GE pays no taxes, receives tax bonuses, ships jobs overseas, and its CEO is into job creation

[archibaldcrane]

SOCIAL SECURITY IS NOT SPENDING AT ALL - IT IS SELF-FUNDED INSURANCE!!!

The whole "Social Security is draining the budget" myth has been perpetuated by Republicans since the law was passed. Every cent of Social Security comes from a fund that is EXCLUSIVELY paid into by citizens and their employers. Likewise, the myth that the fund is going bankrupt is BS - it is paying out more than it is bringing in only because the population is currently balanced heavily towards citizens who have been paying into the system for 40-50 years and are now reaching retirement.

It would be properly "self-funded" except there isn't a "lockbox".

It's money, that changes hands from the government, to the people. The taxes it accrues and the expenditures are both factored into the national deficit or surplus. Whether it's supposed to be a closed system is irrelevant.

I'm not saying that it's bad or that it's "the reason" we are running deficits. It used to be part of "the reason" that deficits weren't so high before, but it's all a bunch of accounting fuckery.

tl;dr if we stopped paying SS benefits we could use that money to fund other parts of the government. I am not saying we should.

[Demosthenes11]

SOCIAL SECURITY IS NOT SPENDING AT ALL - IT IS SELF-FUNDED INSURANCE!!!

The whole "Social Security is draining the budget" myth has been perpetuated by Republicans since the law was passed. Every cent of Social Security comes from a fund that is EXCLUSIVELY paid into by citizens and their employers. Likewise, the myth that the fund is going bankrupt is BS - it is paying out more than it is bringing in only because the population is currently balanced heavily towards citizens who have been paying into the system for 40-50 years and are now reaching retirement.

ya it's not even half as simple as that. you need to do more reading >.>

[Charismatic]

I didn't know it was so bad out there. Not 100% related but along these lines.

[Khamsin]

tl;dr if we stopped paying SS benefits we could use that money to fund other parts of the government. I am not saying we should.

You'd probably also have a few people complaining that they aren't getting paid back the money they put into it over the last few decades.

[Meresgi]

Blame Deregulation and all that other fun shit, I mean it's time to face facts. This country isnt for the the middle class or poor, its for the rich. We don't live in a 1st world country, we live in a 2nd world country.

[Dantrag]

Blame Deregulation and all that other fun shit, I mean it's time to face facts. This country isnt for the the middle class or poor, its for the rich. We don't live in a 1st world country, we live in a 2nd world country.

Sorry, we are very far off from being a 2nd world country. Olo401, the SS issue is a bit more complicated than that. I believe that there is a lot of reaching into the SS pot for other things that it was not meant to be used for and that is causing all sorts of issues with funding.

Honestly though, we just need to get our asses out of Afghanistan and Iraq and call it a day. Those two things will help more than cutting funding for NPR or even fixing the way the rich can evade taxes.

[Meresgi]

Sorry, we are very far off from being a 2nd world country.

I fall to see how we are that far off. Have you ever driven through most of the country, the parts that are not major booming cities? The bible belt, rust belt, upstate NY and tons of other areas. They giant disparity between the wealthly and the middle class growing more and more. These same wealthy running schemes to ruin those under them while cashing in more and more. Yeah, we're 1st world when it comes to entertainment and medicine, when it comes to everything else we're definitely not.

[Acturus]

SOCIAL SECURITY IS NOT SPENDING AT ALL - IT IS SELF-FUNDED INSURANCE!!!

The whole "Social Security is draining the budget" myth has been perpetuated by Republicans since the law was passed. Every cent of Social Security comes from a fund that is EXCLUSIVELY paid into by citizens and their employers. Likewise, the myth that the fund is going bankrupt is BS - it is paying out more than it is bringing in only because the population is currently balanced heavily towards citizens who have been paying into the system for 40-50 years and are now reaching retirement.

http://factcheck.org/2011/02/democra...ritys-red-ink/

[Dantrag]

I fall to see how we are that far off. Have you ever driven through most of the country, the parts that are not major booming cities? The bible belt, rust belt, upstate NY and tons of other areas. They giant disparity between the wealthly and the middle class growing more and more. These same wealthy running schemes to ruin those under them while cashing in more and more. Yeah, we're 1st world when it comes to entertainment and medicine, when it comes to everything else we're definitely not.

I've not been through all those areas but I have seen what places look like due to business being run off and places falling from grace. My point is that we are still far off from being what would be considered a 2nd world country. I hate to say it but if you want to see something that would be considered more of a 2nd world country, go visit Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands outside of the resort areas.

[aurik]

You'd probably also have a few people complaining that they aren't getting paid back the money they put into it over the last few decades.

Sure, but they don't get their tax money "back", so it would just be converting SS payments into another payroll tax retroactively.

(Payroll taxes are bad. Business taxes are bad. But somebody's gotta pay the bills, and the rich sure aren't willing)

[Ragnus]

Fact Check: http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworl..._countries.htm

The various "worlds" don't refer to how well a country is doing.

[Yugl]

Fact Check: http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworl..._countries.htm

The various "worlds" don't refer to how well a country is doing.

Not an objective criteria of how well a country is doing. Often times people can point out the difference between first, second, and third world nations because of a bias in assessment.

[bigrougabagel]

Where is that awesome graph showing non inflation adjusted income increases for top 10% and the rest of us? Seriously, this is the issue. Rich people do not spend money, they horde it or hurl it into a market. The last time the desparity in in the top 1% and the bottom 99% was as high as it was in 2007-8 was 1929. Holy balls we have problems.

[Kurokikaze]

Bernie Sanders is the fucking man. That is all.

[Charismatic]

Bernie Sanders is the fucking man. That is all.

Yes sirree, that he is.

[archibaldcrane]

Where is that awesome graph showing non inflation adjusted income increases for top 10% and the rest of us? Seriously, this is the issue. Rich people do not spend money, they horde it or hurl it into a market. The last time the desparity in in the top 1% and the bottom 99% was as high as it was in 2007-8 was 1929. Holy balls we have problems.

http://www.irishleftreview.org/wp-co...a1_wpgraph.jpg
And remember that the top 0.1% only pay 19% of their income in taxes.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S 4G using Tapatalk

[Meresgi]

I've not been through all those areas but I have seen what places look like due to business being run off and places falling from grace. My point is that we are still far off from being what would be considered a 2nd world country. I hate to say it but if you want to see something that would be considered more of a 2nd world country, go visit Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands outside of the resort areas.

2nd world might be too harsh of a criticism, but then again we are not a 1st world either. Though the definition of either is really kind of outdated nowadays. Suffice to say our country does NOT look out for the lower class, our politicians are for the most part corrupt (with a few good ones) by the top 1% of the country and their lobbyists. And the good politicians trying to make a change can't because they can't compete with the funding and power of the corrupt ones. It honestly is pretty appalling how far we've gone in a few decades and how the amazing "free market" has taken the reigns and ran off.

There is nothing wrong with capitalism or a free market, except when the people in charge of monitoring the system and setting rules and regulations can receive checks from those they should be observing and then begin the process of deregulating. (Thank you Alan Greenspan)

[aurik]

Not Greenspan's fault that congress has enabled the top 1% in abusive ways. His job was to encourage investment and keep inflation in check through setting the interest rate.

[Meresgi]

Wasn't Greenspan a key figure in the deregulation of the banking industry during Clinton and Bush?

[aurik]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27335454...n_the_economy/ < this is what you are referring to. Hardly an incrimination of his (actually quite excellent) work over the course of his tenure.