The hottest Social Security Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top U.S. Politics Topics

The $175.3 Trillion Doomsday Clock Is Ticking – That Is The Estimated Unfunded Social Security And Medicare Liability

OpenTheBooks Substack • 170 implied HN points • 04 Mar 24
💰 Finance Government spending Social Security
  1. The estimated unfunded Social Security and Medicare liability is a staggering $175.3 trillion, which is a major financial crisis threatening the future.
  2. The funding gap for Social Security and Medicare over the next 75 years is projected to be $78.3 trillion, leading to potential options like increased borrowing, higher taxes, or reduced benefits.
  3. The $175.3 trillion gap is a result of a lack of significant reforms in recent decades, with the projection showing significant challenges with Medicare Part B, Social Security, and other programs in the future.

Life on the Social Security Plantation

donaldjeffries • 1257 implied HN points • 27 Feb 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Social Security Healthcare Government
  1. Social Security and Medicare are seen as entitlements, but workers pay into these systems their entire working lives.
  2. There are ideological differences in views on Social Security, with conservatives aiming to end it and liberals revering it as sacrosanct.
  3. The current Social Security system faces criticism for its sustainability, lack of means testing, and income cap, highlighting the need for reform.

Are They Better Off?

News Items • 255 implied HN points • 21 Feb 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Social Security Policy Making Debt Ceiling Congress
  1. Key Census data may undercount the retirement income of older Americans by hundreds of billions of dollars a year.
  2. America needs to address the unsustainability of the Social Security program through benefit reductions, tax increases, or a combination of both.
  3. Recent data suggests that American retirees, on average, are wealthier than commonly believed, which may impact policy decisions regarding Social Security reform.

March 1, 2024

Letters from an American • 10 implied HN points • 02 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Budget Taxation Social Security Corporate Government
  1. President Joe Biden signed a resolution giving lawmakers more time to finalize government funding bills, as Republicans have been stalling by inserting cultural demands and seeking budget cuts.
  2. There are discussions about creating a 'debt commission' to address the budget deficit, even though it faces opposition from 70% of voters.
  3. The ITEP report revealed that many profitable corporations paid very low effective tax rates due to loopholes, raising questions about the fairness of the tax system.

The One Weird Trick To Save Social Security!

JoeWrote • 1 implied HN point • 19 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Social Security Conservatism Taxation Retirement Government programs
  1. Conservatives argue for cutting Social Security due to changing worker-to-retiree ratios and financial strain.
  2. The simple solution to save Social Security is eliminating the taxable maximum income, ensuring long-term sustainability.
  3. Eliminating the taxable maximum could generate a surplus, benefitting the program and securing it for future generations.
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