Why is there a desire to cut Social Security when the CBO just reported the trust won't run out till 2039?

It does need reform and adjustment, not cuts. One great reform would be to raise the income cap. Completely eliminating it would solve all of the Social Security problems immediately, but I doubt the cons would let that happen.

And people are completely misinformed about the "trust fund running out" meme. All it means is that in that year, benefits will STILL BE AWARDED, but will be cut by about 25%.

Does the CBO ever get it right? I'm willing to bet money that in 2039 recipients will get only a fraction of what they were promised. SS is paying out more that it takes in.

basically Me: No, the final 8 years weren't what brought about this. This is going back to the 1960's. i comprehend which would be formerly it slow and you're thank you to lazy to analyze the internet to confirm the certainty, yet that doesn't excuse your stupid fact. each thing that has occurred interior the previous or what's going to take place interior the destiny isn't Bush and the Republicans fault. recover from it!

Well, just like with fiscally scoring Obamacare, the CBO numbers and factoids are only as good as the "info" that it is given. Remember GI/ GO- garbage in -Garbage out. I loved the analogy to going over the waterfall in 37 seconds vs 39. That was a screamer.

Hey tell me sir, why would we need to make deep cuts to social security if it was an independent trust fund in a lockbox as it was promised to us by FDR 80 years ago? You know why, because its not, they aren't collecting our money to give it back to us later, it's just another payroll tax that's funding the government. If Social Security actually was what was promised to us, we wouldn't have this problem, but the government has been raiding social security for years, so stop acting like its some sacred trust fund that can't be touched, Clinton raided it, Bush raided it, Obama raided it, and it's completely unnecessary.

You are wrong on all counts. This year, 2011, it is projected that SS will pay out more in revenue than it takes in, in wage taxes. When it goes minus, it has to sell US treasury bonds to meet obligations. The so called trust fund is a vault full of paper. There is no money in it.

Republicans in Congress want to reform SS to make it solvent for the future. I don't think it is possible because SS is a giant ponzi scheme. It is doomed to failure. How is that so hard to understand? All ponzi schemes fail eventually. This one is taking longer because it has been propped up by the government over the years.

If you were racing down a roaring river towards a waterfall that had very sharp rocks at the bottom and you first estimated that you would go over the falls in 37 seconds would you seriously re-consider your efforts to get out of the river upon realizing that you were wrong about it being 37 seconds and that you actually now have 39?

Really?

We can take from Social Security and fund more wars.

Republican politicians like to use that trick to make the public think otherwise in order to cut down any social spending they can, in order not to pay more taxes.

Perhaps they'd like to address the problem *before* it runs out, rather than wait until then and let our kids deal with it?

I turn 65 in 2033, so I appreciate any effort they want to take to shore things up ahead of time. Of course I'm taking my own steps to assure my financial solvency as well.