4 ms·

The political segment of the US that would like Social Security to just be ended is statistically equivalent to zero people.

XorNot 10y ago
Which is oddly not properly represented in the House.
- jdminhbg 10y ago
  Which House members want to just end Social Security?
  - paulmd 10y ago
    Nobody will ever fess up to ending social security in as many words, but ending the program in its current form as a guaranteed safety net is a plank of the Republican platform. Typically this is coupled with some kind of savings plan along the lines of an individual retirement account, which may retain the name 'social security'.
  - MichaelBurge 10y ago
    "We put those payroll contributions there so as to give the contributors a legal, moral, and political right to collect their pensions and their unemployment benefits. With those taxes in there, no damn politician can ever scrap my social security program" -- Roosevelt Plenty of people want the program gone. Nobody's going to say it in public if they want to get elected, though.
sverige 10y ago
Um, no. I'd opt out entirely if it wasn't next to impossible. My uncle never had an SSN (and of course never collected a check from Social Security, though he lived to age 75.)
Spooky23 10y ago
Some of the more rabid conservatives are against social security. I think that the GP was referring to national ID.
DINKDINK 10y ago
I would like to opt out of Social Security.
- johnnyo 10y ago
  Become Amish. They are the only ones I know of that can opt out. https://faq.ssa.gov/link/portal/34011/34019/Article/3821/Are-members-of-religious-groups-exempt-from-paying-Social-Security-taxes https://faq.ssa.gov/link/portal/34011/34019/Article/3821/Are...
  - DINKDINK 10y ago
    Interesting, thanks for sharing that info! The syntax around the requirements creates ambiguity but: "Meet the following requirements: Be a member of a recognized religious sect conscientiously opposed to accepting benefits under a private plan or system that makes payments in the event of death, disability or retirement, or which makes payments towards the costs of or provides for medical care (including the benefits of any insurance system established by Social Security); Be a member of a religious sect that makes a reasonable provision of food, shelter and medical care for its dependent members and has done so continuously since December 31, 1950;..." By my reading, the first bullet point would mean that you couldn't be involved in any health insurance plans. The second bullet point seems completely arbitrary; that the sect must have been active since 1951?
    - dpark 10y ago
      It's not arbitrary. It's a grandfather clause. It prevents new religious groups from claiming this privilege even if they establish a track record of providing these benefits to members.
  - bzbarsky 10y ago
    There are people who can (or in some cases must) opt out based on occupation. For example, see https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/teacher-retirement-system-pension-social-security-benefits-work/ https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/teacher-retirement... for a brief discussion of some of the mess.

XorNot 10y ago

Which is oddly not properly represented in the House.

jdminhbg 10y ago
Which House members want to just end Social Security?
- paulmd 10y ago
  Nobody will ever fess up to ending social security in as many words, but ending the program in its current form as a guaranteed safety net is a plank of the Republican platform. Typically this is coupled with some kind of savings plan along the lines of an individual retirement account, which may retain the name 'social security'.
- MichaelBurge 10y ago
  "We put those payroll contributions there so as to give the contributors a legal, moral, and political right to collect their pensions and their unemployment benefits. With those taxes in there, no damn politician can ever scrap my social security program" -- Roosevelt Plenty of people want the program gone. Nobody's going to say it in public if they want to get elected, though.

sverige 10y ago

Um, no. I'd opt out entirely if it wasn't next to impossible. My uncle never had an SSN (and of course never collected a check from Social Security, though he lived to age 75.)

Spooky23 10y ago

Some of the more rabid conservatives are against social security. I think that the GP was referring to national ID.

DINKDINK 10y ago

I would like to opt out of Social Security.

johnnyo 10y ago
Become Amish. They are the only ones I know of that can opt out. https://faq.ssa.gov/link/portal/34011/34019/Article/3821/Are-members-of-religious-groups-exempt-from-paying-Social-Security-taxes https://faq.ssa.gov/link/portal/34011/34019/Article/3821/Are...
- DINKDINK 10y ago
  Interesting, thanks for sharing that info! The syntax around the requirements creates ambiguity but: "Meet the following requirements: Be a member of a recognized religious sect conscientiously opposed to accepting benefits under a private plan or system that makes payments in the event of death, disability or retirement, or which makes payments towards the costs of or provides for medical care (including the benefits of any insurance system established by Social Security); Be a member of a religious sect that makes a reasonable provision of food, shelter and medical care for its dependent members and has done so continuously since December 31, 1950;..." By my reading, the first bullet point would mean that you couldn't be involved in any health insurance plans. The second bullet point seems completely arbitrary; that the sect must have been active since 1951?
  - dpark 10y ago
    It's not arbitrary. It's a grandfather clause. It prevents new religious groups from claiming this privilege even if they establish a track record of providing these benefits to members.
- bzbarsky 10y ago
  There are people who can (or in some cases must) opt out based on occupation. For example, see https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/teacher-retirement-system-pension-social-security-benefits-work/ https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/teacher-retirement... for a brief discussion of some of the mess.