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Social Security Economic Crisis

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Submitted By sudip234
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Social Security is the economic security for Americans, retirees, disabled persons, and families of retired, disabled or deceased workers. The Social Security Act was signed by FDR on 8/14/35. The first Taxes were collected in January 1937 and the first one-time, lump sum payments were made that same month. The regular monthly benefits were started in January 1940. The pension aspect of the Social Security program was originally designed as a prepayment plan, with benefits to contribution. Social Security is largely a pay-as-you-go program. This means that today's workers pay Social Security taxes into the program and money flows back out as monthly income to beneficiaries. This is also the pre-funded retirement program. The money is accumulated in advance so that it will be available to be paid out to today's workers when they retire. This program is another form of saving for future. It reduce the risk at the older age by avoid loss of income due to retirement, death, disability, or unemployment, and to ensure access to health care. The amount of our Social Security benefits will depend mainly on three things the number of years we worked at qualifying jobs, how much money we made, and the age we retire. Why we have problems?
Right now we are facing problem in the social security because the next decade will see the largest drop in worker-to-beneficiary ratios in history, as baby boomers begin to retire. The problem gets compounded when you consider that people's life spans are growing longer, the birth rate is declining, and the cost of living is only going up.
According to Dawn Nuschler, When Social Security was first established, the worker to beneficiary ratio was over 15 to 1; today it's closer to 3 to 1, also that it will shrink even further over the next few decades. This means that less money will be funded in Social Security system, while more people are retired and fund will be distributed out. It refers the supply of the benefit is lesser than the demand. This will shrink the size of fund collected today. Also, according to the following data, we can confi.rm that more Living Beyond Age 65.Therefore, Social security beneficiaries are more than before.
People Life expectations * In 1850, less than 3% of the pop was over 65 * By 1910, about 4% of the pop was over 65 * By 1940, about 7 % of the pop was over 65 * By 1990, about 13% of the pop was over 65 * Projection is that by 2020, 15% will be over 65 * And by 2050, 20% of the pop will be over 65
Alternatives solutions 1. Increase the retirement age
It s already difficult for elderly workers to find employment, and when they do they are often underemployed relative to their skill levels. Rising the retirement age will make this worse. However, Americans now living longer than previous generations and in better health, raising retirement ages would help to reduce the beneficiaries of social security fund. Before the life expectancy of people is lower than present, so the collected ss fund was surplus. But now they have better life expectancy due to improved technology. However the collected fund was not increased. Therefore, present retirement age should be increased. 2. Make tax payable to all the people including all the government employees as well.
Currently, Government employees and employers are not part of the tax system. They pay lower taxes than other general employees. The government employees are depends on the tax of other general employees. However, if they pay tax as other, the net tax collection will be increased 3. Make tax rate higher to the higher income people and lower to the low income people
In 2013/14,the social security tax is 7.65% on all incomes. The people who earn $7.25 per hour also pay same tax rate. Also the one who earn $60 per hour pays the same tax rate .The policymaker should make the decision that the tax rate lower on lower incomes, and higher on higher incomeThis would decrease the tax burden up the social scale. 4. Make Social Security invest in stocks.(buy stocks)
Why not to utilize the social security fund to buy stocks?

5. Currently only wages and salaries are taxed, why not tax the capital gains, interest and dividend as well
Currently, only the wages and salaries are considered as income and these are taxed. However, people who get capital gains, interest and dividend make more money but pays lower tax. If these fields were also charged with ss tax it helps to raise social security tax collection. 6. Focus Benefits for Necessary one
One of Social Security's original purposes was to protect seniors from poverty and economic hardship. Changing benefit structure would be a step toward returning to that goal. Today, Social Security's benefit formula pays a higher monthly retirement benefit to lower-income workers compared to their average lifetime income than it does to those who had higher incomes. But the simple fact is that the money is not there to pay full benefits even as they are income adjusted today. To do so would require ever increasing taxes on younger generations.

Work cited

Anders, Susan B., and David S. Hulse. "Social Security: The Past, the Present, and Options for Reform." The CPA Journal. The New York State Society of CPAs, 1 Jan. 2009. Web. 06 Nov. 2014.

Hyan, John, and Steve Leberstein. "Defending the Social Safety Net: A Call to Action." Defend the Social Safety Net. PSC/CUNY, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.
Nuschler, Dawn. “Social Security Reform: Current Issues and Legislation. “Congressional research service. 28 Nov 2012. Web. 16 Nov 2014
"Social Security, SSD, SSI Law & Poverty." Loyno.edu. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.

“Social Security History.” Sss.gov.web. 06 Nov. 2014
Weisbrot, Mark, and Dean Baker. "Social Security: The Phony Crisis." Press.uChicago.edu. University of Chicago Press, 1999. Web. 06 Nov. 2014.

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