Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

New Deal started a lot of things and began with the crash in 1929. 

Some good things, more bad things.

SS is something I will accept when I turn 62. A little more than 6 years from now.

What I don't like is that since 2001 I've paid double as I'm self-employed. What I also don't like is that when me or my wife pass, one of us will have to choose which "benefit" we'll receive. Can't take both. And if we both pass young, nobody gets it. It's just gone. 

Neither of us will likely ever see the amounts we've paid in. It's not possible. We've both been FICA maxed since 1997 or so. Not that I'm complaining about earning too much LOL... Just that I know I could have made our money perform much better than the government can. That's another rub though.

Regardless, SS cannot go away. That would be a disaster for too many people. It does need some fixing.

Continued extrapolation would make everyone feel better. 

Of course, the massive gains post-Covid crash were not sustainable forever, but 6-8 percent is good, unless inflation is the same. 

Of course.

New Deal started a lot of things and began with the crash in 1929.

It started in 1933, technically, the same year Hitler started.  You could say the impetus was the Crash and the GD that followed (and persisted).

For those interested- quick yet concise view of housing market in US.  
Since this is the business I am in- thought I would share. 

Headed to Circuit of the Americas on Thursday night for the US Grand Prix weekend.  Weather is looking nice, highs in the upper 80s with lows down into the low 50s.  Gonna be some brisk mornings until the sun gets a little higher in the sky.

Regardless, SS cannot go away. That would be a disaster for too many people. It does need some fixing.

I've noodled around different ideas for a long time about this and some other areas.  It'll never happen in the real world of course, but I can envision scenarios where there is a slow scale-back of Medicare/Medicaid over a period of years until the government burden is either far smaller or gone entirely and get the gub'ment out of the insurance business.  Never have thought of a hypothetical plan to shift the need for SS away from the government, though in principle, I'd rather the federal government not be on the hook and taxing us for it.  

When you say it needs some fixing, what are your suggestions?  

I've noodled around different ideas for a long time about this and some other areas.  It'll never happen in the real world of course, but I can envision scenarios where there is a slow scale-back of Medicare/Medicaid over a period of years until the government burden is either far smaller or gone entirely and get the gub'ment out of the insurance business.  Never have thought of a hypothetical plan to shift the need for SS away from the government, though in principle, I'd rather the federal government not be on the hook and taxing us for it. 

When you say it needs some fixing, what are your suggestions? 

A few years ago, I suggested that the government give people under 50 the option of opting out of SS and investing their portion of the amount withheld from their paychecks, into whatever investments they decided and that it be manditory that they do. (They would not actually recieve the money, they would just direct it to the investment vehicle of their choosing). The employer share would still be put into SS to help keep it sovlant for those already retired and about the retire.

Part of this plan would then be for younger workers to not even have the choice, they would be forced to contribute to their own investments. 

Once all of the people that were receiving SS were out of the system (which would take quite a few years), the program could be eliminated. 

The benefits to this plan seemed obvious to me, those currently dependent on SS would be unaffected. Most directed investments would be in the stock market either directly or through mutal funds and would boost investment into solid companies allowing them to expand their business and remain solvent. 

I knew there would be issues, but at least this would be a start to get the Fed Gov't out of retirement business.