Question on Dean about the retirement age

[ShaneGR]

Did he say he would move the retirement age back to 68? If so, he would lose a BIG percentage of the black vote (don't live that long on the average) and face horrible consequences from the baby-boomers.

True or false?

[morningglory]

1. Hey! There are a whole raft of us baby boomers

who got laid off and do not have a prayer of finding employment, unless we open a hot dog stand or something.

[papau]

2. Dennis said move from current 67 to 65 - a disaster if we

keep a payroll tax on limited wage base and do not move to either FIT financing, or to no wage cap (exrending the benefit for the wealthy for wages above current cap with the current high end 15% factor).

Under current financing SS is solid to 2043, but could need age increase to 70 at that point - and indeed would likely need the increase (still early retire at 62, but reduced).

[brook]

3. At the risk of...

being the ultimate pragmatist..."you live as long as you live and you work as long as you want, can or need to." The 20 year career cycle is gone for good.

With the amount of damage that has been done to this country and it's citizens in this brief time by this horrific misAdministration, Dean - or anyone else - will have their hands full getting us back on course. If you don't think that it will take enormous sacrifice on everyone's part for a number of years to make this nation what it was and what it's intended to be, then you're kidding yourself.

And it's not just * - it's where we've been headed for the last couple of decades. European countries offer better working conditions, vacation time, etc. than the US does - and though it might also be a factor there ( I don't know) - age discrimination in the US has ripped pensions away from those who were not quite ready or needing to retire solely because of age.

I guess what I'm saying is "Pick your battles wisely" - because they're going to be hard times ahead. There won't be a magic wand waved in November 2004 that will make every dream come true. The best you can hope for is someone with the brains to see what needs to be done and the fortitude to slog on.

[Clete]

6. Pardon me for being petulant,

but enormous sacrifices are what most of us of retirement age have done all our lives to save our country from any number of "enemies", whereas the money could have been used for really good social and educational programs that could have enormously benefitted all Americans. In the meantime the money we paid in taxes for our turn at SS and Medicare is going to go to pay for another useless war and rob us of our retirement.

Excuse me if I am a little past making sacrifices. I think it's time for all the corporate robber barons to make some sacrifices and return our tax money that they have benefitted from in corporate welfare.

Today, I heard a soldier in Iraq state that all they were doing was acting as bodyguards for the American companies that are there taking care of the oil interests. This so pisses me off.

Hi Brook :hi:

[w13rd0]

4. He said he'd be willing to examine it...

...as a possibility. I don't find this offensive. Humans are living longer.

[Clete]

5. Not to mention other seniors.

[w4rma]

7. If we used the payroll tax to fund SS then there is no economic problem

(Although, I maintain that the payroll tax is bad and is a disincentive to hire employees.)

The problem is that the payroll tax is being syphoned off to pay for income tax cuts to the extremely wealthy. (Although, I think that SS should be paid for with the income tax like it was before Reagan.)

[zoidberg]

8. Won't lose black vote, will get hurt by baby-boomers

Dean (or any Dem) would really, really have to slip up somewhere to lose the black vote. Besides, I've never really bought into the black people not living as long argument. Once you factor in early deaths from violence and drugs, I'd imagine black folk live about as long as white folk.

Maybe it is a good idea to raise the retirement age. I'm not sure. It's not exactly a God-given right that people should retire at a certain age. If you are physically able to work at age 67, then the government shouldn't be cutting you checks to stay at home.

[Nicholas_J]

9. Last Statement from Dean I read...

Was increase it to 70.

Then said 68...but was non comital:

Howard Dean on Social Security: Raise Retirement Age; Payroll Taxes

July 2, 2003

For years, the Cato Institute and other organizations that advocate Social Security reform have made the point that the alternatives to personal accounts will be painful. This point is made clear as 2004 presidential candidate Vermont governor Howard Dean reluctantly spoke on how else to sustain benefit levels. After hard questioning on the Sunday, June 22, airing of Meet The Press from host Mr. Russert, Dean suggested the following options for Social Security:

Mr. Russert: In 1995…you were asked how would you balance the budget…. "The way to balance the budget, Dean said, is for Congress to cut Social Security, move the retirement age to 70, cut defense, Medicare and veterans pensions, while the states cut almost everything else. 'It would be tough but we could do it,' he said." would no longer cut Social Security?

Dr. Dean: But you don't—no. I'm not ever going to cut Social Security benefits.

Mr. Russert: Would you raise retirement age to 70?

Dr. Dean: Social Security, I—the best way to balance Social Security budget right now… is to expand the amount of money that Social Security payroll taxes apply to. It's limited now to something like $80,000. You let that rise. I also would entertain taking the retirement age to 68. It's at 67 now. I would entertain that.

Finally, something I like about something Dean said. Raising the payroll top out. Other Dems have been saying this for years...But it is 86,500. Howard gotta get his figures straight though.

http://www.socialsecurity.org/dailys/07-02-03.html

[sandnsea]

10. Uhm, people paid alot of money to retire

I know people are living longer, etc. But when people put into a system for 50 years, they ought to be able to get something back out of it before they die. And for every senior you stick in the system, that's one more job taken away from a young person trying to start a life and maybe have a family. The government is not just "cutting checks", it's a system to allow old people to have an income to either live on when they can't work or supplement the reduced income because they're old. My dad is 70 and still works, but he can't work as much as he used to or he'd be dead. That's what SSI is for. Geez, sounds like you want people to work in a coal mine and then just be shoveled out the front door when they keel over.