Comments on: AP heart-ache: Why does McCain criticize social security while continuing to receive benefits?

By: Fighting Eyeball

Fighting Eyeball — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:15:14 +0000

My dad, rest his soul, a staunch conservative… well more libertarian except I don’t know what he thought about dope… kind of shocked me when he told me he was going to begin receiving his SS benefits at 65. But his point was valid (as all of his points were). He PAID that money for over 35 years (too bad you can’t say he ‘invested’ it… at least in a way that returned more than the paltry nothing percent SS earns) and hell if he was going to let the government keep it!

Unfortunately, he only drew from HIS “investment” for 6 years… to his and my chagrin, the Gov made a tidy profit via SS on Dad…

By: Dave Rywall

Dave Rywall — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:20:32 +0000

What a non-story. He paid into it, he should get the benefits out of it, regardless of whether or not he thinks the system is broken.

But a hundred grand donateed to charity? About a quarter of his income?
That’s pretty impressive.
But I guess it’s easy with a bazillionaire wife.

By: right4life

right4life — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:04:52 +0000

Squid Shark on July 18, 2008 at 8:11 AM

yeah we musnt't say anything that may upset the ObaMAHDI or his wife, or children, or his supporters. we must only say that which the ObaMAHDI (pbuh) approves.

By: dominigan

dominigan — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:14:24 +0000

wise_man on July 17, 2008 at 10:41 PM

While not articulated well, the original poster has a point. McCain may complain about the solvency of Social Security, but he has also advocated an amnesty approach that would drastically accelerate the timeline.

If he truly cared about Social Security, beyond just an election year talking point, why hasn’t he done anything about it? Hasn’t he been a Senator for a few years now? Has he introduced legislation to take Social Security out of the general fund, and stop Congress from raiding it to pay for projects named after themselves? Has he pushed for border security to reduce the influx of illegal immigration, which creates a larger drain services?

Sorry, these are real questions. The only troll here is you, since you are using personal, emotional attacks to shut up people who are making valid points.

By: Squid Shark

Squid Shark — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:11:14 +0000

LaMonte on July 18, 2008 at 7:58 AM

Nothing bolsters your argument like a “Obama is a Muslim” joke.

By: LaMonte

LaMonte — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:58:14 +0000

The end of Ed’s introduction reminded me that the problem with presumptive candidate Senator Obama [Peace Be Upon His Name] is not his big ears but his enormous earmarks – huge earmarks in just days in office.

By: PatriotPete

PatriotPete — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:07:41 +0000

wise_man

Leave misterfece alone, he’s only allowed out from under his bridge on months without r’s in them…

By: MannyT-vA

MannyT-vA — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:50:14 +0000

If a person did not want to get the benefits how would they go about that? Is this REALLY an option?

EJDolbow on July 17, 2008 at 10:29 PM

A person COULD pay in more on their taxes. ( I remember someone remarking on that to liberals claiming we need to raise taxes to raise more money for more entitlements. It was interesting to see them clam up as soon as they asked for volunteers. Typical liberals)

Of course, by paying more taxes you are taking the GIGANTIC leap of faith that they will even funnel it back to Social Security. I guess you could write a note ‘for Social Security only’ or something.

I just want them to let me keep the money I pay into that every year and invest it instead. If I had the extra money in my mutual funds I’d still be up quite a bit of money in the last year even in this weak market. Far more than my money is going in Social “Security”

By: cs89

cs89 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:31:30 +0000

I’m not a big fan of McCain, but I gotta give him this one for sure. Anybody wanna compare his numbers to what Obama made and donated to charity? I’m not sure where else McCain gets his money besides S.S. and the Senate (I’m guessing Navy retirement, investments, etc.), but you could essentially say the guy donated his S.S. and half his Senate salary to charity.

Very generous, sir.

By: Dawnsblood

Dawnsblood — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:38:04 +0000

With all do respect, can we let the people that operate the site (Allah and Ed) or own it (Michelle) decide who is a troll? It is kinda the respectful thing to do.

By: platypus

platypus — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:33:43 +0000

It’s the mouth breathers that get their facts from MSNBC that don’t know it, and they are beyond hope anyway.

AUINSC on July 17, 2008 at 11:37 PM

Can you lighten up on us mouth breathers? It’s not my fault the doctors didn’t make sure all my sinuses and nasal passages lined up right when I was born.

Oh yeah, getting facts from MSNBC is an oxymoron. So there. :)

By: redshirt

redshirt — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:30:43 +0000

MB4, sometimes you are alright.

By: MB4

MB4 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:27:50 +0000

Able to guzzle more energy than dozens of normal men! Producing more hot air than a locomotive! Able to pile up carbon credits higher than a tall building in a single bound!!!

Look UP in the sky! It’s ChickenLittle! It’s FlyingSnakeOilSalesman! It’s the Sultan of Hanging Chads! It’s the Ayatollah of Heat! No, it’s CarbonMan in a private jet painted green! And now following in the tradition of other great men such as Jimmy Carter and Yasir Arafat, he is the proud recipient of a Nobel Prize!!!

CarbonMan, strange visitor from an alternate reality who came to Earth with claims and scary predictions far beyond those of mortal men, disguised as Fat Albert, and now joined by other members of the Royal Green League such as BioFuelHummerMan, EcoCleaningWoman, and his latest recruits, the molding geriatrics JuanGreenOldCoot and HolyGreenOldJoe, they all fight a never ending battle for science-fiction, hypocrisy, big-money-making-scams and the Hollywood way!

By: MB4

MB4 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:23:08 +0000

No. Al Gore buys green energy.

freevillage on July 17, 2008 at 11:00 PM

Al Gore buys and sells “carbon offsets”, similar to “rape offsets”. With just one of his houses alone he guzzles 10 times what a normal person/family does. His private jets do not burn “green” fuel. If you want to know about a “green” house do a little research on not Al Gore’s energy guzzling house, but rather Geaorge Bush’s much more “green” house.

Al Gore is a fraud and a hypocrite.

By: MB4

MB4 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:17:48 +0000

MB4 on July 17, 2008 at 10:53 PM

Hey wow, another troll showed up.

wise_man on July 17, 2008 at 10:55 PM

Didn’t much like what I said about Al Gore aparently, huh?

Get over it.

By: sloopy

sloopy — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:10:14 +0000

They’re anesthetized by the withholding system

Dunno about that. I noticed this year that my ss withholdings actually exceed my federal tax withholdings. And I am claiming 0 deductions, so it can’t be I’m having too little taken out.

By: wise_man

wise_man — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:00:32 +0000

bigbeas on July 17, 2008 at 11:54 PM

Three things we can be certain about, death taxes and … um, yeah!

By: bigbeas

bigbeas — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:54:32 +0000

I want to see a hit-piece on each member of Congress who is going to increase our taxes next year but currently pays only the minimum tax rate. Why don’t they pay 39% since they’re asking us to? I’m sure AP is rushing this story to press as we speak.

By: SoulGlo

SoulGlo — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:48:39 +0000

This is one of the dumbest arguements ever. First of all, Social Security is something that we all pay for, and will never get back what we paid into it unless we live to be 114. Second, saying that you can’t complain about the problems with Social Security because you continue to receive payments is like saying you can’t complain about gas prices because you continue to drive.

By: Troika37

Troika37 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:40:32 +0000

Barrack Obama keeps saying that Washington is broken but he keeps cashing his check from the Senate…

By: freevillage

freevillage — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:39:33 +0000

They’re anesthetized by the withholding system, and it’s wrong.

That’s an excellent point. Taxes should be less automatic for everyone to actually see how much is taken away form them.

By: AUINSC

AUINSC — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:37:41 +0000

Oh, and the other point here, is that he paid into the SS ponzi scheme with his own money…so it was always his to begin with…but everybody here knows this. It’s the mouth breathers that get their facts from MSNBC that don’t know it, and they are beyond hope anyway.

By: redshirt

redshirt — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:30:55 +0000

So if you argue that McCain shouldn’t take his SS benefits, you are in fact arguing for a means test to receive benefits. I’m fine with that. Tell us, AP, how rich you have to be to lose eligibility? And tell us which democrat is going to suggest it? Obama?

By: wise_man

wise_man — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:26:32 +0000

Well, he is a troll.

By: austinnelly

austinnelly — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:25:01 +0000

Hey wow, another troll showed up.

wise_man on July 17, 2008 at 10:55 PM

Hey new guy, could you go get bent or something? You’re not the ‘troll patrol’ ok? Just because you’re a dyed in the wool McCain lame-o and you don’t like those who disagree doesn’t mean you get to call them trolls, ok? Most of your mooning party line paens to McCain make you sound like an ambulatory colostomy bag, but beyond disagreeing with you, nobody calls you ‘party hack boy’ (well, maybe they do, but I haven’t seen it)every time you show up somewhere; so drop this ‘there’s a troll’ crap, ok?