The 2024 US Presidential Election

[Farm Boy]

It's almost like it's a problem because it's not conveniently and simply solved. What a bummer. Needing to allocate finite resources instead of just selling imaginary hats like an up and coming business model.

 

[Birdjaguar]

This is also a bit of a weird point to make given that government spending on retirees is one of the most inflationary kinds of spending there is given that retirees are unproductive by definition. It's just a little odd to imply we must take care of the old and then complain about a core consequence of doing so.

Their 2040 years of being productive has already been taxed as is their SS income.. Are you advocating doing away with SS and medicare and "letting" workers fund their own retirements?

 

[Lexicus]

Their 2040 years of being productive has already been taxed as is their SS income.. Are you advocating doing away with SS and medicare and "letting" workers fund their own retirements?

No. Most people get much more in payments than they pay into social security btw.

It's almost like it's a problem because it's not conveniently and simply solved. What a bummer. Needing to allocate finite resources instead of just selling imaginary hats like an up and coming business model.

It is solved fairly conveniently in most developed countries imo. The problem we have in the US is that one of the parties wants to destroy our solution and do what BJ said above.

Edit: should add of course that elements in the Democratic party also want to destroy it.

 

[Farm Boy]

Heheh. Sure.

 

[Birdjaguar]

No. Most people get much more in payments than they pay into social security btw.

Yes, and the same would apply if they invested it themselves depending upon how long one lives. I personally approve of SS even though it does not pay enough to support folks.

By delaying my retirement 2years (until 68) I added $6000 a year to my payments. When firiends in their 50s ask me about retiring I tell them to push hard for at least $500,000 in retirement money and try to get that to $1 million and then don't retire until 68 0r 70. Most of them want to retire early. Oh well. At a 4% return $500,000 will thow off about $20,000 without losing capital. If SS pays you $24,000, then you have $44,000. With minimal debt (no rent or mortgage), that can be doable.

https://money.usnews.com/money/retirement/social-security/articles/average-social-security-benefit-by-age

 

[PPQ_Purple]

What's the point of having more money if you are too old and tired from working your self to the grave to enjoy it?

Honestly if I had the choice I'd rather retire early with less money and than use that money as a safety net to cover my basic needs so that there are no existential worries. And if I have any luxury needs beyond that I'd take a part time job or do some freelancing on occasion to top things off. And to keep my mind sharp so I don't get bored.

Like, can you imagine retiring at say 50 and than only working a couple months each year to cover a holiday or a new PC or something. That would be a dream. But of course it is utterly impossible.

 

[Core Imposter]

Yes, and the same would apply if they invested it themselves depending upon how long one lives. I personally approve of SS even though it does not pay enough to support folks.

By delaying my retirement 2years (until 68) I added $6000 a year to my payments. When firiends in their 50s ask me about retiring I tell them to push hard for at least $500,000 in retirement money and try to get that to $1 million and then don't retire until 68 0r 70. Most of them want to retire early. Oh well. At a 4% return $500,000 will thow off about $20,000 without losing capital. If SS pays you $24,000, then you have $44,000. With minimal debt (no rent or mortgage), that can be doable.

https://money.usnews.com/money/retirement/social-security/articles/average-social-security-benefit-by-age

Honestly that's not describing 99% of people.

 

[Farm Boy]

All you need is half a million bucks and your own house, and you can live on more than single moms?

 

[Birdjaguar]

Honestly that's not describing 99% of people.

All you need is half a million bucks and your own house, and you can live on more than single moms?

That is why we need SS, medicare and minimum income levels. The retirement reality today is stacked hard against most folks.The GOP is against all of those programs.

 

[PPQ_Purple]

That is why we need SS, medicare and minimum income levels. The retirement reality today is stacked hard against most folks.The GOP is against all of those programs.

Why is it that every time I read about that political party the narrative seems to be that they are categorically evil and against the common man? I am seriously asking this because I just can't reasonably believe that a political party like that could retain the position of power that it has. It just does not pass the common sense test.

So what am I missing?

 

[Gori the Grey]

They draw on this powerful psychological dynamic:

“If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.”​

 

[Core Imposter]

Why is it that every time I read about that political party the narrative seems to be that they are categorically evil and against the common man? I am seriously asking this because I just can't reasonably believe that a political party like that could retain the position of power that it has. It just does not pass the common sense test.

So what am I missing?

Nothing. It's nonsense. The GOP just wants to find a way to pay for necessary programs without endless money creation. Democrats do not believe in the word unsustainable. They do believe in magic monetary theory.

 

[Core Imposter]

They draw on this powerful psychological dynamic:

Gori, that is below the worst of the worst here and you are not that, are you?

 

[Gori the Grey]

You're welcome to reposition me on your ranking. But you'll notice that it's not me speaking in my own voice; that it's in quotation marks.

 

[PPQ_Purple]

Nothing. It's nonsense. The GOP just wants to find a way to pay for necessary programs without endless money creation. Democrats do not believe in the word unsustainable. They do believe in magic monetary theory.

So why not just cut the military? That's how all of Europe is paying for our expenses. Well maybe not do that since we all kind of only can do that because we outsourced it all to you. But you get the point.

 

[Lexicus]

Yes, and the same would apply if they invested it themselves depending upon how long one lives.

No, it wouldn't. Returns on private investments have to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is squeezed from working people, or alternately skimped from the product you're supposed to be selling, a la Boeing where working planes were deemed less important than ROI. Another funny story, the local grocery store has implemented a no backpacks policy because they gotta increase that shareholder value by trying to claw back shoplifting(!!1111!111!!!eleven)

By contrast, government payments don't need to "come from" anywhere and can be paid for purely thru inflation.

 

[Lexicus]

So what am I missing?

That modern conservatism is nothing but a giant propaganda project designed to prevent people from seeing what you can easily see.

 

[Core Imposter]

Being honest elected GOP presidents have spent as recklessly as Democrats. Real conservatives have been set to the side, the current GOP is populist, and no populist is going to stem the tide of spending. America is in the terminal phase of economic and fiscal malfeasance. It's just a matter of when everybody acknowledges it, and the dollar becomes a pumpkin. These things are normally revealed in lost wars, not that America hasn't had those, but peer war will uncover the rot. We are all too young to remember when Great Britan became Britan. But you can read about it. All empires run the same course. You can have guns, or you can have butter, but you can't have guns AND butter unless you are using the guns to steal your butter. And America doesn't have the stomach for that.

Well, we could have guns and butter but not with politicians bribing the citizens for votes. Insert Frenchman quote here.

 

[PPQ_Purple]

Well, we could have guns and butter but not with politicians bribing the citizens for votes. Insert Frenchman quote here.

Isn't that the entire point of a democracy though? The people in power buy our votes by giving us what we want and we in turn allow them to keep power until someone comes along with a better offer.

 

[Farm Boy]

Why is it that every time I read about that political party the narrative seems to be that they are categorically evil and against the common man? I am seriously asking this because I just can't reasonably believe that a political party like that could retain the position of power that it has. It just does not pass the common sense test.

So what am I missing?

You are talking to Democrats.

Hi, I'm a Republican. Not always wild about it. Not a central personal identity. I have religious creeds that are far more central than political votes.