Maybe the time has come!

[zelmo1234]

You know we have a lot of good program in the USA, that are getting old.

Social Security? The Tax Code? The Military, Education, the federal reserve and Yes even the Constitution

We don't drive Cars that are built like they were in the 40's We don't fight wars they way we did in WWII, the educational system is using the same system that was created back in the early 70's

The constitution has lost it's luster. and of course the results of these systems is catastrophic at best!

Maybe it is time to hit the reset button and I can't think of a better way than a Constitutional Convention

What do you think is it time to hit reset

[Cigar]

Sure .. as long as the leave the Wigs at home. :laugh:

[Green Arrow]

Hitting reset won't work. Not the way you are proposing.

[Don]

The constitution is not the problem. It is ignored. We just need to start electing people who won't ignore it and prosecute those who swear an oath to defend and protect it and then fail to do so.

[donttread]

You know we have a lot of good program in the USA, that are getting old.

Social Security? The Tax Code? The Military, Education, the federal reserve and Yes even the Constitution

We don't drive Cars that are built like they were in the 40's We don't fight wars they way we did in WWII, the educational system is using the same system that was created back in the early 70's

The constitution has lost it's luster. and of course the results of these systems is catastrophic at best!

Maybe it is time to hit the reset button and I can't think of a better way than a Constitutional Convention

What do you think is it time to hit reset

I would agree as long as those outside the Donkephant were equally represented. Otherwise what are now Constitutional abuses will become law.
BTW, the way we fought war in WW 2 was to kill civilians to achieve military surrender. Do you really want that back? How about not invading other countries for a while instead?

[Peter1469]

A Constitutional Convention opens the system to total change. With the number of people addicted to government handouts, I fear a convention would turn out an even more powerful Nanny State.

[Common]

Sigh, I get so tired of hearing this crap. Get rid of social security medicare, education, the military etc etc.

There are 320,000,000 americans 160,000,000 of approx dont make any money or dont make enough money to save anything for the day they cant provide for themselves.

There are NO jobs for all americans between outsourcing and millions of illegal immigrations who are still coming in here unabated.

Before you talk about getting rid of ANYTHING, you need to describe categorically what your are going to do to assure that ALL americans can live when they cant provide for themselves. In retirement or not.

I can sit here all day long and tell you Cut subsidies, Raise taxs on corporate pigs. Write laws that disallow outsourcing. Put HUGE tariffs on american imported outsourced trash. Thats just as ridiculous as saying get rid of social security, medicare, medicaid, food stamps, education and the military because I dont like them and I dont want to pay taxs because im wealthy.

They are both silly ridiculous statements that arent going to happen in all our lifetimes. Instead the two side of idiot congress need to get together and figure out how to make it the best it can be. But the partisan morons WONT do it. Party purity party this all translates into just obstruct everything so we can screw americans more.

[Peter1469]

Here was Obama's solution: (http://thelifeofjulia.com/)

[PolWatch]

I had to laugh when everyone was talking about privatizing Social Security. First, right after the discussion really got hot we saw what can happen to Wall Street investments. Our pension plan lost almost 1/3 in a few months, at a time when we were in the process of retiring and there was no way for us to recover the money lost. I have friends who (at age 70) found they had to continue working because their savings were so badly reduced.

The next funny thing about the discussion was the fact that some think the average American has the extra money to invest. Sorry folks, there are a lot of us that do the major part of our investments in just buying groceries & keeping the power on. I remember a phrase from the 60's that still seems appropriate: Ivory Tower Intellectuals. It referred to people who were educated and knew what they were talking about, but they were far removed from reality. Average income in the US today is less than $30,000 a year. I's hard to tell a young couple trying to raise a family that they need to take XXX to invest in something they know nothing about when they are just trying to keep food on the table.

[Peter1469]

The problem is that the RoI (return on investment) with social security is horrible. The nation could save money by privatizing it, and covering losses for retirees who get hit by a market down turn.




I had to laugh when everyone was talking about privatizing Social Security. First, right after the discussion really got hot we saw what can happen to Wall Street investments. Our pension plan lost almost 1/3 in a few months, at a time when we were in the process of retiring and there was no way for us to recover the money lost. I have friends who (at age 70) found they had to continue working because their savings were so badly reduced.

The next funny thing about the discussion was the fact that some think the average American has the extra money to invest. Sorry folks, there are a lot of us that do the major part of our investments in just buying groceries & keeping the power on. I remember a phrase from the 60's that still seems appropriate: Ivory Tower Intellectuals. It referred to people who were educated and knew what they were talking about, but they were far removed from reality. Average income in the US today is less than $30,000 a year. I's hard to tell a young couple trying to raise a family that they need to take XXX to invest in something they know nothing about when they are just trying to keep food on the table.

[Common]

I wish I could thank your post 15 times Pol. They dont get it, the ones that dont need social security or medicare DONT GET that more than half of america HAS TO HAVE IT because they have no means to replace it.

Paul Ryan put out his first 3 budget plans with the gutting of social security and huge tax cuts for corporate america and the top 2%. After the third budget fail he took it out of the 4th. Then he snuck it back in for the 5th.

Corporate america HATES private pensions for one reason. They dont want to pay employees ANYTHING, they can afford thats just another corporate bs story and whine. Wall street has been wanting their hands on the billions of private pension funds for decades. So they manipulate them and scam them.

Private pensions were secure and guaranteed, Corporate american and Wall street wanted all americans in 401ks so they can scam it, and use their money. There are NO GUARANTEE with 401k you will have a dime at retirement after years of putting into it.
Proof of that is Enron and Worldcom whos CEOs stole cheated and robbed their employees along with everyone else. Enron employees that were already retired 5 yrs LOST their income some at 70 yrs old or more.
Private pension would have been guaranteed no matter what criminal acts the CEOs made.

Boehner and the GOP love to talk about small business. How they create jobs, they do crap jobs. Small business is considered up to a 100 employees most small business has 5 or less. They mostly pay nothing with no benefits no pension if there were one the employees couldnt afford to pay them. Many small business have their workers working under that hat, like the millions of illegal immigrants been doing for decades.

These small business workers will NOT be able to sustain themselves in the golden years, especially the ones that worked under the table.

THe right blathers incessantly about small govt and their answer to smaller govt is to cut EVERYTHING they can for the little people and enhance everything for corporate america and the rich.'
Their way will not work period.

[PolWatch]

Unlike some here, I can remember when Medicare was first created. My grandfather was in very poor health and without family buying his meds & oxygen, etc, he would have had a bad problems (like death). After Medicare, he was proud that he no longer had to take money from his children. My parents, uncles, etc didn't begrudge the help, but I think it embarrassed my grandfather to need their help. Medicare helped him to be the independent person he had been before age & health changed things. Remembering things like that influence my opinions.

[Peter1469]

Social security is a bad investment. You can do much better on your own.

Pension plans worked fine when someone would get a job and stay forever. People don't do that now.

[PolWatch]

Social security is a bad investment. You can do much better on your own.

Pension plans worked fine when someone would get a job and stay forever. People don't do that now.

I'm sure there are much better investments than SS. But when that is the only thing between someone & nothing, it's not so bad. With the decline in unions & the increase in employers eliminating pensions, it is the only retirement plan a lot of people have.

My husband worked construction so that is the area I am most familiar with. He worked through a union so his pension was tied to that. Most construction workers do not work union. The nature of the work means their employment is seasonal at best, rare during bad economic times. We used to joke that what most people call a vacation, we called a lay-off. The difference was that vacations are paid, lay-offs are not. When the jobs are finished they are laid off. They scratch up whatever they can do until another job comes along. They aren't lazy, they would rather be working but if the jobs aren't there.... How are they supposed to have the $$$ to invest when they are more concerned with feeding their children?

[Peter1469]

If a person is getting SS then they paid into SS. For most of the market history, putting the dollars into an index fund would have yielded far superior results to SS.

Perhaps it is the ownership interest that people worry about. We have no ownership rights in SS.


I'm sure there are much better investments than SS. But when that is the only thing between someone & nothing, it's not so bad. With the decline in unions & the increase in employers eliminating pensions, it is the only retirement plan a lot of people have.

My husband worked construction so that is the area I am most familiar with. He worked through a union so his pension was tied to that. Most construction workers do not work union. The nature of the work means their employment is seasonal at best, rare during bad economic times. We used to joke that what most people call a vacation, we called a lay-off. The difference was that vacations are paid, lay-offs are not. When the jobs are finished they are laid off. They scratch up whatever they can do until another job comes along. They aren't lazy, they would rather be working but if the jobs aren't there.... How are they supposed to have the $$$ to invest when they are more concerned with feeding their children?