From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!ihnp4!houxz!houxi!houxa!houxb!lmg
Newsgroups: net.misc
Title: Re: Social Security solution
Article-I.D.: houxb.198
Posted: Wed Jan 26 20:38:06 1983
Received: Sat Jan 29 09:02:16 1983
References: hocda.234 iwsl2.135

Here's another vote for opting out of the SS joke. Of course, there is
no way in hell the government will let us do that. In fact, the plan of
the "Bipartisan Social Security Commission" is just the opposite: Force
EVERYBODY into Social Security! Right now, non-profit organizations and
state and local governments can withdraw from the SS system after giving
2 years notice. Los Angeles county just withdrew the other week. They
said that by investing their money in IRA plans instead of in SS their
employees could realize MUCH BETTER BENEFITS than under SS. I believe
the county also took private health insurance plans into account (as a 
replacement for Medicare) when making their decision.

	The idea that the SS system can be "saved" by making it universal
and even more mandatory confirms my long held belief that the system owes
its existence to many people paying in large amounts of money and then
DYING without collecting anything. Forcing people presently exempt to
participate in a program which is unsound and probably fraudulent is to
me a highly immoral act.

	Two more points:
	1. FICA is a "regressive" tax, as has been mentioned,
but the bebefits are also regressive, that is, you get (more or less)
what you pay for regardless of your income. The system may be a fraud,
but I feel the tax is fair.
	2. One of the currently "popular" plans for "saving" the SS
system is to tax 1/2 of the benefits of anyone who has > $25000 in
other (say, pension) income. This would eliminate the advantage of (1)
above by making the system as a whole "progressive". At present, about
30% of receipients fall into that category, but of course inflation
(no matter HOW low) will eventually bring us the $25000 Big Mac and
cause EVERYBODY to be in that category no matter how poor they are
in real terms.

					Larry Geary
					Computer Sciences Corporation
					at American Bell Inc, Holmdel
					...npois!houxb!lmg