YOU BE THE JUDGE!
Thanks to NCRC member Jim P for providing the link to this information.
Listening to the video – referenced & linked below – made me think of all the adverse publicity on who’s really the culprit in the overall Social Security mess we have today. While the content in the video is intriguing, I am not able to vouch for the source.
That said, the video file linked has been scanned for any threats and found clean.
The original blog posting from CleanTV can be found here: Social Security Facts (1). It was first posted back on July 21st, 2015 and received considerable rebuttal from various sources. Try a Google search for Social Security Betrayal and you’ll see what I mean.
Following are some facts gathered from various sources, but in the end, the decision is yours if it’s the Republicans or the Democrats are “destroying” Social Security as is so frequently claimed by many news outlets!
- FDR did indeed propose and institute the Social Security Act in 1935
- It initially was set to be a “trust fund”, with payments to recipients coming from that fund, but later was re-configured so FICA tax payments went directly into the General fund of the US Government.
- Another “improvement” was intended to facilitate SS payments to people with disabilities SSI payments, which provided payments to residents (immigrants included) who did not contribute (FICA taxes).
- Initially SS income was to be tax free and/or tax deductible. That changed, as did the income percentage of FICA taxation.
- The video assigns blame for these and additional provisions solely on Democrats.
The Social Security Administration, on its website has a two-part document (SSA rebuttal: https://is.gd/BX9IDk) shown as “Debunking Some Internet Myths”. It is also an interesting read and does add clarity to the claims made in the video, but then again, it is on an agency-maintained source. The web page also notes “This is an archival or historical document and may not reflect current policies or procedures”.
Finally, I personally am an SSA recipient. After paying into the system (FICA taxes) for over 40 years, I feelI am a little entitled to a decent return on my “investment”. Maybe it’s my personal bias, but I am confident that republicans/, conservatives, or libertarians, however you want to classify those on the right, do have the best interests of the individual, and not the federal bureaucracy, at heart. I hope you agree!