Raising the retirement age for women since they live longer. Hmmm.

[elehhhhna]

Also noted in several articles out this evening, House Ways and Means chairman Bill Thomas suggests he supports "gender-adjusting Social Security," i.e., raising the retirement age for women since they live longer.

That should go over well.

-- Josh Marshall


http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

[Samurai_Writer]

1. I'm 44 and female...

and have known for the last 15 years that I would never be able to afford to retire. I'll work until I drop. Especially now that you'll have better chance at a roulette table than drawing a decent amount of social security after it's privatized.

[jackster]

3. 48 and female and in the same boat!

I'll never be able to retire either and understand that I wil have to work until I drop as well. I've already decided that if I become unable to work I'll commit suicide so as not to be a burden on anyone!

[Love Bug]

10. Y'know what, jackster, I've had that same thought

I'm 50 and will have to work until I drop, too. I've already decided I'll take myself out rather than become a burden to anyone.

[jackster]

11. it actually has been rather freeing for me

to realize that I won't HAVE to worry about what if's.....

what little I've been able to save after being a single mother of two along with the SS I'd receive won't be enough to support me.

[splat]

2. buyouts for all!

The last thing companies want is doddering old people who can't afford to retire hanging in till they die at their keyboards.

Raising retirement ages is a corporate nightmare.

[sarcasmo]

4. Rad being 36 I to have known SS wouldn't be here since I was 18

My theory on Social Security, give your family member a hundred dollars today then ask them for it back when your sixty five. I tell people this all the time that Social Security will not be their. My wife is ten years older than I and when I told her that if she gets Social Security it will be a bonus on top of the pension. A 401K, or even the two percent you get back from a savings account would be smarter.

[Bridget Burke]

5. So--do you support privatizing Social Security?

You do know that it is NOT in crisis? That the "emergency" warnings are coming from those who want to abolish it?

[Divernan]

8. And you probably are still telling people there are weapons of MD in Iraq?

If you read some of the threads on social security here in DU, you will find links to all the actuarial proof you need that Social Security is in good shape until the mid 2040's, at which point it would still be able to pay out 87%. So, the govt. has FORTY YEARS to make the necessary adjustments, like simply taking off the cap on earnings, to keep the system as ROBUST as it is today. Instead of trash talking the current system, you should be telling everyone you know that bush's plan will enrich private investment managers to the tune of billions of dollars siphoned off of American's social security deductions.

Bush is counting on the gullible US public believing his lies on social security, the same way they did on Iraq's "imminent threat" of weapons of mass destruction against the US.

[salin]

9. Only works IF you are earning enough

to be able to spare the regular payout of one hundred bucks. If you are earning minimum wage or even a couple of dollars an hour over minimum wage, one is likely not to have health benefits - so any little bit of money over basic expenses (home, utilities, food, transportation to/from work, etc.) gets eaten up by unexpected expenses such as health related issues/costs or other emergencies. When living on the economic edge (at poverty, just above poverty) the idea that one can "save" beyond is generally an illusion. For many working americans to have the money to invest or even put into savings is a luxury (that is often out of reach.)

[DemBones DemBones]

16. My FIL always said HE'D never get Social Security, but he did, and

so did my MIL, another non-believer. Because of SS & MEdicare, we "kids" were able to inherit from their savings/investments instead of going into debt caring for them! We were able to give them excellent care without using much of their private funds.

Go READ Josh Marshall (link in OP) and the links he provides and EDUCATE YOURSELF.

[eg101]

6. SS retirement age should be lowered to 55 for BOTH genders

Offer a lowered retirement age of 55 for lowered benefits. Need more money to keep the system solvent? Just remove the 87K payroll tax cap. Also institute a 1% annual wealth tax on wealth over $2M. All taken care of....

[Divernan]

7. First the govt. should get rid of pay inequalities.

Women get paid less social security than men because of two reasons: (1) those who remain married and have kids are out of the work force for 5 to 15 years. During that time their job skills become obsolete,so they not only lose out on promotion opportunities, but become unemployable at their former job level re any computer technology, engineering, science jobs, etc. (2) At a much broader level, women have always been paid less for the same job performances, holding constant experience and education. Let's see Mr. Thomas tackle those problems first.

[minerva50]

13. I agree.

That was going to be my comment, that we need to resolve pay equity problems first, rather than rob women of their hard-earned mites. Beyond that, just because women of previous generations long outlived the men, that doesn't mean it will be true of our generation. Part of the difference has been attributed to different rates of smoking in men and women, and stress levels in being the sole provider for the family. As our life experiences change and medical science advances, that gap may close.

[Divernan]

14. Excellent point - women are getting sicker, sooner

and I believe the number of young women taking up smoking is as high or higher than young men. And the stress level for single, custodial moms is 24/7.

[bleedingheart]

12. Egads...why don't the Republicans be honest and tell us they want SS gone

they are fiddling with it to basically kill it...

it

[Lerkfish]

15. because if a republican ever told the truth, his tongue would leap out

of his mouth out of shock, buy the next ticket to hell and return home.