One of the popular arguments for keeping Social Security in existence is that there would be people dying in the streets if it were to be repealed. That is pure nonsense. It implies that freedom does not work. But freedom does work. For the truly needy, there is no doubt that there would be those who would be more than willing to help out, on a purely voluntary basis.
Consider, for example, children and grandchildren. Supporters of this socialist program say that they simply cannot be trusted to help parents and grandparents in need. Therefore, it is said, young people have to be forced to take care of their parents and grandparents through the coercive apparatus of the IRS and the faceless bureaucracy of the Social Security Administration.
To that assertion, I say: Balderdash! Most children and grandchildren are more than willing to help out parents and grandparents who are in desperate need of help. They see it as a wonderful opportunity to pay back their parents and grandparents for all they did for them. Of course, I can’t prove this, but I just know it to be true.
And then there are church groups. I would estimate that at least 95 percent of people who go to church would be more than willing to help out needy seniors in their area.
There are also charitable foundations. Their mission is to help out others with money that has been donated to them by wealthier people. There is no doubt that they would be willing to pitch in to help needy seniors. My hunch is that someone would quickly form The Foundation for Former Social Security recipients and that it would be generously funded by people with money.
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How about neighborhood groups? You’ll never convince me that they would turn their backs on former Social Security recipients who need help.
In fact, I have no doubts whatsoever that there would be plenty of financial support from family, friends, and donors for former Social Security recipients in need of help.
Let’s not forget that everyone who is working would no longer be paying that FICA tax. That’s equivalent to a 15 percent pay raise. That’s extra money in the pockets of younger people to assist older people, on a purely voluntary basis.
Let’s also not forget that a large number of Social Security recipients don’t need the money. They use it to buy golf balls and car washes for their Cadillacs. Other seniors would have to adjust by cutting expenses. Some might have to go back to work, but there isn’t anything wrong with that. Being in the workplace keeps seniors young.
Thus, there would only be a relatively small number of people who would be in desperate need of assistance. There would be more than enough money that would be available to assist them.
One of the big problems with socialism is the mindset of hopeless dependency it produces in people. That’s why so many Americans honestly believe that freedom would never work and that socialism now has to be a permanent part of American life. That’s what socialism has done to people’s minds and to their faith in freedom and charity.
Reviewing the plight of 19th-century American slaves can help us to regain a faith in freedom. When the slaves were suddenly and immediately freed at the end of the Civil War, they had nothing. No savings whatsoever. Not a dime. Naturally, they consisted of people of all ages, including the very old.
We can imagine someone exclaiming, “Oh my gosh, we can’t just free the slaves. That would be cruel and abusive. They won’t be able to survive, especially the older ones. They have no money whatsoever. They have never worked in a business and have never started a business. All they have ever done is work on a plantation and obey the orders of their masters. We can’t just free them. They would die in the streets. We need to phase out slavery over the next 50 years or at least establish a government welfare program to help them out.”
Yet, that’s not how it was done. Suddenly and immediately, the slaves were free. How did they survive? Well, they showed us that God has created extremely resilient human beings. It turns out that when the slaves were set free, they were able to start business and go to work for businesses. They quickly learned how to prosper in the marketplace. The story of Madam C.J. Walker, the first black female millionaire, comes to mind. In fact, the former slaves prospered so well that later in the century, white bigots instituted Jim Crow laws to inhibit competition from blacks.
What about those penniless black seniors who could not manage on their own? They were taken care of by others, on a purely voluntary basis.
Let us keep in mind that care and compassion mean nothing when they ostensibly come through the force of the taxman and the rules and regulations of a government welfare program. That’s why there is nothing good, caring, or compassionate about Social Security. Care and compassion can come only from the willing heart of the individual.
Finally, we should also note that Social Security is a major factor in the out-of-control federal spending, debt, and inflation that are taking our country down from within.
Among the greatest gifts that seniors living today could give to their children and grandchildren before today’s seniors pass from this life is the eradication of socialism from American society. A great place to begin would be the immediate repeal of Social Security.