Social Security Hypocrisy

I think it is the height of hypocrisy to condemn Social Security and suggest that privatization (which would destroy the system) would help it and choose to take Social Security yourself as McCain does. If he does not need it, he should not take it.

You are not required to take Social Security payments. It is a form of social insurance, providing an income in old age for those who need it. Yes, we all pay into it. But we also pay fire insurance on our homes and for the most part we never collect anything on that! I do not plan on taking Social Security until I am about 70, since I do not feel I will need it until then.

Mom felt somewhat bad about taking Social Security, since she was a double dipper with California Teacher's Retirement and Social Security. Often at Christmas she would give my sister and me a large check to spend. She said she considered it to be from her Social Security. She later put the money she saved from her Social Security in an investment fund to benefit the two of us.

McCain does not need Social Security and does not seem to understand that he could refuse the benefit.

McCain is already a double dipper with a military retirement and Social Security. He will also collect retirement from the Senate, making him a triple dipper with a 6 million dollar spouse.

Of course other government workers including postal workers are not allowed to collect Social Security even if they would otherwise have qualified.

It would help Social Security a bit if it were means tested. If you really don't need it, you should not be able to collect it. I would put the break fairly high, at about 100K for a couple. Then it would become more the social insurance program it was meant to be. No rich people collecting Social Security.