Ideology and more just branches and offshoots of a CENTRAL FLIM FLAM I would call CORPORATISM. I think FOX NEWS is all about CORPORATISM. And all those Labels and Groups like The Right and The Tea Party, etc.., are merely parts of a great big Hoodwinking Machine that drives forth one actual IDEOLOGY and that is the IDEOLOGY OF CORPORATE GREED.
SMALLER GOVERNMENT IS ABOUT CORPORATE WANT AND GREED.
What if NO MORE SOCIAL SECURITY PAYROLL TAX?
Would that equal greater Profits?
Higher Stock Value, etc.
Wall St. is ALL ABOUT RiGHT NOW.
Corporations have become evermore powerful in America. Especially so after 30 years of dis-empowering WE THE PEOPLE through relentless Deregulation Schemes on behalf of Corporations. Just a few Global Corporations now control almost all Media Enterprises in America and thus, the Hoodwinking grows, expands, saturates, imbeds. It modifies all of Society in the name and delusion that Less Government equals Freedom and Prosperity for all.
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