My cherished friend, the soon to be 90 year old John Barbour, tried to post this here, but was unable to. He is a remarkable man. For those that don't know, John was the creator and host of the #1 TV show in America from 1979-1981, "Real People." He also was Frank Sinatra's personal writer for six years. There is more to his show business resume, but we became friends because of our mutual interest in the JFK assassination. His documentary "The American Media & the Second Assassination of John F. Kennedy," is in my view the best ever done on the subject. Here is his comment for this thread: "Donald Jeffries' book 'Survival Of The Richest' is absolutely the very best read about big money in America, and believe me the chapter on Huey Long is totally worth the price of the book. There are no more politicians like Huey Long and John Kennedy and very few writers as good as Donald Jeffries!!" John Barbour.
Here is something that I would like you to think about. I want you to pull a dollar bill out of your pocket and ask yourself "What is this?". Most people will respond that it is a dollar or a dollar bill. Which is it? One dollar or a one dollar bill?
The answer is neither.
It is a scrap of paper with ink on it. In fact it is counterfeit 'money'. They print up all they want. Do they not have printing presses running 24/7 so as to print all they want?
Don't they just raise the "debt limit" as they need to?
So in reality that dollar bill represents debt. Whose debt?
Don't ask questions like these. Just go back to sleep and all will be OK.
Maybe we should learn the legal definition of the word "dollar". For that you need to go back to the Coinage Act of 1792. In there you will find a "dollar" to be defined as 371 grains of 99 percent fine silver or 412.5 grains of 90 percent fine silver allowing a 10 percent mix of other metals as hardeners because of the softness/ malleability of pure silver. Gold is then compared relative in value to that. Do you have any "dollars"?
No, you do not! The reason for that is due to the peoples' ignorance about money the banksters were able to defraud the people of their gold and silver coins with their scraps of paper, all with the help of your government.
Thomas Jefferson said that if America ever fell it would be "due to the ignorance of the people with regard to money, credit, and the circulation thereof". America has fallen.
Article 1, Section 10 of the fraudulent U. S. Constitution says "No State shall ... make anything but gold and silver coin a Tender in payment of debts". Your government is obeying the Supreme Law of the Land is it not? NOT!
Your constitutional Republic was destroyed by the divide and conquer war known as the American Civil War of the 1860's when its monetary system was destroyed.
Ask yourself this question. Why do they need your money in the way of taxes when they can and do print up all they want? How about government payroll? Welfare? Social Security? The list goes on.
Here is a quote that you should really pay attention to.
The following quote is attributed to Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel:
"America is a golden calf and we will suck it dry, chop it up, and sell it off piece by piece until there is nothing left but the biggest welfare state that we will create and control...
This is what we do to countries that we hate. We destroy them very slowly."
Benjamin Netanyahu, employed at the time as a Soviet agent, in a covert conversation taped in 1990 @ Finks Jerusalem, a well known Mossad hangout. Taken directly from the transcript of the recording which was and has been 100% authenticated.
Again I ask why do they need your money in the way of taxes when they print all they want? It is war by deception! It is war usually without firing a shot, unless you ask too many questions.
You need to learn the truth about money, the 10 elements of communism, and this thing you think of as your government.
You are absolutely right, Anticriminals. I regularly refer to our unaudited, private banking system as counterfeit. What they do in transacting every loan is indistinguishable from what convicted counterfeiters did. They should all be released from prison, because they're only doing the exact same kind of fractional lending all banks do. Thanks!
Now, would you like to know the truth about the federal income tax? Non-filer since 1979. Beat wilful failure to file before they could charge me, without an attorney, by using an affidavit. Never once appeared in their court.
Slightly off topic but your talking about the value of a dollar. I get coffee a few days a week from a local franchise and most employees are in their 20’s. Today the gal could not handle my dollars and make correct change. I’m sure there could be several factors in play but she clearly didn’t know the value, if any, of a dollar presented in front of her.
It's no wonder they can't make change, or possibly even count. They have no time to teach them that in our odious schools, preoccupied with critical race theory and transgender story hour. Thanks!
That was wise going for Social Security early, Don, I did it as well. First, the slime on Wall Street intend to steal it by the scam called, "privatization." Second, you never know when you're going to check out. Like the cop said in "Scarface", "Every day above ground is a reason to celebrate." It was Adolph Hitler that had employers effectuate benefits for the workers before anyone else, paid vacations, paid sick time, paid medical etc. He also mandated that employers build parks adjacent to the work buildings so their employees had a nice environment for lunch and breaks. What an evil psychopath he was! FDR was no friend of the working man. He simply told the oligarchic scum that unless something was provided for the millions of destitute Americans, they will burn the country down and their mansions along with it. They very reluctantly agreed hence Social Security, Medicare, Unemployment Comp. etc. However our enemies never sleep and the plutocratic slime have been working incrementally and tirelessly to strip these "entitlements" away by attrition. There is no valid reason for Social Security or any government program to go bankrupt, just as there is no reason for taxes. The Controllers can print money for anything. Taxation is one of their insidious vehicles of control, intimidation, and impoverishment for the masses. It is a monstrous criminal scam. Years ago a brilliant fellow by the name of Dr. Martin Larson came out with a UTP (Universal Trust Plan) as an alternative to Social Security. He proved unequivocally that this plan, based on private investments, would provide Americans with three times what they were getting from Social Security. Needless to say he was ignored and consigned to the Orwellian memory hole. By the way, I wouldn't be concerned about thin Victoria Secrets models or whatever they weighed. Those freaks are all male to female, transsexual androgynes. America; the world's largest open air lunatic asylum.
I can't disagree with anything you say so well here, Hereticdrummer. One correction- I didn't take Social Security early, waited until full age. So maybe I'm not so wise lol. I remember Martin Larson well from his Spotlight days. Lived into his nineties. Thanks!
And I was thinking of the same subject just the other day, as I believe I heard they are attempting to shift one of the key social security ages to 70.
Like Diogenes searching for that elusive honest man, I am still searching for a competent government employee..... and as I've been saying for decades, you cannot fire the government! Although, your last paragraph certainly gives rise to 'good cause' to do so!!!
In any event, similarly heard the statistics over the last few years such that a very high percentage of citizens cannot cover a surprise expense at anytime in excess of a few hundred dollars.... so just how is it that they will have anything to retire upon?
Lastly, I've had experiences with nursing homes over the years, both with relatives and thru my work, and suffice to say, none of them were anything approaching pleasant, but rather downright horrifying. Hence, the conversation this weekend with our youngest, who came rather late in life, how they will most likely need to care for their parents sometime down the road....
I appreciate your thoughtful post, jwslaw. Nursing homes are repugnant. And incredibly expensive. But most would rather send them there than care for those who once cared for them. Thanks!
Yes- I'm constantly amazed that relatives who stand to inherit the estate still prefer to put grandma and grandpa in one of these odious places, rather than care for them. Thanks!
and we always seem to have our minds wrapped around similar subjects at similar times!
on a side note, about the only news I watch since spring of 2020 is from the outlier networks on Pluto TV, who recently go on about how that press secretary, Jean_Pierre (?), lately seems to refer to 'President O'Bama' a fair amt of time. So called Freudian slip? Is that who is calling the shots?
Very much more likely Vice Versa, but will take any compliment I can!
and if you soon write on what appears to be a burgeoning mental health crisis, particularly but certainly not limited the adolescent age, then we must be somehow connected.
Between all the gender identity issues (currently hitting our home), fear of social interaction / agoraphobia, and just general malaise, I've never seen our younger generation in worse shape. But while we had the hide under your school desk for incoming nukes, definitely don't recall the media blasting fear of death due to disease when we were young.
furthermore, my wife and I came to understand the current generation of those in their teens and 20's really don't understand much of anything in the practical world ...don't even know how a check works, or a car loan. Most all they know is most everything us older folks say is racist or otherwise inappropriate. Very ripe fodder for the continual economic slaughter perpetrated by most all large corporations!
I never believed that SS would still be around when I was eligible, so it was a no-brainer for me to apply when I turned 62 last spring. Actually, it was a nice surprise to start getting something that I had dismissed years ago. I only get $430. a month...so it won't matter much when the beast finally lays down to die.
"That's how low my expectations have become, I'm literally stunned when anything works correctly." This exactly describes my feelings about all government bureaus...so I never expected the website to work, when I pressed : submit. I then made a telephone appointment for a telephone application, so convinced I was of the futility of an online application. I received an email telling me to cancel my phone appointment.. which I did NOT cancel. I was very surprised to actually get a phone call (months later) on the day of the appointment...but not the least surprised to learn that my online application had been "lost in the system, and we'll have to do it again now." The only way to deal successfully with government entities, is to assume it will take many attempts and many months.
I believe Medicare should be scrapped because American health care exists to make one sick, and then eventually dead. It always rankled when I saw the Medicare tax on my paycheck. I don't use the American death care system. The only way I would ever go to a hospital is if I were carried in unconscious. The scamdemic certainly proved that everything I had been saying about American health care over the past 40 years...was spot on. I personally know people who were killed in hospital during the scamdemic...as your brother was. However, one is not forced to make Medicare payments out of their SS checks. One must opt-in for everything beyond hospital care.
Thanks for the info about Huey Long's struggle against SS as it stands now. Long is hero of mine, but I was not aware of that.
It's always great to hear your perspective, Kris. I am not paying into Medicare yet, but will probably do so once my wife stops working in a few years. As of now, I'm on her insurance. Like you, I don't trust the system or use it. Thanks!
...after working odd jobs in my youth, starting around 10 years old...(baby sitting, caddying, cutting grass)...and having my corrupt Mother take most of my earnings...I went to work for McDonald's as a16 year old in 1976. My Mother and Father were both highly corrupt law enforcement folks, who's ethics would have shocked Jimmy Hoffa, so my lessons in local government corruption started early. I remember being vehemently opposed to letting the government take my money, especially for SS...as I never asked for it, and would have preferred to keep my cash. But as I continued to work, I lost track of how much they stole...and just decided to outwork the theft of my earnings. As my work-life progressed...I went to work for a non-appropriated-fund-instrumentality of US DoD. I began to understand how corrupt all government is...and I tried to prepare. From my standpoint, as I learned about currency, "money" and wealth...I came to understand that everything we "count on" can be washed away with a corrupt vote, mismanagement, or vast corruption. While working in Japan for US DoD, at the age of 29 I was ordered to commit crimes on behalf of the government, and I refused. When the Chain-of-Command were caught in their petty crimes, they attacked me, abused me and violated law after law trying to get even with me. At the age of 30, I represented myself before The Merit Systems Protection Board, and using the secret tape recordings I had made of the illegal orders I had received, I won a Federal Whistle Blower Case. Due to all of the corruption, I purposefully layered my retirement plans...adding my future SS benefit to an annuity I was investing in...as well as my alleged pension from DoD. I also invested in held precious metals, as I figured that if one source of income dried up or was withheld, I could rely on the other sources for some security. At the age of 49 I was told that I suffered from PTSD based on the 25 years of abuse I endured under DoD criminals. I was also informed that I had been epileptic since birth, and experiencing "unobserved seizures" throughout my life. I was told that I have a condition called "Post Seizure Fugue State"...where after a seizure, I can do remarkable tasks...and have zero awareness of doing anything, nor any memory of having done anything. In one remarkable incident, I was unable to find a ride to the hospital as my wife had a heart attack...and the next thing I know I am being lifted by a rescue helicopter off the side of a mountain cliff. It turned out that I had unknowingly driven a car 7 miles through the mountains, and off a 200 foot cliff at 70 mph. I was thrown from the car, down the cliff a couple hundred feet...and ended up with a multiple broken back, neck, ribs, tailbone...and a 19 staple gash to my brain. My only recollection of the entire incident is a heart beat of time as I was lifted by the helicopter. After nearly two years of waiting, my SS disability was finally approved...and it turned out to be a decent amount of income. Then when my LTD policy expired at the age of 62...the government refused to pay my pension, and had involuntarily terminated me while I was recovering from my brain damage almost a decade prior. Thankfully my annuity kicked in, and most of my income was restored, though they still refuse to pay my pension. I have discovered that my SS Disability will pay me through the age of 67, and then will stay the same amount as I transition into regular SS. The annuity that I invested in only had about $17,000 in a bulk payout scenario, but because it is a government agency investment...it will pay me almost $1,000 per month for the rest of my life. I am still trying to force DoD to reinstate me, and pay my pension...but without a lot of success. So I am grateful for the SS Disability, even though I never wanted it in the first place. It cracks me up when people call SS an "entitlement" program, as we all pay for it, and we are all "entitled" to the coverage their actuarial tables promised. But a word to the young folks out there...the world is a corrupt place led by unethical people. Layer your investments ...stack your financial plans and be prepared as best you can for one or more legs of your financial future to be yanked from under you. Many of us "elderly" still have the muscle memory of a 25 year old, and still think we can "rebound" from misfortune or corruption. But as we get older...that isn't a realistic viewpoint. Protect yourself while you are young, the best you can... and hold on...because life will get bumpy! Ha! Take care.
Great article. FYI … here in Maine when the sh-mok govnor offered $450 freebie based on prior years tax return, I obtained the forms, curious, since I haven’t filed return since I started receiving SS at 62. I’m now 76. If ever necessary I always claim to be tix exempt. I was pretty surprised that I was in fact supposed to be handing over a good amount (to me) to the extortionists. But since I decl. Myself exempt and never filed, it Was a moot point. (Of course, I didn’t file …I believe it’s a way for them to trick people into exposing themselves). My point, if you don’t own up they don’t have legal grounds to gouge you. It’s like with my beloved dogs … if you don’t pay the town a fee, they never fine you or bother you. You have to give them written permission to fuk with you. Ergo, it’s all actually illegal.
The whole absurdly complex tax system is like doing business in countries that build in a "haggle" price for any product. Remember, Matthew Lesko became rich by selling books that disclosed all the hidden secrets of our service-free socialist leviathan. Everyone should know the ins and outs of the system up front. It's absolutely ridiculous. Thanks, Nancy.
The problem with Social Security started 50 years ago when the fund stopped being segregated from other government revenue. A real trust has segregated funds, and benefits only those who pay into the fund. Social Security no longer has that. I was a trustee for a pension plan for 15 years. As such, I could be sued personally for not fulfilling my duties of a trustee. The plan design was a trust, not an entity that sponsored the plan, and had to ensure that those paying into the fund were not subsidizing others in the fund. This had to be confirmed, on a regular basis, by actuaries. A entity that is plan sponsor owns the plan's surplus, not so with a trust. This was, as I understand, the original design of Social Security. The problem has always been the politicians who messed with the original design.
Yep, LBJ started the comingling of funds, and that's been the policy since then. As I stated in the article, every citizen paying into the system should have their own isolated fund, and ideally some more investment choices. Thanks.
i think a big part of the problem surrounding this issue is the money printing and manipulation of interest rates. if the dollar was worth as much now as it was when they started ss we would not have so many poor elderly. housing would not have increased in price so much that people are living in rvs to survive. also, the able bodied and able minded should continue work of some type even if its part time retail. the way to die young is to "retire" ;)... in a good part of the US you can barely make it on one salary... which means the intact family cant be there to care for grannies... another effect of the dollar devaluation
Any time I see someone quoting Rand and characterizing her as a cold hearted b***h, I have to smile. She said provocative things to stay relevant, and maybe she truly beleived that survival of the fittest was the only solution, I don't know, never met the woman. But she did point out that people are charitable for selfish reasons. Most interperted that to mean she thought charity was hypocritical. But I think she was just acknowledging the fact that giving to charity isn't really a selfless act, you do feel better when giving.
Anyway, before SS were there old people being dumped into gas chambers? Just thrown out in the streets? No. There were plenty of charitible and benevolent groups that were in place. People had savings in metals, land and yes, stocks. If they weren't well off, the church was the ultimate backstop. Progressives didn't like the fact that some of these benevolent groups had large endowments, and power outside of taxation, so they kneecaped them by taxing 14% of earnings. Like Harvard's endowment, but all over the country and open to anyone -and if you couldn't get into the Sons of Italy, you could join the Odd Fellows. They had pricing power over the medical industry and helped stablize the stock markets. They were landlords, built hospitals and gave out scholarships.
But because they were outside of government they had to go. These days no one knows anything about them, because they don't fit the narriative of selfish people who would rather kill you than lift a helping hand, if it weren't for benevolent dictatorial governements.
As I noted, I read Rand in my youth, and admired much of what she said. I went over the pre-SS history of old people in my article. Obviously, they weren't camped out in the streets. Yes, churches and other charities helped, but I believe the main source of shelter and financial support for retired people then were their own families. SS made it easier to abandon parents and grandparents to the state, or to uncaring nursing homes. It's undeniable that there has been a drastic change in how old people in this country are treated by their own family members, since the establishment of Social Security. It wasn't a change for the better. Thanks.
In rural areas, yes the family was more likely to be multigenerational, but in cities, especially with large immigration populations, that wasn't an option. The faternal groups weren't charities per se, they were more like insurance companies with participation requirements for membership. Before all the tax laws the definition of charities were probably not as well defined. And like collegate fraternities, there were/are initiation rituals, pledge oaths etc. Over time these groups spread out and federated, so that when traveling if a member had an issue they could call on the local chapter for help. It is my belief that the progressive politics of the day had to eliminate these faternal orginizations because they had enough power to sway elections. And they wanted nothing to do with the mild tyrany of Wilson, Hoover and FDR.
You have a point, but I know our family history is that grandparents, aunts, and uncles lived with extended family into the 1930s. This was in Washington, D.C. Thanks.
If Social Security was privatized and the mandatory payments placed in mutual funds or something similar, paying 10%+ annual compound interest, many would retire millionaires. The problem is that the money goes into the general accounts and is paid out by legislative fiat.
I agree with the gist of this article. Social Security will have to be reformed, whether we like it or not. It's just a matter of time. One issue that still goes studiously ignored: the mind-boggling expense of the American Empire.
Close the 800 military bases overseas. Withdraw from NATO. Stop pouring U.S. treasure down the Ukrainian rathole. Put the kibosh to the "special relationship" with Israel. Bring U.S. troops home from South Korea, Japan, Western Europe, the Middle East, and Outer Albania. While we're at it, abolish the spy agencies whose mission is to control Americans under the guise of protecting them.
We can cut 90 percent from the U.S. "defense" budget without undermining U.S. security in the least. If it's too late to do it this afternoon, let's do it first thing in the morning.
I think I'm the only one to remember the Grace Commission. As I recounted in "Hidden History," in the 1980s, the Grace Commission found that fully 1/3 of all government spending goes to waste and fraud. Obviously, the figure is probably a lot higher now, in America 2.0. The great anti-Big Gubmint Ronald Reagan did absolutely nothing in the wake of these findings. I wholeheartedly agree with everything you've said here, Tony. Get rid of all the waste, ferret out the fraud, bring home all the troops, abolish all the senseless, unconstitutional agencies like FEMA, the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, etc., before even hinting that Social Security needs to be cut back. Thanks!
Waste is inherent in any government program, Donald. Even if the U.S. were to follow a Swiss-style foreign policy of armed neutrality, there would be waste. The point I'm trying to make here is that *all spending on foreign wars and entangling alliances* is waste. I want the empire to end, not for it to be run more "efficiently."
Of course I agree with that, as you can see from years of my previous writings. I wouldn't have supported any of our senseless bloodletting since the War of 1812, when we actually were invaded. I would abolish all the "intelligence" agencies, and adopt a strict isolationist foreign policy. I think we're on the same page.
If the creeps in Washington say that Social Security is off the table they no longer represent the people paying into it. They represent the insurance companies, medical industry, and the banks who look at us all as numbers on a balance sheet. Government enabled them but just removing government from the equation won't solve the issue as you noted. That would leave us to the whims of the monsters that government created in business. That's definitely up Ayn Rand's alley just like she stole a woman's husband because it was her will. The rationale of a snake devouring eggs, cold, and void of empathy as well as self serving.
I think of it like removing government would only remove the trainer of the dogs taught to maul us. A true system of Liberty would remove the protections given to industry by the state. But good luck when both of our fake political parties will never do so and the will of the people to do so is wrapped up in the patronage that perpetuates it.
I'll have to check out more stuff from John Barbour as well.
My cherished friend, the soon to be 90 year old John Barbour, tried to post this here, but was unable to. He is a remarkable man. For those that don't know, John was the creator and host of the #1 TV show in America from 1979-1981, "Real People." He also was Frank Sinatra's personal writer for six years. There is more to his show business resume, but we became friends because of our mutual interest in the JFK assassination. His documentary "The American Media & the Second Assassination of John F. Kennedy," is in my view the best ever done on the subject. Here is his comment for this thread: "Donald Jeffries' book 'Survival Of The Richest' is absolutely the very best read about big money in America, and believe me the chapter on Huey Long is totally worth the price of the book. There are no more politicians like Huey Long and John Kennedy and very few writers as good as Donald Jeffries!!" John Barbour.
According to Frank Zangetty/Zangretty on Nov. 23, 1963--
"It wasn't Oswald who killed JFK, it was three other guys."
"In the next day or two Jack Ruby will kill Oswald."
"To get America distracted from the JFK assassination coverage, Frank Sinatra Jr. will be fake-kidnapped next month, just as a media manipulation."
Zangetty disappeared the next day, and his bullet-riddled corpse was found floating in a pond a few days after that.
Here is something that I would like you to think about. I want you to pull a dollar bill out of your pocket and ask yourself "What is this?". Most people will respond that it is a dollar or a dollar bill. Which is it? One dollar or a one dollar bill?
The answer is neither.
It is a scrap of paper with ink on it. In fact it is counterfeit 'money'. They print up all they want. Do they not have printing presses running 24/7 so as to print all they want?
Don't they just raise the "debt limit" as they need to?
So in reality that dollar bill represents debt. Whose debt?
Don't ask questions like these. Just go back to sleep and all will be OK.
Maybe we should learn the legal definition of the word "dollar". For that you need to go back to the Coinage Act of 1792. In there you will find a "dollar" to be defined as 371 grains of 99 percent fine silver or 412.5 grains of 90 percent fine silver allowing a 10 percent mix of other metals as hardeners because of the softness/ malleability of pure silver. Gold is then compared relative in value to that. Do you have any "dollars"?
No, you do not! The reason for that is due to the peoples' ignorance about money the banksters were able to defraud the people of their gold and silver coins with their scraps of paper, all with the help of your government.
Thomas Jefferson said that if America ever fell it would be "due to the ignorance of the people with regard to money, credit, and the circulation thereof". America has fallen.
Article 1, Section 10 of the fraudulent U. S. Constitution says "No State shall ... make anything but gold and silver coin a Tender in payment of debts". Your government is obeying the Supreme Law of the Land is it not? NOT!
Your constitutional Republic was destroyed by the divide and conquer war known as the American Civil War of the 1860's when its monetary system was destroyed.
Ask yourself this question. Why do they need your money in the way of taxes when they can and do print up all they want? How about government payroll? Welfare? Social Security? The list goes on.
Here is a quote that you should really pay attention to.
The following quote is attributed to Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel:
"America is a golden calf and we will suck it dry, chop it up, and sell it off piece by piece until there is nothing left but the biggest welfare state that we will create and control...
This is what we do to countries that we hate. We destroy them very slowly."
Benjamin Netanyahu, employed at the time as a Soviet agent, in a covert conversation taped in 1990 @ Finks Jerusalem, a well known Mossad hangout. Taken directly from the transcript of the recording which was and has been 100% authenticated.
Source: Veterans Today, as well as Patriots4Truth.org.
Again I ask why do they need your money in the way of taxes when they print all they want? It is war by deception! It is war usually without firing a shot, unless you ask too many questions.
You need to learn the truth about money, the 10 elements of communism, and this thing you think of as your government.
You are absolutely right, Anticriminals. I regularly refer to our unaudited, private banking system as counterfeit. What they do in transacting every loan is indistinguishable from what convicted counterfeiters did. They should all be released from prison, because they're only doing the exact same kind of fractional lending all banks do. Thanks!
Now, would you like to know the truth about the federal income tax? Non-filer since 1979. Beat wilful failure to file before they could charge me, without an attorney, by using an affidavit. Never once appeared in their court.
Slightly off topic but your talking about the value of a dollar. I get coffee a few days a week from a local franchise and most employees are in their 20’s. Today the gal could not handle my dollars and make correct change. I’m sure there could be several factors in play but she clearly didn’t know the value, if any, of a dollar presented in front of her.
It's no wonder they can't make change, or possibly even count. They have no time to teach them that in our odious schools, preoccupied with critical race theory and transgender story hour. Thanks!
That was wise going for Social Security early, Don, I did it as well. First, the slime on Wall Street intend to steal it by the scam called, "privatization." Second, you never know when you're going to check out. Like the cop said in "Scarface", "Every day above ground is a reason to celebrate." It was Adolph Hitler that had employers effectuate benefits for the workers before anyone else, paid vacations, paid sick time, paid medical etc. He also mandated that employers build parks adjacent to the work buildings so their employees had a nice environment for lunch and breaks. What an evil psychopath he was! FDR was no friend of the working man. He simply told the oligarchic scum that unless something was provided for the millions of destitute Americans, they will burn the country down and their mansions along with it. They very reluctantly agreed hence Social Security, Medicare, Unemployment Comp. etc. However our enemies never sleep and the plutocratic slime have been working incrementally and tirelessly to strip these "entitlements" away by attrition. There is no valid reason for Social Security or any government program to go bankrupt, just as there is no reason for taxes. The Controllers can print money for anything. Taxation is one of their insidious vehicles of control, intimidation, and impoverishment for the masses. It is a monstrous criminal scam. Years ago a brilliant fellow by the name of Dr. Martin Larson came out with a UTP (Universal Trust Plan) as an alternative to Social Security. He proved unequivocally that this plan, based on private investments, would provide Americans with three times what they were getting from Social Security. Needless to say he was ignored and consigned to the Orwellian memory hole. By the way, I wouldn't be concerned about thin Victoria Secrets models or whatever they weighed. Those freaks are all male to female, transsexual androgynes. America; the world's largest open air lunatic asylum.
I can't disagree with anything you say so well here, Hereticdrummer. One correction- I didn't take Social Security early, waited until full age. So maybe I'm not so wise lol. I remember Martin Larson well from his Spotlight days. Lived into his nineties. Thanks!
Another excellent article Don
And I was thinking of the same subject just the other day, as I believe I heard they are attempting to shift one of the key social security ages to 70.
Like Diogenes searching for that elusive honest man, I am still searching for a competent government employee..... and as I've been saying for decades, you cannot fire the government! Although, your last paragraph certainly gives rise to 'good cause' to do so!!!
In any event, similarly heard the statistics over the last few years such that a very high percentage of citizens cannot cover a surprise expense at anytime in excess of a few hundred dollars.... so just how is it that they will have anything to retire upon?
Lastly, I've had experiences with nursing homes over the years, both with relatives and thru my work, and suffice to say, none of them were anything approaching pleasant, but rather downright horrifying. Hence, the conversation this weekend with our youngest, who came rather late in life, how they will most likely need to care for their parents sometime down the road....
I appreciate your thoughtful post, jwslaw. Nursing homes are repugnant. And incredibly expensive. But most would rather send them there than care for those who once cared for them. Thanks!
There's a good "test"= "Dear family would your prefer I spend the "family fortune" on a Nursing home or leave it to you all when I pass."?
Yes- I'm constantly amazed that relatives who stand to inherit the estate still prefer to put grandma and grandpa in one of these odious places, rather than care for them. Thanks!
thank you.
your artful writing is a blessing.
and we always seem to have our minds wrapped around similar subjects at similar times!
on a side note, about the only news I watch since spring of 2020 is from the outlier networks on Pluto TV, who recently go on about how that press secretary, Jean_Pierre (?), lately seems to refer to 'President O'Bama' a fair amt of time. So called Freudian slip? Is that who is calling the shots?
Then my mind is in good company, jwslaw. Thanks!
Very much more likely Vice Versa, but will take any compliment I can!
and if you soon write on what appears to be a burgeoning mental health crisis, particularly but certainly not limited the adolescent age, then we must be somehow connected.
Between all the gender identity issues (currently hitting our home), fear of social interaction / agoraphobia, and just general malaise, I've never seen our younger generation in worse shape. But while we had the hide under your school desk for incoming nukes, definitely don't recall the media blasting fear of death due to disease when we were young.
furthermore, my wife and I came to understand the current generation of those in their teens and 20's really don't understand much of anything in the practical world ...don't even know how a check works, or a car loan. Most all they know is most everything us older folks say is racist or otherwise inappropriate. Very ripe fodder for the continual economic slaughter perpetrated by most all large corporations!
I never believed that SS would still be around when I was eligible, so it was a no-brainer for me to apply when I turned 62 last spring. Actually, it was a nice surprise to start getting something that I had dismissed years ago. I only get $430. a month...so it won't matter much when the beast finally lays down to die.
"That's how low my expectations have become, I'm literally stunned when anything works correctly." This exactly describes my feelings about all government bureaus...so I never expected the website to work, when I pressed : submit. I then made a telephone appointment for a telephone application, so convinced I was of the futility of an online application. I received an email telling me to cancel my phone appointment.. which I did NOT cancel. I was very surprised to actually get a phone call (months later) on the day of the appointment...but not the least surprised to learn that my online application had been "lost in the system, and we'll have to do it again now." The only way to deal successfully with government entities, is to assume it will take many attempts and many months.
I believe Medicare should be scrapped because American health care exists to make one sick, and then eventually dead. It always rankled when I saw the Medicare tax on my paycheck. I don't use the American death care system. The only way I would ever go to a hospital is if I were carried in unconscious. The scamdemic certainly proved that everything I had been saying about American health care over the past 40 years...was spot on. I personally know people who were killed in hospital during the scamdemic...as your brother was. However, one is not forced to make Medicare payments out of their SS checks. One must opt-in for everything beyond hospital care.
Thanks for the info about Huey Long's struggle against SS as it stands now. Long is hero of mine, but I was not aware of that.
It's always great to hear your perspective, Kris. I am not paying into Medicare yet, but will probably do so once my wife stops working in a few years. As of now, I'm on her insurance. Like you, I don't trust the system or use it. Thanks!
...after working odd jobs in my youth, starting around 10 years old...(baby sitting, caddying, cutting grass)...and having my corrupt Mother take most of my earnings...I went to work for McDonald's as a16 year old in 1976. My Mother and Father were both highly corrupt law enforcement folks, who's ethics would have shocked Jimmy Hoffa, so my lessons in local government corruption started early. I remember being vehemently opposed to letting the government take my money, especially for SS...as I never asked for it, and would have preferred to keep my cash. But as I continued to work, I lost track of how much they stole...and just decided to outwork the theft of my earnings. As my work-life progressed...I went to work for a non-appropriated-fund-instrumentality of US DoD. I began to understand how corrupt all government is...and I tried to prepare. From my standpoint, as I learned about currency, "money" and wealth...I came to understand that everything we "count on" can be washed away with a corrupt vote, mismanagement, or vast corruption. While working in Japan for US DoD, at the age of 29 I was ordered to commit crimes on behalf of the government, and I refused. When the Chain-of-Command were caught in their petty crimes, they attacked me, abused me and violated law after law trying to get even with me. At the age of 30, I represented myself before The Merit Systems Protection Board, and using the secret tape recordings I had made of the illegal orders I had received, I won a Federal Whistle Blower Case. Due to all of the corruption, I purposefully layered my retirement plans...adding my future SS benefit to an annuity I was investing in...as well as my alleged pension from DoD. I also invested in held precious metals, as I figured that if one source of income dried up or was withheld, I could rely on the other sources for some security. At the age of 49 I was told that I suffered from PTSD based on the 25 years of abuse I endured under DoD criminals. I was also informed that I had been epileptic since birth, and experiencing "unobserved seizures" throughout my life. I was told that I have a condition called "Post Seizure Fugue State"...where after a seizure, I can do remarkable tasks...and have zero awareness of doing anything, nor any memory of having done anything. In one remarkable incident, I was unable to find a ride to the hospital as my wife had a heart attack...and the next thing I know I am being lifted by a rescue helicopter off the side of a mountain cliff. It turned out that I had unknowingly driven a car 7 miles through the mountains, and off a 200 foot cliff at 70 mph. I was thrown from the car, down the cliff a couple hundred feet...and ended up with a multiple broken back, neck, ribs, tailbone...and a 19 staple gash to my brain. My only recollection of the entire incident is a heart beat of time as I was lifted by the helicopter. After nearly two years of waiting, my SS disability was finally approved...and it turned out to be a decent amount of income. Then when my LTD policy expired at the age of 62...the government refused to pay my pension, and had involuntarily terminated me while I was recovering from my brain damage almost a decade prior. Thankfully my annuity kicked in, and most of my income was restored, though they still refuse to pay my pension. I have discovered that my SS Disability will pay me through the age of 67, and then will stay the same amount as I transition into regular SS. The annuity that I invested in only had about $17,000 in a bulk payout scenario, but because it is a government agency investment...it will pay me almost $1,000 per month for the rest of my life. I am still trying to force DoD to reinstate me, and pay my pension...but without a lot of success. So I am grateful for the SS Disability, even though I never wanted it in the first place. It cracks me up when people call SS an "entitlement" program, as we all pay for it, and we are all "entitled" to the coverage their actuarial tables promised. But a word to the young folks out there...the world is a corrupt place led by unethical people. Layer your investments ...stack your financial plans and be prepared as best you can for one or more legs of your financial future to be yanked from under you. Many of us "elderly" still have the muscle memory of a 25 year old, and still think we can "rebound" from misfortune or corruption. But as we get older...that isn't a realistic viewpoint. Protect yourself while you are young, the best you can... and hold on...because life will get bumpy! Ha! Take care.
Thanks for sharing your personal story, RJ! You have led quite an eventful life.
Remove the taxable salary cap.
Make benefits tax-exempt.
Increase death benefit from $250 to six times monthly benefit.
Sounds good!
Can't get a single legislator to reply.
No surprise there. Although we fought a revolution for the principle, unfortunately we have taxation without representation. Thanks.
Great article. FYI … here in Maine when the sh-mok govnor offered $450 freebie based on prior years tax return, I obtained the forms, curious, since I haven’t filed return since I started receiving SS at 62. I’m now 76. If ever necessary I always claim to be tix exempt. I was pretty surprised that I was in fact supposed to be handing over a good amount (to me) to the extortionists. But since I decl. Myself exempt and never filed, it Was a moot point. (Of course, I didn’t file …I believe it’s a way for them to trick people into exposing themselves). My point, if you don’t own up they don’t have legal grounds to gouge you. It’s like with my beloved dogs … if you don’t pay the town a fee, they never fine you or bother you. You have to give them written permission to fuk with you. Ergo, it’s all actually illegal.
The whole absurdly complex tax system is like doing business in countries that build in a "haggle" price for any product. Remember, Matthew Lesko became rich by selling books that disclosed all the hidden secrets of our service-free socialist leviathan. Everyone should know the ins and outs of the system up front. It's absolutely ridiculous. Thanks, Nancy.
The problem with Social Security started 50 years ago when the fund stopped being segregated from other government revenue. A real trust has segregated funds, and benefits only those who pay into the fund. Social Security no longer has that. I was a trustee for a pension plan for 15 years. As such, I could be sued personally for not fulfilling my duties of a trustee. The plan design was a trust, not an entity that sponsored the plan, and had to ensure that those paying into the fund were not subsidizing others in the fund. This had to be confirmed, on a regular basis, by actuaries. A entity that is plan sponsor owns the plan's surplus, not so with a trust. This was, as I understand, the original design of Social Security. The problem has always been the politicians who messed with the original design.
Yep, LBJ started the comingling of funds, and that's been the policy since then. As I stated in the article, every citizen paying into the system should have their own isolated fund, and ideally some more investment choices. Thanks.
i think a big part of the problem surrounding this issue is the money printing and manipulation of interest rates. if the dollar was worth as much now as it was when they started ss we would not have so many poor elderly. housing would not have increased in price so much that people are living in rvs to survive. also, the able bodied and able minded should continue work of some type even if its part time retail. the way to die young is to "retire" ;)... in a good part of the US you can barely make it on one salary... which means the intact family cant be there to care for grannies... another effect of the dollar devaluation
Good points, Sadie. Thanks.
Very true and honest post Donald. Just to add that taxes are legalize robbery .
I agree, Kiran. Thanks!
Any time I see someone quoting Rand and characterizing her as a cold hearted b***h, I have to smile. She said provocative things to stay relevant, and maybe she truly beleived that survival of the fittest was the only solution, I don't know, never met the woman. But she did point out that people are charitable for selfish reasons. Most interperted that to mean she thought charity was hypocritical. But I think she was just acknowledging the fact that giving to charity isn't really a selfless act, you do feel better when giving.
Anyway, before SS were there old people being dumped into gas chambers? Just thrown out in the streets? No. There were plenty of charitible and benevolent groups that were in place. People had savings in metals, land and yes, stocks. If they weren't well off, the church was the ultimate backstop. Progressives didn't like the fact that some of these benevolent groups had large endowments, and power outside of taxation, so they kneecaped them by taxing 14% of earnings. Like Harvard's endowment, but all over the country and open to anyone -and if you couldn't get into the Sons of Italy, you could join the Odd Fellows. They had pricing power over the medical industry and helped stablize the stock markets. They were landlords, built hospitals and gave out scholarships.
But because they were outside of government they had to go. These days no one knows anything about them, because they don't fit the narriative of selfish people who would rather kill you than lift a helping hand, if it weren't for benevolent dictatorial governements.
As I noted, I read Rand in my youth, and admired much of what she said. I went over the pre-SS history of old people in my article. Obviously, they weren't camped out in the streets. Yes, churches and other charities helped, but I believe the main source of shelter and financial support for retired people then were their own families. SS made it easier to abandon parents and grandparents to the state, or to uncaring nursing homes. It's undeniable that there has been a drastic change in how old people in this country are treated by their own family members, since the establishment of Social Security. It wasn't a change for the better. Thanks.
In rural areas, yes the family was more likely to be multigenerational, but in cities, especially with large immigration populations, that wasn't an option. The faternal groups weren't charities per se, they were more like insurance companies with participation requirements for membership. Before all the tax laws the definition of charities were probably not as well defined. And like collegate fraternities, there were/are initiation rituals, pledge oaths etc. Over time these groups spread out and federated, so that when traveling if a member had an issue they could call on the local chapter for help. It is my belief that the progressive politics of the day had to eliminate these faternal orginizations because they had enough power to sway elections. And they wanted nothing to do with the mild tyrany of Wilson, Hoover and FDR.
You have a point, but I know our family history is that grandparents, aunts, and uncles lived with extended family into the 1930s. This was in Washington, D.C. Thanks.
If Social Security was privatized and the mandatory payments placed in mutual funds or something similar, paying 10%+ annual compound interest, many would retire millionaires. The problem is that the money goes into the general accounts and is paid out by legislative fiat.
I agree with the gist of this article. Social Security will have to be reformed, whether we like it or not. It's just a matter of time. One issue that still goes studiously ignored: the mind-boggling expense of the American Empire.
Close the 800 military bases overseas. Withdraw from NATO. Stop pouring U.S. treasure down the Ukrainian rathole. Put the kibosh to the "special relationship" with Israel. Bring U.S. troops home from South Korea, Japan, Western Europe, the Middle East, and Outer Albania. While we're at it, abolish the spy agencies whose mission is to control Americans under the guise of protecting them.
We can cut 90 percent from the U.S. "defense" budget without undermining U.S. security in the least. If it's too late to do it this afternoon, let's do it first thing in the morning.
I think I'm the only one to remember the Grace Commission. As I recounted in "Hidden History," in the 1980s, the Grace Commission found that fully 1/3 of all government spending goes to waste and fraud. Obviously, the figure is probably a lot higher now, in America 2.0. The great anti-Big Gubmint Ronald Reagan did absolutely nothing in the wake of these findings. I wholeheartedly agree with everything you've said here, Tony. Get rid of all the waste, ferret out the fraud, bring home all the troops, abolish all the senseless, unconstitutional agencies like FEMA, the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, etc., before even hinting that Social Security needs to be cut back. Thanks!
Waste is inherent in any government program, Donald. Even if the U.S. were to follow a Swiss-style foreign policy of armed neutrality, there would be waste. The point I'm trying to make here is that *all spending on foreign wars and entangling alliances* is waste. I want the empire to end, not for it to be run more "efficiently."
Of course I agree with that, as you can see from years of my previous writings. I wouldn't have supported any of our senseless bloodletting since the War of 1812, when we actually were invaded. I would abolish all the "intelligence" agencies, and adopt a strict isolationist foreign policy. I think we're on the same page.
If the creeps in Washington say that Social Security is off the table they no longer represent the people paying into it. They represent the insurance companies, medical industry, and the banks who look at us all as numbers on a balance sheet. Government enabled them but just removing government from the equation won't solve the issue as you noted. That would leave us to the whims of the monsters that government created in business. That's definitely up Ayn Rand's alley just like she stole a woman's husband because it was her will. The rationale of a snake devouring eggs, cold, and void of empathy as well as self serving.
I think of it like removing government would only remove the trainer of the dogs taught to maul us. A true system of Liberty would remove the protections given to industry by the state. But good luck when both of our fake political parties will never do so and the will of the people to do so is wrapped up in the patronage that perpetuates it.
I'll have to check out more stuff from John Barbour as well.
May every check you go to cash clear my friend!
Thanks, Six!
Good timing on this post. I’m exploring my options now.
It's not an easy decision. Let's just hope they don't abolish it. Thanks!