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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group

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To: geode00 who wrote (261896)	4/19/2008 4:36:22 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (1) of 281500

Social Security isn't like the mortgage or the rent. Its social spending, and it is option. Its not "discretionary" in the government term of art about spending but it is discretionary in the ordinary English sense of that term. Congress could at any time stop the spending. It's not like (ok, it shouldn't be like) the government can say that we have all this excess money because we've decided only to pay out 50% of SS benefits this year. It IS like the government can say that we will only pay out 50% of SS benefits this year. A single act of congress could mean we never provide any SS benefits again. As for whether we should or not, well that's a largely subjective political opinion. I certainly don't think we should make any sudden massive change such as paying out only 50% of the planned benefits with no warning, but I also don't think we should make a lot of other sudden massive changes. SS isn't special in this regard.

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