Letter to the editor: Social Security supports those who paid into it — and the economy - by Carol Stewart

Found here.

This barely coherent letter to the editor repeats all the typical leftist bumper sticker slogans about Social Security. It almost seems as though she copy and pasted sentences from various leftist websites in order to construct her letter.

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Social Security is a critical part of our economy. (SS is not part of the economy, it is an add-on to the economy. 

It is a wealth redistribution program, a legalized Ponzi scheme. SS simply moves money around from one pocket to another. Worker Amanda in Arkansas pays SS tax while retiree Joe in Nebraska cashes his SS check. There is no new money involved and no economic benefit at all.)

The people that depend on it have contributed to the program every year since they entered the work force. (No, no one has "contributed" to SS. The money is extracted from our paychecks.)

Their contributions enabled their parents and others to live out their last years with dignity, rather than in poverty. ("...the poverty rate among those age 65 and over was 10.9%.") 

That is a noble thing! (Since when is it noble for government to take money from people and pay it to others who did not earn it?)

The folks who get these checks do not hoard it or invest it. (Irrelevant. From an economics standpoint, saving/investing money is no different than spending it.)

All recipients quickly spend it on housing, food, clothing and medical care. (Irrelevant.)

What is distributed to them continues to be distributed to others. (Who thinks in terms of spending a government benefit to distribute money? Who chooses to spend money because it benefits others?)

Sen. Daines, if you vote to reduce any of our Social Security benefits, (Only Democrats have actually reduced benefits.)

you will also be taking it away from our businesses and health care providers, too. (This is the most irrational statement in this irrational letter. She wants government to continue to extract money from workers' paychecks so it can send that money to other people.

But what about worker Amanda who no longer has the money? She can't spend it at the businesses and healthcare providers in her own town because retiree Joe received her money and is spending it at businesses and healthcare providers in his town.

The letter writer seems to think that SS money is created out of nothing and then trickles down.)

Work to protect our valuable benefits rather than deprive us of them. ("Keep the gravy train coming." "I wants muh money." "I am entitled to part of your paycheck."

We could go on and on...)

Carol Stewart
Bozeman