Ron Paul collects social security, sees nothing inconsistent

[Thanatos]

During an interview on MSNBC Tuesday, Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul admitted that he got a monthly Social Security check, a program that he eventually wants to eliminate (video below).

Rep. Paul said: “I want young people to opt out of Social Security."

Guest Sam Stein then asked: “Are you on Social Security? Do you get Social Security checks?”

“I do,” Paul replied.

Stein countered: “You just told younger generations that they should wean themselves off of this social contract but you haven’t done it yourself. You’re not the wealthiest man in Congress, I’m not saying that. But you have enough means to take care of yourself in retirement. Shouldn’t you provide an example?”

Rep. Paul answered: “No. I think the programs are so designed, just as I use the post office too. I use government highways. I do that too. I use the banks. I use the Federal Reserve system. But that doesn’t mean you can’t work to remove this. The same way on Social Security, I am trying to make a transition. I personally don’t see any inconsistency in that."

Obviously, by applying for social security despite being a Congressman he was doing his patriotic duty to bankrupt the system faster. Ron Paul 2016! Or maybe not. One could make the point that he's being a bit of a twit by taking stuff he does not believe should be given.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics...,4149995.story

[Zeebadee]

Obviously, by applying for social security despite being a Congressman he was doing his patriotic duty to bankrupt the system faster. Ron Paul 2016! Or maybe not. One could make the point that he's being a bit of a twit by taking stuff he does not believe should be given.

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/polit...mits-accepting

404 error on your link.

I see nothing wrong with grandfathering this system while a new one is designed and implemented.

SS is a contract between the citizens and the government. Paul, like myself, has paid into it for many years, with the understanding that we would receive our money back at some point. Are you saying that Paul should refuse his money back because you think he doesn't need it?

[minorwork]

I don't believe in mowing my lawn either. The village does though and will charge me $200 if they do it when it gets 10" high. What am I or Paul supposed to do when we're embedded in the system? Shoot ourselves in the foot? We couldn't have NOT paid if we wanted that. If its the system's way going in it is the system's way going out. I didn't make the system or have the liberty to opt out of it.

There are those jobs which don't have SS withdrawn. If I or any could have stopped it being withdrawn from my pay and also the company's half, then we would indeed by at fault for collecting. We had no choice then why do you fault us for following thru with the system's mandates?

By the way, Ayn Rand also took SS and bad mouthed its structuring.

[lsbskins1]

Well, I would suggest that the problem isn't that Paul and Ayn Rand are/were elegible for SS, the problem is that they are both idiots who think the best world is one in which the weak are left to flounder and the strong are free to get whatever they can. And, you and they are free to gloss it however you can...but claiming that the "philosophy demands" that others rights are respected is just as convincing as a Soviet style Maxist claiming that the "philosophy demands" equality for all and fairness. What happens on paper in both cases is vastly different than the working reality. Their philosophy fails, so they are wrong in what they advocate. Social Security, on the other hand, is a sytem that actually works. Medicare, because of years of out of control medical costs, is a system that can rightly be called a fiscal problem, but SS can be tweeked and continue to serve the greater good.

[truthreality]

Obviously, by applying for social security despite being a Congressman he was doing his patriotic duty to bankrupt the system faster. Ron Paul 2016! Or maybe not. One could make the point that he's being a bit of a twit by taking stuff he does not believe should be given.

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/polit...mits-accepting

This seems to be a consistent theme among those of the right. They fight against programs that they at one point took advantage of once they no longer find any use for them. It's an incredibly selfish mentality.

[Trojan_Ripper]

If you have paid into something all your life for retirement what is wrong for expecting a return on your money? Is it that persons fault it was used up paying bad bills by our country?

Should it matter how wealthy they are…it WAS supposed to be their money for retirement when they started paying into it as a not so wealthy citizen?

Now I think I and most of us here can whine a little because we are paying into something that won’t be there when we retire, but I say to those who are eligible “Grab it while it’s there”.

Hmmm? What better reason than to let people invest their own savings instead of allowing it to be STOLEN.

On somewhat of the same note….I think it’s a great idea that Democrats think it’s okay to pay millionaires and billionaires Unemployment Compensation? Can you say WTF?

[Dodds]

If only they had the same mentality for other programs. If only.

[lsbskins1]

If you have paid into something all your life for retirement what is wrong for expecting a return on your money? Is it that persons fault it was used up paying bad bills by our country?

Should it matter how wealthy they are…it WAS supposed to be their money for retirement when they started paying into it as a not so wealthy citizen?

Now I think I and most of us here can whine a little because we are paying into something that won’t be there when we retire, but I say to those who are eligible “Grab it while it’s there”.

Hmmm? What better reason than to let people invest their own savings instead of allowing it to be STOLEN.

On somewhat of the same note….I think it’s a great idea that Democrats think it’s okay to pay millionaires and billionaires Unemployment Compensation? Can you say WTF?

Funny, when I filled out my unemployment claims, they always made me affirm, under pentalty of perjury, that I didn't have assets or income...who are these "millionaires" who are eligible for unemployment benefits? They don't make claims in WV ( a solidly Democratic state in all ways except when voting for President).

[Jettin]

I have to say, aren't there more deserving people then Ron Paul? It just doesn't seem moral to me to take the money out.

[Trojan_Ripper]

Funny, when I filled out my unemployment claims, they always made me affirm, under pentalty of perjury, that I didn't have assets or income...who are these "millionaires" who are eligible for unemployment benefits? They don't make claims in WV ( a solidly Democratic state in all ways except when voting for President).

For starters....

"Citing government data, Coburn said that millionaires earned more than $18.6 million in unemployment benefits"

“We need to quit providing quite so many benefits to people who don’t need them,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee...

"While the proposals might not solve the nation’s debt problems, GOP backers argue that they’re entirely consistent with the party’s major objectives: cutting waste by eliminating unnecessary expenditures that benefit people who don’t really need the government’s help.

“One, it’d play to people’s sense of fairness, that this is just fundamentally wrong,” said Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, a member of the Budget Committee, of the proposal to cut unemployment benefits for the very wealthy. “And second, once you do those things, you really do see the bigger problem is not just a very few wealthy people or a very few abusers — although we ought to deal with those people — it really is basically the systems that aren’t fiscally sustainable.”....

and on and on from just one site.


http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68004.html

[Dodds]

For starters....

"Citing government data, Coburn said that millionaires earned more than $18.6 million in unemployment benefits"

“We need to quit providing quite so many benefits to people who don’t need them,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee...

"While the proposals might not solve the nation’s debt problems, GOP backers argue that they’re entirely consistent with the party’s major objectives: cutting waste by eliminating unnecessary expenditures that benefit people who don’t really need the government’s help.

“One, it’d play to people’s sense of fairness, that this is just fundamentally wrong,” said Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, a member of the Budget Committee, of the proposal to cut unemployment benefits for the very wealthy. “And second, once you do those things, you really do see the bigger problem is not just a very few wealthy people or a very few abusers — although we ought to deal with those people — it really is basically the systems that aren’t fiscally sustainable.”....

and on and on from just one site.


http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68004.html

Although you do raise a valid point, sometimes it is less expensive to just pay the thing to everyone than it is to means test it.

[minorwork]

Although you do raise a valid point, sometimes it is less expensive to just pay the thing to everyone than it is to means test it.

Agreed.