What's really sad is these people don't want to loose their cushy jobs. No matter which side "wins" the others will be voted out. And they are being soooo stubborn, going along party lines, rather than being open to compromise, work on a real plan. Not throw the country into chaos.

One of the other big ting in the headlines right now is the NFL. It just really gets me that these guys are trying to negotiate ultra million dollar salaries while governtment is tying to find ways to save our paltry SSD checks

I am 41 now and have done all my financial planning for the future under the assumption that I will get zero from social security when I retire. I would gladly give up my rights to future social security if they would allow me to stop paying the social security tax.

With that said, yes, the checks will go out...they don't have the ability to stop them if they wanted to. But we can't keep borrowing and spending forever. At some point we have to start ramping down what people expect the government to pay for. For those who are already at or near retirement (or recieving SSDI), it isn't fair to make major changes now. But it isn't fair to our children if we keep promising something we can't afford to people who are in a position to plan for doing without it, when it means we will be printing money and borrowing from the Chinese to pay for it all.

Yes, it will be hard choices and nobody will be very happy...but that is what happens when we spend too much for decades and stop doing the things necessary to encourage economic growth within our own borders.

I'm 42, and I havent worked since I was 32. I dont expect to ever get to take advantage of social security. If I do, I wont be getting much.

Heck, right now I'm not on any government assistance of any kind. (my parents have been very helpful, and I've been staying home with my mom in exchange for being able to live at home and for my dad to pay for my insurance) I could probably get disability, but I havent applied for it yet.

From Facebook:

So,*they* say Social Security may not be paid after 8-2-11 if they don't reach an agreement. I have a better idea. Rather than not paying the people who need that small check (and I mean SMALL) every month, let's not pay any politician for the next year and see if that helps them to work a little harder for the US, the little people.. Re-post this if you agree

Grrrrrrrr, how dare *they*..

I was perplexed recently when I received a publication from my hubby's union and one from AARP. They both discussed the Social Security issue and had totally opposite statements. If I were confused before, I was really confused after reading these news letters. I didn't know who to believe and couldn't understand how totally opposite their positions could be.

Oh...and I do agree with Kicker.....I read that the Washington folks still get paid even if we get our checks on hold.

what I dont understand is that we're being told we're out of money. In debt. They want to raise the debt ceiling so that they can spend more money, right?

I'm starting to think both sides of our government dont understand the definition of the word "debt".

1. something that is owed or that one is bound to pay to or perform for another

2. a liability or obligation to pay or render something

If we're in debt, we have no more money. How can we keep spending money we dont have? If I could use the governments logic regarding money, then I'd be able to buy myself a new computer and all the yarn I can crochet, and I wouldnt have to have any actual cash.

But then again, we are talking about the government...which never makes any sense anyways. They just do what they want, when they want...no matter whether or not they belong to one political party or the other. They're just going to do it anyways. What part of "broke" do they not understand?

Yeah, and so does their ancillary staff with their big expense accounts.

I heard on the news last night about some firearms thing. I haven't fully checked it out but last night I thought of how much of our tax dollars goes to really dumb programs such as this one. Why are we paying to give guns to smugglers just to track them in both Mexico and the US? That's just crazy. And now we have debt issues? It's programs like these that need to be thought out and cut. How much would we save if we cut some of these programs as opposed to starving out the military, veteran's, elderly and the ill/disabled.

http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/189514.html

I love it when one of them gets on TV and announces "we've got to stop spending money we don't have". I just want to yell "join the club!".

Can I raise my debt ceiling so I can get some of the things I need and want? Oh, and I won't have to pay any of it back because I'll just keep raising my ceiling. And when the time comes that I have to pay up I'll just blame someone else for my bad judgment. Yeah.......that's what I'll do. Seems to work for others.