Quick Quiz...

[Guisslapp]

SO, if the Supreme Court will not act on political questions, it doesn't matter if the underlying statutes are constitutional or not as long as the Congress and the Executive branches implement the statutes as though they were.

Essentially.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_question

[dhussdawg]

Of course, the other side of the coin is that I was forced to save something for my retirement, otherwise i would have pissed that $25k away on booze, drugs, prostitutes, rock&roll music concerts, and political campaign contributions.

And??? It is your money, do with it as you wish. If you would have pissed all of that money away on the above, you probably would be dead by now anyway, so it would have worked itself out. It is a natural selection of sorts. Those who save their money and think of their future, have money saved up to take care of themselves when they get older. Those who piss it away on the above will probably die an early death because 1) they did the above things 2) they wont have the money saved up to take care of themselves.

[FishingBack]

The Social Security system is fairly efficient. It is not so much a welfare system as it is an insurance system since one has to pay in order to get the benefits. Welfare benefits are for anyone who can fog a mirror.

A lot of people get back from Social Security MORE, MUCH MORE, than they put in. The more one puts into the system the more one gets in benefits.

The Social Security system is wonderful, better than 30 year old single malt cask whiskey.

Quasi welfare. SS is certainly not efficient. How can you quantify that? Funds that grow would be greatly more efficient.

When you say "the more someone puts in the more one gets in benefits" I find that to be false based on how the system works. Can you explain that further? My interpretation of the system is that they take a percentage from you and your employer. When you retire you get the same check that pretty much everybody gets. Isn't the system time based instead of dollar based?

FDR gets a thumbs down from me for this and some other things.

[saltydawg]

Quasi welfare. SS is certainly not efficient. How can you quantify that? Funds that grow would be greatly more efficient.

When you say "the more someone puts in the more one gets in benefits" I find that to be false based on how the system works. Can you explain that further? My interpretation of the system is that they take a percentage from you and your employer. When you retire you get the same check that pretty much everybody gets. Isn't the system time based instead of dollar based?

FDR gets a thumbs down from me for this and some other things.

By efficient I mean low administrative costs. The SS system pays out depending how much one pays into the system and at what age one starts to collect benefits. If the minimum payment is 1X, then the highest payout is 5X or higher. It is both time and dollar based.


Of course, FDR is the only President to be elected four times.

[saltydawg]

And??? It is your money, do with it as you wish. If you would have pissed all of that money away on the above, you probably would be dead by now anyway, so it would have worked itself out. It is a natural selection of sorts. Those who save their money and think of their future, have money saved up to take care of themselves when they get older. Those who piss it away on the above will probably die an early death because 1) they did the above things 2) they wont have the money saved up to take care of themselves.

I suspect a society that allows large numbers of its older people to die of starvation and/or exposure would not be a particularly fun place.

[dhussdawg]

I suspect a society that allows large numbers of its older people to die of starvation and/or exposure would not be a particularly fun place.

I suppose a society that takes and gives on chance to not be a particularly fun place.

[saltydawg]

I suppose a society that takes and gives on chance to not be a particularly fun place.

America in 2007 is still a fun place to be. Be all you can be and all that. The SS system sure didn't stop Bill Gates from going for the gold.

[dhussdawg]

America in 2007 is still a fun place to be. Be all you can be and all that. The SS system sure didn't stop Bill Gates from going for the gold.

yeh, it just steals away some of that gold he made.

[FishingBack]

By efficient I mean low administrative costs. The SS system pays out depending how much one pays into the system and at what age one starts to collect benefits. If the minimum payment is 1X, then the highest payout is 5X or higher. It is both time and dollar based.


Of course, FDR is the only President to be elected four times.

Thanks. It's still a sham that you can get double taxed on it. That shouldn't be legal...

I guess it just goes to show that the average Joe wants a welfare check on the elected 4 times bit. I think his popularity was mostly due to the War anyways. He was a great man who contributed to the gimping of the country in the long term.

[Spinoza]

Thanks. It's still a sham that you can get double taxed on it. That shouldn't be legal...

I guess it just goes to show that the average Joe wants a welfare check on the elected 4 times bit. I think his popularity was mostly due to the War anyways. He was a great man who contributed to the gimping of the country in the long term.

No AMERICAN HISTORY cigar for Kenny......
But at least he only said "I think".

For anyone who may be interested......
FDR was elected twice before Hitler invaded Poland and ignited WWII.
FDR was elected a third time before any direct American involvement in WWII.
And FDR was elected a fourth time while the eventual outcome of WWII was anything but certain.

FDR was merely a man...... But he was a great president who provided what this country so desperately needed in 1932, after 4 years of "Hoovernomics" and substantial financial ruin.

Once upon a time in America's political history...... It may have taken a political dolt like Hoover to ELECT a fellow like FDR.
Perhaps history will once again repeat itself.
Perhaps America has needed the incompetence and arrogance of an oaf like little george......
To find the NEED for the rational simplicity of GENTLEMAN like Ron Paul at our next oval office helm!

[Spinoza]

BTW......
There's been a good deal of STUFF on this thread suggesting scenarios of financial folly and future "doom" from America's newest "young and restless", and generally impotent rebels.

Perhaps all such life table lads would do well to consider what a personal Ron Paul investment NOW of up to $2,300 per individual/$4,600 per loving couple, MIGHT BE WORTH TO THEIR RESPECTIVE FUTURES/DECADES...... With NOTHING but the routine snatch and grab politics of PARTY democrats and PARTY republicans at large on any other political horizon.

Lets do the Spinoza math......
$2,300 = $44.23 per week over one year.
$44.23 = less than the cost of 24 bottles of good beer.
24 bottles of good beer per week = less than 3 1/2 bottles of good beer per day.
ERGO (if money may seem to be an issue)......
By merely cutting one's personal good beer consumption from @ 15 to 20 good beers per night...... DOWN to a mere @ 12 to 16 good beers each evening......
Ron Paul could become our next president, and be given the opportunity to allow ALL young Americans to drink all the good beer they feel they deserve......
As long as they remain WISE AND RELATIVELY SOBER enough to never allow another bush or clinton, or any other polished politician, to ever again sully any oval office steps that lead to so much as a tad of pure political poppycock.