How should we resolve our entitlement programs?

Do you want to solve these social problems? Take social security out of the general fund, it doesn't belong there, put it back were it was in the beginning. It wouldn't be in trouble right now if the general fund hadn't raped SS of its savings. Over the next 20 years continue to go into the red to fund social security, slowly lowering the amount we barrow to pay SS checks. After 20 years make it a month to month thing, if SS taxes don't pull in enough to cover the whole check, those who are eligible would only receive partial checks. Everyone knew that SS was not sustainable, if you didn't plan ahead, not my fault. Remember the Ant and the Grasshopper? I've known SS was going to fail since I was 12 years old, and since i've gotten a full time job have put in my max into my 401. Reform other social programs into a 5 year max, and reform them into "teach an individual to fish" not a "give an individual a fish". This will be a start, but without tax reforms, subsidies ending, cuts to government agencies (Military, EPA, CIA, FBI, others i've never heard of) we will spend ourselves into oblivion anyways.

S.S. is a trust fund and anyone who tells you it is a ponzi scheme is just plain wrong . The fix is easy , remove the income caps . Loss of 15 million jobs has caused the fund to pay out more in 2010 . The first year it has ever paid out more than it took in . If you want a guaranteed scheme you'll have to go to work for the government . At least workers pay into the system unlike government workers who set aside NOTHING and we pay their full retirement . THAT is what you should stop , not a trust fund others pay into for years .

Socialist Insecurity is, as you stated, a Ponzi scheme that makes Bernie Maddoff look like a lazy piker. Since all of the funds stolen ("contributions") for this scheme are already tossed into the general fund, we know the federal government has no intention of "saving" it as anything but a revenue enhancement program. Socialist Insecurity needs to be abolished. People today have the resources available to learn how to make their own investment decisions for thier own futures. The federal government needs to be reduced to the size necessary to carry out its 18 enumerated powers and NOTHING MORE so it no longer needs to steal what Americans EARN.

Medicaid and Medicare are unconstitutional socialist medicine programs that are bankrupt and need to be abolished as well.

I see only two things for SS.

Cut current Government spending across the board and eliminate our deficit. Then dock an additional 10% to for 10 years to supplement the fund.

Legalize and Tax weed and place the revenue directly in Social Security. Once we our secure in its solvency Weed revenues can be kicked to Medicare/Medicaid.

Keep Government mits permanently out of Social Security and any surpluses it has from incoming taxes. Surpluses can be invested.

Have it managed by the private sector whose pay would depend on how well it does to provide them incentive to keep it good.

Keep it audited to ensure no fowl play by a 3rd party.

Or

just abolish it and be done.

Call government programs a ponzi scheme or whatever you want, but the reality is these programs would work if we enjoyed a true capitalist society instead of the cooperate run feudalist society we have now. Within a strong workforce, entitlement programs can fund themselves.

money collected for social security should only go to that. Stop everything except the original retirement fund that SS was supposed to be. Take all the drunks and drug addicts getting ssi and put them to sleep. Women getting free housing and food have to be sterilized, I mean complete hysterectomy so they can never breed more useless mouths and criminals. Except for defense, make the government replace all the hundreds of billions stolen from the SS fund over the years. I would build work camps in death valley and any poor person wanting 3 hots and a cot would have to go there. If they riot, we shoot them like dogs. If they rob, we execute them. Or maybe be really evil and just ship them all to DETROIT. After we build a wall around it.

Lets put this to rest SS.is a program that you pay into it is not an entitlement it is a service that working people have paid for in advance of their retirement. The word entitlement is double speak much as Govt. revenues is another word recently used in place of more taxes.

Nope SS is not an entitlement or a ponzi scheme, try some other lie.