Oh I got your point and my initial reply was spot on. The full retirement age is 67 and it will be pushed to 70 with a gradient just like the 22 year 65-67 gradient established in 2000. SS is projected to be insolvent in 2033. One of two things are going to have to happen and one is means testing which I see becoming real or increasing taxes exponentially. SS was created on the premise of the younger generations continually funding the pot as the older generations withdrew. Unfortunately the older generations are withdrawing more than they put in due to lifespan increases and lower younger generation input. Add to this the skimming off the top throughout the years by our fiscally irresponsible government for other agenda items not related to SS a now you have an insolvency crises. SS benefits should NOT be an issue when it comes to mandatory retirement ages because nobody knows, not even our lawmakers, of how to save the benefit. The only people that saw 100% return on SS was the first 1200 or so recipients decades ago.

 

I never brought your mom into it you did. I never intended “jerk the rug” and include anyone from a different generation. You should re read the context and quit getting offended unless you have a better idea or can prove it isn’t broken.

I think hardship needs to be looked at obviously, but think the country is moving towards only wealthy women not working, and the system is broken and built to where there is a free lunch baked into it, take the free lunch out for the next gen, and continue to look at hardship cases individually.

Women can work, it’s not suppose to be offensive.

For every hardship case there are plenty of women drawing spousal SS who are sitting on a million dollar estate, and their husband drew for 10+ years before dying. I am not even saying take them off, I am just saying take it out for young people to plan on.

 

To make our class I medicals "robust," so as to at least make this age 67 discussion feasible, the FAA needs to make them like how other countries administer them. I have double nationality, and for a few years worked for a small airline. These medicals were no joke! Yearly chest X Rays, hearing test, blood drawn, dental check, a motor skills challenge where this gizmo would beep loudly if you went outside the lines, yearly EKG (any age) plus a bi annual psychological evaluation and bi annual probes attached to the noggin. This was performed at the Aviation Authority's building with their own staff, and needles to say took hours. But at least you came out of it feeling like you were indeed healthy.

And the best part, flight attendants needed a yearly medical as well. Of course, nowhere near as grueling as ours. As you can imagine, way less geriatrics.

With something like this implemented here, I don't think the 60-65 would have ever happened, but I digress.

 

Congress, like usual, will fix Social Security and Medicare. It will be at the last minute and it will consist of raising employee and employer percentages, as well as possibly cut benefits.

I have read funding for social security, at today’s rates, would fund 75% of the current rates,

It won’t be pleasant. But Congress are political animals, they do not want to do the worst possible of having them go down the tubes. Constituencies, especially the over 65 crowd, vote. They would be p o ed and would vote the incumbent out of office. Political survival is a strong instinct in DC.

 

It is interesting that in France there are massive protests underway because the retirement age is being changed from 62 to 64. Meanwhile here in the states we have people wanting to work until death it seems. The dichotomy is fascinating.

 

There’s a reason the Puritans got kicked out of everywhere in Europe.

 

I know, they tried to raise the retirement age to 67 as well but every time momentum began to build everybody that wanted it died when they reached 40.

 

People like to stick their heads in the ground. I live in IL, the home of voters and politicians sticking their heads in the ground. The retirement age in France needed to increase to help save the system. Macron rammed it through no doubt, but for me, it was refreshing to see a politician with the courage to do what needed to be done. US politicians keep punting on SS and Medicare. The funding solutions will get more painful with each passing year. It’d be best (and least painful) to tackle it now, but no one has the political courage to do it. They’ll wait until the last minute and it’ll hurt. JMO.

 

I've been paying into SS my entire adult life. The notion that my wife should not get the benefit of that if I were to die is obscene.

 

I wouldn’t worry, its pretty socialized. If you remarry every 10 years all of your ex wives still get paid if you were to die. Even if it’s 5 of them, none would have had to ever have a taxable job.

Again, don’t worry the benefit that you paid your entire adult life differently apparently than everyone else somehow, will yield 5 payouts not to be confused with 1 payout split 5 ways.

Fairly certain if a system pays 5 women for only 1 guy paying in, we’re a long long ways away from telling anyone they only get what they paid in.