Social Security and Sharing Sacrifice

The word “share” was not given enough emphasis. I expect that if the pain was truly spread around the response from the Gray Panthers would be surprisingly mild. In addition to loss of the next COLA’s, why not make SS benefits fully taxable--as is the case in other retirement plans.

And we might even agree to a means test--if if were part of a program which included the following:

- A means test for each and every recipient of a pension or retirement pay of any sort received from any government agency--Federal, State, County, City or any offspring thereof.

- Require employees of any government agency who retire before reaching age 60 to wait until that age before starting to draw any retirement pay. Bona fide disability cases would be an exception, but subject to a very rigid review.

- Elected government officials who choose not to get re-elected, whether by choice or defeat, would draw no retirement pay before reaching age 60.

- Eliminate multiple government pensions being paid to one individual.

- Eliminate COLAs for all government employees.

In my opinion, Social Security has been an easy whipping boy for too long. Let’s start SHARING!

B. T. LIVERMAN

Malibu