I’ll Give Back My Social Security…
Under three conditions I will give back all or part of my Social Security payments.
Many of my colleagues and I who are children of the Baby Boom have no intention of retiring anytime soon. Now, if that’s a secret then I’m not quite sure where you’ve all been living.
Some of us are continuing to work since we have no choice–we were devastated by the 2008 financial crisis. For those of us who were able to weather the storm, we continue to work because it’s our passion. We are, economically speaking, in good shape.
I’m in the latter category.
Lo and behold, I’m on the cusp of receiving my first Social Security check. That, plus my salary, will make for a comfortable lifestyle. But as a child of the 60s give-back and the sense of social responsibility are subliminally buried in the recesses of my collective unconscious.
Here’s the deal. I’m willing to contribute part and maybe even all of my Social Security benefits to the government under the following three conditions:
1. The government provides me with a checklist of agencies and programs to which I can allocate my Social Security payments–a portfolio if you will. For example, I should be able to divvy up my contribution thusly: 15% for education; 20% for Veteran Affairs; 24% for the Environmental Protection Agency and so on. The bottom line is that it’s my choice where the funds go.
2. I get a tax deduction for every dollar I choose to donate.
3. Every year I can reevaluate and make alterations in my contribution schedule for the following year.
Volunteeristic giving is where Republican personal choice meets the Democratic collective responsibility.
What I’m proposing is a volunteeristic system that will allow each of us who can afford it to choose whether or not we want to use some of our Social Security payments to help those governmental agencies and governmental missions that are particularity dear to each of us.
They may even have to compete for our dollars…wouldn’t that be wonderfully democratic.
Photo credit: Andrew Morrell
Tagged as baby boom, education, environmental protection agency, goverment, new plan for social security, schedule, social security, social security check, tax deduction, vetern affairs + Categorized as Creativity, Features, Ideas
Hear, hear, Sam. Great idea. And btw–given the fact that a) life expectancy is much greater than it was in the late 30s when the SSA was created; b) so many of us, for the reasons you outline above, are working into our late 60s, early 70s, and beyond–it makes perfect sense to raise the age at which we become eligible for SS.
Chosing where your tax dollars get spent is a great idea! I have to wonder what would suffer the most? Overseas aid? Or, most likely, pointless governmental departments that do nothing but keep peopl e in pointless jobs. That’s why it will never happen – because the government employees will know they’ll be out of a job.
Professor Bacharach: Lovely thoughts but I fear government can never be expected to work or to think along those lines. It is much liike taxes. I have no conceptual problem paying taxes. I expect certain things from the government – mostly protection from foreighn threats. The rest of my needs I expect to manage on my own. That is just how I was raised. But politicians feed on our money like an addict feeds on drugs. And these same politicans can never, ever be expected to give up control of something so close to their very life blood as money. But if it happened I would, joyfully, join you.