In an absolutely stunning display of hypocrisy GOP Rep. Ron Paul Admits He Takes Social Security, Which He Once Likened To Slavery

[웃 910]

GOP Rep. Ron Paul Admits He Takes Social Security, Which He Once Likened To Slavery

Texas Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), a libertarian hero, last year said that allowing Social Security to exist is akin to permitting slavery. But during an appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe today, Paul admitted to the Huffington Post’s Sam Stein that he collects Social Security checks anyway:

STEIN:

A bit of a personal question then, are you on Social Security? Do you get Social Security checks?

PAUL: I do.

STEIN: Well, I mean, is there — you just told younger generations that they should ween themselves off this social contract.

PAUL: That is true.

STEIN: But you haven’t done it yourself…Don’t you think you chould have set a good example for the future generations. You’re not the wealthiest man in congress, I know that, but you have enough means to take care of yourself in retirement…Couldn’t you have set an example?

PAUL: No. I think the programs are so designed, just as I use the post office too, I use government highways, I do that too, I use the banks, the federal reserve system, but

that doesn’t mean that you can’t work to remove this in the same way on Social Security.

Watch it:

Paul is, of course, not the only conservative to benefit from government programs that he or she opposes. But his crankish view of the Constitution has brought him to the conclusion that Social Security is altogether unconstitutional, which also hasn’t stopped him from collecting benefits.

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/06/20/502846/paul-admits-social-security/

[james&olya 1,121]

He's a doctor, he took the hypocritic oath!

[JohnR! 5,495]

Et tu Ron?!?!?!?

[mawilson 2,133]

You people are funny.

He's been paying into Social Security his entire life. Why shouldn't he collect?

Social Security won't be there for young people when they retire, simply because the math doesn't add up.

[JohnR! 5,495]

He's been paying into Social Security his entire life. Why shouldn't he collect?

He should collect it. It does not mean he is not a hypocrite though.

Edited June 20, 2012 by Gegel

[james&olya 1,121]

You people are funny.

He's been paying into Social Security his entire life. Why shouldn't he collect?

Social Security won't be there for young people when they retire, simply because the math doesn't add up.

The math will add up more than OK once the cap on contributions is raised or eliminated altogether. Right now I would bet a poll would show most tax-payers are barely aware if at all that it is only the first $106,000 or so of income that has FICA taken out. The effective percentage you contribute goes down as your income exceeds that, making it a regressive tax. If put to a popular referendum I have no doubt the cap would be eliminated.

[SMOKE 1,426]

n/m james said it.

Edited June 20, 2012 by SMOKE

[unlockingsky 94]

face the facts, not what you want to hear. lol.

[mawilson 2,133]

The math will add up more than OK once the cap on contributions is raised or eliminated altogether. Right now I would bet a poll would show most tax-payers are barely aware if at all that it is only the first $106,000 or so of income that has FICA taken out. The effective percentage you contribute goes down as your income exceeds that, making it a regressive tax. If put to a popular referendum I have no doubt the cap would be eliminated.

The math will never add up as long as the revenues from the Social Security tax are commingled with general revenues.

Leaving it on autopilot, the entirety of the country's discretionary budget spending will be consumed by Medicare alone in the not too distant future - Social Security should not be used to cover the shortfall.

[james&olya 1,121]

The math will never add up as long as the revenues from the Social Security tax are commingled with general revenues.

Leaving it on autopilot, the entirety of the country's discretionary budget spending will be consumed by Medicare alone in the not too distant future - Social Security should not be used to cover the shortfall.

Commingled, mingling with communists?

Since the accounting is maintained as a specific entity, how else do you avoid 'co-mingling' the revenues? Do you get a whole bunch of paper money printed and store it in a big warehouse somewhere? It all goes to the federal government and most accounts like that are just line items on a balance sheet. The 'co-mingling' is just something the dishonest politicians do to keep the size of the budget deficits they report artificially low. It is conceptual, in other words, not actual. The math 'problems' are with the general budget.

[mawilson 2,133]

Since the accounting is maintained as a specific entity, how else do you avoid 'co-mingling' the revenues?

The money stays in the Social Security Trust Fund and cannot be used for other purposes. The fund should be able to invest the money, but with strict diversification rules - specifically, "investment" in US government debt should be limited to a small percentage of the total.

[james&olya 1,121]

The money stays in the Social Security Trust Fund and cannot be used for other purposes. The fund should be able to invest the money, but with strict diversification rules - specifically, "investment" in US government debt should be limited to a small percentage of the total.

The money is still there, on paper, in the SS trust fund. And since it is only 'on paper' or now, on a computer accounting spreadsheet, that the money even exists how can you claim that it was ever 'used' for other purposes. It is like you have this big savings account. You also owe money to the bank on your credit cards. To impress your fiancee that you are responsible with your money you mentally subtract the amount you keep in savings from the credit card balance and tell her you only owe the smaller amount. No money has been 'used' there. It is all just in how you have visualized it. That is what, in effect, our government has done on occasion in the past. That money is still 'there' in the SS trust fund. The actual deficits have been larger at times in the past than they were ready to say. It is all just in how you prefer to visualize this imaginary pile of cash relative to this even larger hole of debt.

[Karee 4,189]

The money stays in the Social Security Trust Fund and cannot be used for other purposes. The fund should be able to invest the money, but with strict diversification rules - specifically, "investment" in US government debt should be limited to a small percentage of the total.

Exactly. Why even have a separate box on your W-2 for FICA? If they're gonna put it all in the same pool then just make it part of federal withholding. It would be a crime if anyone else did that except the U.S. govt. gets away with it.

[james&olya 1,121]

Exactly. Why even have a separate box on your W-2 for FICA? If they're gonna put it all in the same pool then just make it part of federal withholding. It would be a crime if anyone else did that except the U.S. govt. gets away with it.

You cannot steal from yourself! How is it a crime? It is how you visualize the accounting. The same thing happens when you save money in the bank or put funds into your retirement plan. That cash is not piled away somewhere in a safe! It is all electronically co-mingled so the bank or financial plan can make investments or loans. An accounting is maintained of every dollar and your savings or investments may earn interest. When you are ready to withdraw it it gets paid out to you. This is exactly what our government does! So stop already with this hysterical BS about our government committing a 'crime'!

[Karee 4,189]

You cannot steal from yourself! How is it a crime? It is how you visualize the accounting. The same thing happens when you save money in the bank or put funds into your retirement plan. That cash is not piled away somewhere in a safe! It is all electronically co-mingled so the bank or financial plan can make investments or loans. An accounting is maintained of every dollar and your savings or investments may earn interest. When you are ready to withdraw it it gets paid out to you. This is exactly what our government does! So stop already with this hysterical BS about our government committing a 'crime'!

Check the deficit. If a bank had such a huge difference between assets and liabilities, the FDIC would be in there so fast to shut them down.