Turquoise
O Canada
+1,596|6840|North Carolina
I believe I posted a similar thread to this one a long time ago, but I couldn't find it using the search function.  So anyway, I wanted to bring up an idea I had a while back.

On one side of the Social Security debate, people want to get rid of the cap in the Social Security Wage Base, so that all income is subject to Social Security taxation.  Currently, the cap is set for $102,000, so that any income beyond that is not taxed for Social Security.  Proponents of ending the cap say that this will keep Social Security solvent for at least another 75 years.

For more info on how the Social Security Wage Base works, check this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Security_Wage_Base

On the other side of the debate, people say we should be able to invest SS funds into whatever stocks we choose.

I thought of an idea that combines both of these things....

If it's pretty much inevitable that America will remain the world's policeman, then wouldn't it make sense to end the cap on the Social Security Wage Base AND invest SS funds in defense/nation building stocks?

The way I see it, the military industrial complex is here to stay, and they will continue to make a lot of money off of our taxes, so why not get the money back some from their growth?  If we invested SS funds in these companies, we could enter wars and actually MAKE money rather than go further into debt.

In addition to this, ending the Social Security Wage Base cap will greatly increase the amount of money invested in the first place, which will keep the program solvent in an era where our people are slowly aging out.

To me, this plan is the best of both worlds, but what do you guys think?
deeznutz1245
Connecticut: our chimps are stealin yo' faces.
+483|6928|Connecticut
Not to argue here or there, but I am planning to not have ss when I retire. You know, just in case. I am taking full advantage of my company's profit sharing and 401k.
Malloy must go
Turquoise
O Canada
+1,596|6840|North Carolina
I hear ya...  Unless my plan is actually implemented, I'm doing the same.
ATG
Banned
+5,233|6964|Global Command
Eisenhower said it best; " be always wary of this military industrial that we have created, for it is a hungry beast that will seek to feed itself."

or, words to that effect.

Legalize pot, seal the border /problem solved.
Turquoise
O Canada
+1,596|6840|North Carolina
Why not do that AND my plan? 

By the way, I agree with what you're saying ATG, but if you think about it...  If we massively invest in these companies, we'll have more say over what they do, because the American public will be shareholders.
ATG
Banned
+5,233|6964|Global Command
Word:
enron


The people that are going to set this up are already corrupt.
Turquoise
O Canada
+1,596|6840|North Carolina
No kidding...  but the only reason why I support this is...  We already spend billions on defense, and under the current arrangement, only the politicians themselves have influence.

You can wield a lot more influence over a company if you actually own stocks in it as opposed to just throwing money at them for projects (like we currently do).
FEOS
Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate
+1,182|6846|'Murka

No issues with ending the wage cap. Seems sensible enough.

No issues with conservative investment in publicly-traded companies, some of which may be defense-related. To invest wholly in those companies causes two problems: Very risky/unbalanced portfolio and an incredible conflict of interest...making war desirable for any reason is horrible.
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein

Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular
Kmar
Truth is my Bitch
+5,695|7036|132 and Bush

SS is a scam, a ripoff, and unconstitutional. I have no reason to think it will ever get better so long as the government is administering it. Reinvesting in more profitable companies might increase the fund, but it will only encourage the government to dip into it. It wouldn't be the first time our government has manipulated numbers to give the impression of responsible spending.
Xbone Stormsurgezz
HollisHurlbut
Member
+51|6433
Lifting the cap is like fashioning a bigger bucket to better bail out your sinking ship.  The only problem is that your bucket was made from the hull, so now you're sinking faster.  The problem is that the more a person pays in to SS, the more they get paid when they start to draw it.  So sure, lifting the cap now would add more money for people drawing SS currently, but as more of those higher-wage folks retire, we'll just have to pay them more.

The only way it would do anything is if they capped SS payments upon retirement at the $102,000 level, but then you're not getting what you paid into it.  If that's going to be the case, they should drop the name "Social Security" and go with "JAFWP."

(Just Another Fucking Welfare Program...)
Skorpy-chan
Member
+127|6780|Twyford, UK
The millitary industrial complex is just a holdover from WW2 and the cold war, because after so long WITH it, the US economy can't support itself without huge amounts of spending on stuff that's either just going to be destroyed or replaced wholesale after a decade or so.
I think the solution to industry pushing war is to start making not-quite-the-best-but-still-good stuff for sale to nations with less of a budget, so the president won't have to deal with the fallout of war after pointless war, and the rest of the world can fucking defend themselves for once.
The F-16 is a prime example of that, being incredibly popular because it's cheap and effective. Same with the AH-1.

Or maybe the US just need to be integrated into the Commonwealth and start producing for foreign markets on the trade routes.

Or invade Panama again and take over the canal. Or the Suez canal. Either is close.

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