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Social Security

Our Social Security system is not only facing eminent collapse, but it is probably one of the worst financial scams ever perpetrated by our government.  With the Republicans promising $53 trillion in benefits from now until 2040 that we have no way to afford, it's unlikely that anyone under the age of 35 is likely to receive any worthwhile return from their years of paying into the system.  And those that do receive benefits are realizing an almost negative return on their investment.

On the other hand, it would be inhumane to take a generation, those that are currently retired or quickly approaching retirement, that has been educated to rely on Social Security instead of providing for themselves and pull that rug out from underneath them.  Because the employed pay the benefits of those currently receiving, we face a dilemma that seems to have no workable solution.  The question being, how do we allow people who do not want to receive Social Security benefits to opt-out without defunding those that rely on it?

The U.S. Government owns far too much real-estate, nearly 30% of all the land in the country.  The government has no need to own such huge acreage, much of which is use for parks that can be better operated by the private sector; or is currently leased to commercial concerns where it could instead be sold.

To have any hope of saving Social Security for those dependent on it, we must:

• Allow those that want to be self-reliant to opt-out of the Social Security system.
• Sell off excessive government assets to fund those that wish to stay in the program.
• For those that wish to remain in Social Security, the program must be turned over to multiple competing private organizations that can invest the funds professionally to give participants a positive return on their investment, allowing each individual to choose their provider and negotiate for the best services.