Subj : Social Security Going Bro
To   : EARL CROASMUN
From : BOB KLAHN
Date : Wed Feb 06 2036 01:30 pm


Combining three short messages on the same topic into one.

...

EC> The "actual question" in this case was your desire to call
EC> them Reagan's tax increases, thus ignoring the fact that a
EC> bipartisan recommended them, a bipartisan majority in both
EC> houses of Congress passed them, and they were simply a
EC> slight acceleration of Carter's already-in-place tax
EC> increases.

...

Well, I decided to get the original source. So I found the
Greenspan commission report online. Turns out I was right on all
points.

The only question is, were you ignorant of what actually
happened? If you were than you shot off your mouth, or keyboard,
over something you knew nothing about. OTOH, if you knew then
you lied.

...

>> They may well have. Doesn't change the fact that it did not
>> solve the problems, we are facing them again.

EC> That was thirty years ago.  Once again your "response" is
EC> meaningless and empty, as well as wandering off the point.

That "solution" was supposed to make social security solvent for
decades beyong this time. It didn't work, neither will any
solution they come up with now that follows the same pattern.

>> all it really did was
>> give the federal government more money to spend today without
>> raising taxes other than social security taxes, which apply to
>> the workers, not investors.

EC> It gave the government more money to spend ON SOCIAL
EC> SECURITY PAYMENTS, thus avoiding going into the red.  You
EC> keep repeating this mistake, without showing any sign that
EC> you know what you are talking about.

You call yourself an economist, but you don't even know, all the
Social Security surplus goes into Treasury bonds that constitute
a loan to the federal government. That money goes straight into
the general revenue, with nothing but the bonds left in the
trust fund.

The general revenue pays for government spending. Thus, all the
surplus went straight into current spending, not into some vault
somewhere.

----------------------------------------------------------------

>>>> it put more money into the pot for the government
>>>> to spend.

>>> To spend on Social Security.  You still aren't getting this
>>> simple fact.

>> To spend on other things at that time, with a promise it would
>> be there 20 or 30 or 40 years in the future.

EC> You are contending that in 1983 the federal government
EC> could take money from the SS trust fund and spend it on
EC> "other things."  You really don't have a clue.

OMG! You are displaying an incredible level of ignorance. Try to
look it up, or ask any economist, even a right winger. All of
the paryroll tax revenue deposited into the Social Security
Trust fund goes, immediately, into treasury bonds, and those
bonds are what the government holds in the trust fund, not the
cash. All money invested in T-bonds then goes into the general
funds, and is spent on govt appropriations.

IOW, everything I said is literally true.

----------------------------------------------------------------

...

>> IOW, you dispute details you did not give the first time around,
>> but you ignore the original point.

EC> To recap, you claimed that the 1983 social security changes
EC> constituted a huge tax increase.  I pointed out that it

It did. The Greenspan commission gave two periods of change, the
sort term, 1983 to 1989, and long term, beyond 1989. The short
term was Reagan's time in office.

According to the Greenspan committee report, the intent was to
increase revenue, under the short term period, IOW Reagan's
term, aprox $150-$200 billion. Back in 1983 that was a huge
increase. The report states that the changes they came up with
produced about $168 Billion in increased revenue.

EC> broadened the tax BASE in several ways, and increased the

IOW, increased revenue.

EC> tax rates by slightly accelerating CARTER's
EC> already-in-place rate increases, resulting in people paying
EC> slightly more in 1984, 1988, and 1989 and THE SAME in the

IOW, during Reagan's term. Remember, the govt works on a fiscal
year, and 1989 was Reagan's last fiscal year.

EC> remaining thirty-three years, compared to what they would
EC> have paid in the ABSENCE of the 1983 changes.  I did not

IOW, give Reagan more to spend. Just what I said.

EC> dispute the details, I supplied the details that you were
EC> ignorant of.  And you did not dispute the details.  You
EC> just ignore them.

I did point out that your details supported my claims. Now I
have even more to add. The Greenspan report said accelerating
the tax increase would increase the Reagan administration
revenue by $40 Billion. Note: not one penny of additional for
later administrations since they would have had the increase
anyway. Whether you like it or not, that is a tax increase under
Reagan.

That is also about 25% of the total $168 Billion they projected.
So, that was a total tax increase under Reagan of $168 billion.

All non-increase changes totaled less than $2 billion, so I am
not going to bother with them here. All the long term
projections totaled less than $2 billion and had no effect on
Reagan's time, so I am ignoring them also.

And that was a lot of money in a year when the defict was $208
Billion, and the total federal spending was $601 Billion.

Oh, and you also left out that Moynihan tried to get the changes
repealed when he realized that all they had accomplished was to
give Reagan, and Bush I, more money to spend under cover of the
trust fund. Moynihan was one of the commission members.


BOB KLAHN [email protected]   http://home.toltbbs.com/bobklahn

--- Via Silver Xpress V4.5/P [Reg]
* Origin: Fidonet Since 1991 Join Us: www.DocsPlace.org (1:123/140)