29 Comments
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jskzk's avatar

One simple policy that could solve many issues would be to turn old people into biodiesel. Add obese people to that roster (more fat = more fuel) and you could run a more efficient society. The energy produced would be a bonus to the benefit of eliminating groups that are largely drains of resources.

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Edward Scizorhands's avatar

Only if we use green hydrogen to power the process.

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John A. Johnson's avatar

I am old and rich, and I am sympathetic with your arguments. We did downsize after our four children grew up and left home, so I've already complied with one of your requests. As I have said in the past, if I should reach a point where I would need extraordinary and expensive medical care to prolong my life, I would refuse it because I think such a practice places an unfair burden on younger people. I have always thought that Social Security was similar to a Ponzi scheme run by the government, and I would be happy to give up my monthly check if SS were dismantled.

Yes, I would give up my SS check, despite the fact that the government promised me retirement checks after paying SS tax over my entire working lifetime. I understand and agree that SS is not a savings account and that I should not expect to get back what I paid in taxes. My SS taxes were not sitting in an account earning interest; they were immediately used to pay people who were already retired, behold the Ponzi-like structure of Social Security. But I did have a a legal contract with the government, albeit one that was imposed upon me. I had no choice about paying SS taxes; failure to pay them would have meant fines and going to jail.

Even if the government defaulted on their promise to give me retirement checks, I would still be willing to give up my checks if the government would remove the unfair SS tax on everyone. "The government is inefficient. It fails to deliver back to taxpayers the value of what it taxed. Government takes money with the promise of providing goods and services, but it never succeeds, either through incompetence or malevolence." At best, the government might serve a useful protective function in the form of things like keeping hostile foreign powers at bay and enforcing laws that protect us from fraud, theft, aggression, unsafe work environments, pollution, and contaminated foods. In other words, I favor a libertarian-like approach to government although I quite the Libertarian Party after they invited Trump to their convention.

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no thank you's avatar

Stop calling yourself a leftist, you disgusting fascist pig. Wanting to put elders in the street and strip minorities of their only source of healthcare is not, has not been and will never be leftism. You're nothing but a thinly veiled bootlicking white supremacist hiding behind a fake identity on Substack like the cowardly rat you are. I can't wait for the day someone shines some sunlight on who the incel wignat behind this account is and you're sent to the streets with the unhoused persons you despise so much.

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Idatus's avatar

Schizo commie alert.

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Arbituram's avatar

This is the first thing you've written that I kind of agree with? Strip out the usual over the top stuff and the underlying analysis and idea might actually be sound.

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Brian Moore's avatar

Not to be critical, because I like it, but that's a lot of Stalin pictures to essentially argue for "means-testing old age entitlements."

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Arbituram's avatar

New to deep left analysis, are we?

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Brian Moore's avatar

I get it, but someone has to play the straight man in the audience.

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Beepy's avatar

you’ve done a thorough job explaining this rationally. i can only expect that it will now come to pass exactly as you have proposed. well done.

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Idatus's avatar

EU "Cash infusions" largely go towards maintaining a loyal NGO and subsidized "social antreprenorial" class of people that would otherwise find productive jobs.

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Balint's avatar

Sure, elderly people wouldn't riot BLM style, but they would sure vote you out the next election.

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Maximum Liberty's avatar

Wouldn’t capping social security monthly benefits and having that cap grow more slowly than inflation do largely the same thing over time? It would surely be more achievable.

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The Soviet 401k's avatar

Actually we should continue giving money to old people because I want my inheritance from daddy. After daddy dies we can cut it to the bone.

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Remilia Pasinski's avatar

Your home price for benefit reduction is way too low with current healthcare costs. It would just incentivize old people giving their children ownership of their home (while they are living in it) just so they can afford hospital visits.

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JS.Hardy's avatar

I turn 39 next week can I still be a zoomer Lolbertarian Stalinist?

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Steven's avatar

Still putting out them cones, still hangin' out. Got a CDL recently though so we'll see what the future holds, maybe one day I'll command a fleet of self driving semi trucks to plow through the horde of boomer protesters.

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Edward Scizorhands's avatar

Sounds like we need an ait-Proposition 13, where people pay more taxes the longer they've lived in a place, instead of the opposite.

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DJ's avatar

Eliminate the mortgage interest deduction for buyers over 40.

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hruss's avatar

Will we still have SS and Medicare if the old rich people can’t use it? Both are deeply popular programs because of the fact that they apply to everyone.

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