Quote:
Originally Posted by spence
Like my father who paid into Medicare and SS all his life now to be getting the benefits he was promised?
How is this "getting something for free"?
-spence
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Spence, you just don't get it. Romney clearly did not say (nor was he implying) that people who pay into SS and Medicare aren't entitled to those benefits. He was talking about people who pay no federal income taxes, yet continue to enjoy the benefits provided by federal services.
And even though Romney didn't say it, I'll say it. You dad, of course, is getting a lot of Medicare benefit for free. Why? Because (assuming he needs an average amount of medical care in old age, and assuming he had average income during his working years) he is getting
astronomically more in benefits than he paid in premiums. The difference (and this is what liberals seem to struggle with) is paid for by people who are working today.
Either you don't get this, or you don't want to get it.
Let me use a bit of hyperbole to make a point. Let's say Medicare is aprogram where you pay $1 a year to the feds while working, and in return, you get free healthcare for life when you retire. Sounds great! No one would object to this. Except it does not work when you have a demographic avalance like the Baby Boomers - larger numbers of retirees, who live longer in retirement than previous retirees, and who will need significantly more expensive care than previous retirees.
Conservatives admit the plan is broken. Liberals say "watch out for those mean conservatives! They want old people to die in the street!"