So let me make this clear: I will make this offering as long as I am able. My wife has passed away, and my kids are successfully (for now, praise God) on their own. The burden of this sacrifice falls only on me.
Last month I turned 66 years old. I am now eligible to draw my full social security benefits.The SS administration estimates that I would have over $2200 coming to me last month, and each subsequent month.
I have chosen not to file.
That's $26000 in annual income that the Social Security Administration says I have coming to me. It is more than my total income last year, including what I've withdrawn from my IRAs. Furthermore, last year when I turned 65 I did not file for Medicare either. That was despite the warning that should I choose to later join Medicare, my contributions to parts B and D would be more expensive.
But the big ticket is the $2200 per month. The $26000 per year. The $80-90K total I did not claim between age 62 and now.
I think I have heard all the arguments as to why I have a right to the money, and what I could do with it, and all the thoughts that I am a nutcase for having even considered this course. Feel free to try to convince me against this course of action in comments, but you have your work cut out for you.
See, I have an important motive. I am hoping I am not the only one who is able to do this. I may be the first though to risk telling the world about it. And let me make this clear. I'm doing this because those at the top of our political ladder have gotten far too shameless in how sticky their fingers have gotten and how much they lust to rule us. In order to hide their thievery (and the shackles on our posterity) they are outright encouraging more and more people to demand "what we have
The Statists and their Leftist avante-garde are making one great final effort to "bring it all down baby." They seek to bring the whole financial house of cards down on your heads as the Cloward-Piven schemers had planned.
This is my one small effort to make a shout out that they have to be stopped. Someone has to say ENOUGH ALREADY, and really mean it. So I am putting my money where my mouth is.
I love the idea of what America has stood for, and why it enabled me and my parents and grandparents to achieve what we could. Indeed, it has made it possible that I may do this one thing that runs contrary to the Leftist idea that only money matters. It is a lie. Principles like the sacredness of human life and the beauty of INDIVIDUAL freedom matter far more in my individualist creed.
This idea to spurn the entitlements when one is able to do so ought to spread. But I fear I may be the only man to do it. I've seen it in the eyes of too many I've discussed this with. Far too many will fear being ridiculed for doing the same thing. And they too would risk the ire of those who are so cynical they cannot stand the fact that others are not also cynical and take whatever is not nailed down while there is still something to take. Those corrupt individuals will seek a resolution that will satisfy their madness just so long as all hold-outs are eliminated by the example my ordeal would set.
If I am the only one to take on this risk, well so be it. I pray that is not the case.
Part 2: Part of the Reason for Shunning Social Security
Part 3: Social Security and Family Lore
Part 4: This Post Cost Me $4400
Part 5: Political Cowardice and Social Security
Part 6: This Post Cost Me Over $11K
Part 7: This Post Cost Me At Least $65K
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I read this when you posted it.
ReplyDeleteI'm still digesting.
To be fair to my readers, I did not expand on all the reasons for doing this.
DeleteI started several years ago thinking about where the money would come from to pay me that $26K+ per year. It comes either from borrowed money that has to be paid back with interest, or from printing it, which devalues every dollar that is already in print. And that is because from day one (1935) all money taken allegedly to fund Social Security went immediately into the general tax coffers.
Such a cache would surely tempt decent moral men. But lawyers and politicians? C'mon. I once posed it as 'social security has provided politicians the tax money they wanted for their favorite programs when they were certain the people wouldn't like paying for it, and they were too cowardly to face the music at the ballot box by imposing taxes for other programs, a good portion of that money went into the pockets of cronies. And they pretended that by putting the payments off into the future it wasn't really a problem; and today it is, but half the politicians STILL won't admit it. So ultimately FICA payroll extractions became taxes for other things, thus levied under false pretext. And the house of cards gets shakier every day.
Bottom line is the whole total of the fund has been borrowed. Now every penny paid out must be borrowed again, with interest. My small contribution won't stop it. But at least I'm one man who says ENOUGH already, and am putting my money where my mouth is each month I continue this campaign. Tell me how many career politicians are willing to match me even one dollar for one dollar, let alone the portion of my total worth? The good news is I'm not holding my breath waiting to hear from them.
Social security was tax for other purposes not stated, and apparently always was at tax for other purposes. We as a nation -- several generations -- allowed our political hacks to lie to us and keep on being reelected rather than tarred and feathered. So we are all to blame and ought to take some responsibility for it when we can.
What really troubles me.
The idea that I would be further helping to forge the chains of our posterity troubles me greatly. Especially because I failed to learn how to effectively fight this cancer when I was younger, this is my small measure of penance. I was too busy make a living at what came easily to me so I could raise my family. I never thought I was suited to engage more fully in politics. If I had, maybe things would be different at least a little. I tried, but did not try hard enough. This is my self assessed penalty for that failure. I pray I can afford to keep my resolve.
Oh, there is more. As the need arises again in me, I will post more.
I'm very sorry to hear about your wife.
ReplyDeleteThank you. It's been years now. Since I've never been one to express much about my personal life here, so you couldn't have known. That is about to change somewhat.
DeleteYou are not alone, I plan to ignore SS $.
ReplyDeleteI have about 5 years to make good on that plan, so time will tell if I’m true to myself.
Folks tell me I should take the payment- because I invested into it for over 40 years. No, I did not. I was robbed, that money was forced from me.
Any payment I would accept- would be stolen from others. I don’t want it.
Thanks for telling me.
DeleteTrust me, it is not easy to do if you have obligations. In some ways (semi) I still do -- towards my kids. There will be less to pass along to them. One has paid off all grad school loans, but the other is far from it. (I already paid for their 4 College years).
The first test for you comes when you reach 62 (or whatever the early mark will be for you). You can imagine the cacaphony of advice I got about "get it while there is still some to get." It definitely made an impression on me -- one diametrically opposed to those who wanted me to join them in the raid on what was still available from the SS Ponzi pool.