Social Security Email from AARP

[JackieL903572]

Yesterday I received an email from AARP titled "Tell Joe Biden to Protect Social Security."  This is an inaccurate and misleading title.  If anything, President Biden has vowed to protect social security from the GOP who is looking to dismantle what they call entitlement programs.  Any program that we pay for is not an entitlement program.

Come on AARP - start sending accurate messages. The title should be "Prevent Republicans from taking away your social security and Medicare."

[Tonster521]

@JackieL903572 I received an email on Monday, February 6th called AARP Advocacy Alert. The subject was noted  "Support people 50 + now and in the future." It indicated to send to President Biden before the State of the Union presentation. It was unsigned, but indicated The AARP Grassroots Mobilization Team. Because no one signed as the leader; and, more importantly, I do not know who they are, I disregarded the email. 

As Gail has pointed out, the SS Programs are Federal Entitlement programs. It should be noted that your SS benefits including Medicare are not annuities and/or insurance policies that you buy. You do contribute to the SS Programs via FICA taxes which are essentially income (payroll) taxes. I am including a link to the 2022 SS Trustees/ Annual Report which I suggest you read to get up to speed on the future status of the SS Programs (including Medicare). https://www.ssa.gov/oact/TRSUM/ Take a look at Table 6 - Key Dates For The Trust Funds. You will find that in 2010 the cost of Old Age Survivor Insurance (OASI) excluding interest exceeded the income for OASI. So, it has been 13 years going on 14 years wherein Congress and the Presidents in office have not implemented any solution to the shortfall. It should also be noted that in 9 years going on 10 years, we had Democratic Administrations.There were 4 years of Republican Administration, but for 2 of those years our economy was essentially impacted by COVID. So, I think you need to review the facts. You will find you can point a finger at each Administration.  

[GailL1]

The legal [government] definition of Entitlement is any Federal programs that guarantee payments to individuals who meet certain criteria set by law.

Social Security and Medicare both meet this criteria. 

I sure hope what AARP said to you in the email is extended out all around cause come 2034 or thereabouts according to the Social Security Trustee Report for the last 10 or more years, the Trust Fund will be insolvent - meaning that we will NOT be able to pay all the benefits to those already on the program so, by law, we will have to recalibrate each benefit and reduce them by about 20%.  That’s automatic - built into the law.

We are already paying out more in benefits than we are collecting from payroll taxes, interest on those special Treasuries for keeping the over flow, taxes on Social Security benefits.  

Now we are gonna have to start redeeming those treasuries.  So the reserve will begin to be depleted.

[RM68611]

Your understanding is my understanding.  It's my understanding that AARP fights tooth and nail to NOT allow ANY changes to Social Security.  Why isn't AARP supporting measures to shore up the system.  I'm not suggesting reduction of current benefits.  But considering that life expectancy  in the US was 61 for males and 65 for females when SS was "invented" and it's now 81 for females and 77 for males. It doesn't take a genius to determine that things must change!  Congress, not the President, is responsible for changing the system to insure it's viability.  But, like many important issues, they just keep kicking the can down the road.  It seems to me that if AARP were truly looking out for seniors they would be advocating, no demanding, that congress make the changes necessary insure the uninterrupted continuation of the program.  Those obvious changes would include increasing the FICA tax rate and/or delaying the age of eligibility.  I know there are folks smarter than me at SS and congress that can figure it out.  It's just going to take pressure from groups like AARP and legislative fortitude to get it done.  It's also going to take logical thought and the individual congressional constituents to support, no demand, those changes.  It's up to us folks!