Social In-Security

My dad rarely forwards chain e-mails.  He did, however, forward this to me yesterday morning:

Alan Simpson,  Senator from Wyoming , Co-Chair  of Obama's deficit commission, calls senior  citizens the Greediest Generation as he compared  "Social Security" to a Milk Cow with 310 million  teats. August, 2010.   Here's a  response in a letter from a unknown fellow in  Montana ... I think he is a little ticked  off!   He also tells it like it is! 

"Hey Alan, let's get a few things straight..  

1. As a career politician, you have been on the public dole for FIFTY YEARS.   

2. I have been paying Social Security taxes for 48 YEARS (since I was 15 years  old. I am now 63).   

3. My Social  Security payments, and those of millions of other  Americans, were safely tucked away in an interest bearing account for decades until you political  pukes decided to raid the account and give OUR money to a bunch of zero ambition losers in return  for votes, thus bankrupting the system and  turning Social Security into a Ponzi scheme that would have made Bernie Madoff  proud. 

4. Recently, just like Lucy  & Charlie Brown, you and your ilk pulled the  proverbial football away from millions of American  seniors nearing retirement and moved the goalposts  for full retirement from age 65 to age 67.   NOW, you and your shill commission is proposing to  move the goalposts YET AGAIN. 

5.   I, and millions of other Americans, have been  paying into Medicare from Day One, and now you morons propose to change the rules of the game.  Why? Because you idiots mismanaged other parts of  the economy  to such an extent that you  need to steal money from Medicare to pay the bills.   

6.  I, and millions of  other Americans, have been paying income taxes our  entire lives, and now you propose to increase our  taxes yet again. Why? Because you incompetent  bastards spent our money so profligately that you  just kept on spending even after you ran out of  money. Now, you come to the American taxpayers and say you need more to pay off YOUR debt.   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~      

To  add insult to injury, you label us "greedy" for  calling "bullshit" on your incompetence. Well,  Captain Bullshit, I have a few questions for  YOU.  

1. How much money have you earned from the American taxpayers during your  pathetic 50-year political career?  

2.  At what age did you retire from your pathetic  political career, and how much are you receiving  in annual retirement benefits from the American  taxpayers?  

3. How much do you pay for  YOUR government provided health insurance?  

4.  What cuts in YOUR  retirement and healthcare benefits are you proposing in your disgusting deficit reduction  proposal, or, as usual, have you exempted yourself and your political cronies? 

It is you, Captain Bullshit, and your political co-conspirators called Congress who are the "greedy" ones.  It is you and your fellow nutcases who have bankrupted  America and stolen the American dream from millions of loyal, patriotic taxpayers.  And  for what?  Votes.  That's right, sir.  You and yours have bankrupted  America  for the sole purpose of advancing your pathetic political careers.  You know it, we know it, and you know that we know it.  And you can take that to the bank, you miserable son of a bitch.

If you like the way things are in America, delete  this.  If you agree with what a fellow Montana citizen says, PASS IT ON

This has sparked quite the e-mail chain between my father and I.  We generally disagree on politics anyway.  He's pretty conservative, through and through, and I am pretty liberal.  Once he took Mr. K to a bar and confessed he was worried that law school had ruined me.  (Seriously.)

Anyhow, my father is *appalled* that anyone could accuse the elderly of being greedy.  He points out that they have fought wars for our benefit, and are simply asking for the benefits they were promised.  Here is an excerpt from my response to him:

Also, I agree with you that the elderly have made some serious and great contributions to society, that the ethics and morals of past generations were likely better than they are today, and all of that. I don't dispute that they were hardworking, good people. That said, I think the elderly have some pretty serious political power. The AARP is -- head and shoulders above the rest -- the most powerful lobbyist on the Hill. Baby Boomers control roughly 80% of the wealth in this country. They are the most active voting constituency. So, at the end of the day, I think it's pretty likely that they will get the Social Security benefits they've paid for.

On the other hand, I was serious when I said none of this is fair. Setting people like me aside, what about my generation? Kids coming out of college cannot find jobs. Education costs are at their highest, and financial assistance is hard to come by. It used to be that a college education gave you a leg up; now you need a graduate degree. Commodity prices are at their highest. Child care costs are outrageous. Economists report that we are the first generation which is expected to be LESS financially successful than the previous generation. We will be paying into Social Security for as long as the program continues to exist with absolutely no hope of getting anything back. Our lobbying power is limited -- with no income, you can't set up an organization to compete with the AARP and the established Boomers. Heck, even Lockheed can't compete with the AARP. We may not have been drafted for any wars yet, but I don't think my generation is as lazy as we are portrayed. So just as it's not fair to seniors, it's not fair to "juniors" either.

 Thoughts?