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<blockquote data-quote="vantexan" data-source="post: 3860062" data-attributes="member: 24302">When did the U.S. have an influential Communist Party?&nbsp; What elections did they win?&nbsp; The Wobblies were aligned with communists but generally by FDR&#039;s time most sympathetic to communism were closeted.&nbsp; Have you forgotten McCarthyism?&nbsp; Social Security was started to alleviate senior poverty.&nbsp; Back then once seniors retired if they had no savings they had to depend on family generosity mostly.&nbsp; Many suffered.&nbsp; Social Security INSURED against that.&nbsp; FDR might have gotten the idea from elsewhere FAIK but it was created for a very good reason.Having worked for a major corporation, who made promises on a pension and then screwed us over in pursuit of bigger profits, I see the value of a guaranteed income.&nbsp; Capitalism at it&#039;s heart is exploitive.&nbsp; It&#039;s the best way to feed, clothe, and house the most people but those who benefit most from it do so at the expense of others.&nbsp; Certainly one can do well for oneself with education.&nbsp; You are providing value that an employer is willing to pay more for to increase his profits.&nbsp; But look at the Census stats.&nbsp; As you go up the income pyramid there are less and less people making better money.&nbsp; Most people are in the lower half.&nbsp; They struggle to get by while those in the top half benefit greatly from their labor.&nbsp; Fine, I don&#039;t think anyone is owed a great living.&nbsp; But if an employer is going to hold down pay, reduce benefits so that he and his family can enjoy a better life then at the very least he can contribute towards the retirement of his employees who make it possible for him to have that great life.&nbsp; Employers may start a business, risk their capital, work hard to make it successful, but if they need employees to make it work then the employees&#039; labor has value.&nbsp; Show me the people who say Social Security is going bankrupt and I&#039;ll show you employers who don&#039;t want to match the employee contribution.&nbsp; They want that money for themselves.&nbsp; Social Security may be reduced in the early 2030&#039;s if nothing is done to shore it up.&nbsp; But it won&#039;t go bankrupt.&nbsp; Employees will still have their taxes taken out, and employers will match that.&nbsp; May only pay 78% of promised benefit, but that means a lot to seniors who&#039;d go hungry otherwise.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="vantexan, post: 3860062, member: 24302"] When did the U.S. have an influential Communist Party? What elections did they win? The Wobblies were aligned with communists but generally by FDR's time most sympathetic to communism were closeted. Have you forgotten McCarthyism? Social Security was started to alleviate senior poverty. Back then once seniors retired if they had no savings they had to depend on family generosity mostly. Many suffered. Social Security INSURED against that. FDR might have gotten the idea from elsewhere FAIK but it was created for a very good reason. Having worked for a major corporation, who made promises on a pension and then screwed us over in pursuit of bigger profits, I see the value of a guaranteed income. Capitalism at it's heart is exploitive. It's the best way to feed, clothe, and house the most people but those who benefit most from it do so at the expense of others. Certainly one can do well for oneself with education. You are providing value that an employer is willing to pay more for to increase his profits. But look at the Census stats. As you go up the income pyramid there are less and less people making better money. Most people are in the lower half. They struggle to get by while those in the top half benefit greatly from their labor. Fine, I don't think anyone is owed a great living. But if an employer is going to hold down pay, reduce benefits so that he and his family can enjoy a better life then at the very least he can contribute towards the retirement of his employees who make it possible for him to have that great life. Employers may start a business, risk their capital, work hard to make it successful, but if they need employees to make it work then the employees' labor has value. Show me the people who say Social Security is going bankrupt and I'll show you employers who don't want to match the employee contribution. They want that money for themselves. Social Security may be reduced in the early 2030's if nothing is done to shore it up. But it won't go bankrupt. Employees will still have their taxes taken out, and employers will match that. May only pay 78% of promised benefit, but that means a lot to seniors who'd go hungry otherwise. [/QUOTE]

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