I would like to see everyone line up who still thinks they would like to take their Social Security monies and invest it in the stock market for their retirement.

HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE­HEHE

My initial response would've been it will be a short line but, then, I got to thinking about the nut cases who still stand behind failures like G. W. and that could make for a long line. There are folks in this world who cut off their noses to spite their faces all the time. Suckers for punishment, I suppose.

Gramps

Riley 2:

I would like to see everyone line up who still thinks they would like to take their Social Security monies and invest it in the stock market for their retirement.

HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE­HEHE

Absoluely I'd like to take my Social Security Money and invest it myself.

No question.

The whole point is that we'd have been able to invest some of our "social security" ourselves. Even today there are safe investments.

You just have to be smart.

The value that has been lost in 401Ks alone has been large. (linked to article was July, not inclusive of the last few weeks)

The loss in the Social Security trust fund has been what, people are still obligated for that percentage of their paycheck (up to the cut off) and corporations still obligated to pay their contribution.

It's not a huge amount of money for some, but for others, it is the difference between living or not living and it is the antithesis to the losses in the private sector (that the public sector was asked to bailout) .

Mismanagement and corruption, as we are witnessing is not the hallmark of either the public or private sector and the point is that the private sector is just as or perhaps more vulnerable to major losses as the public sector. In bad times, a lot of people fail, not just the poor and unless you suggest we simply sweep them up off the street and toss them in the local dump, because they cannot care for their own needs totally, we pay for the welfare of others in one way or another. There is also the cost of crime associated with those in need.

This notion that by not funding programs that offer even the slightest cushion to those truly in need we save money is being penny wise and pound foolish. There are no free lunches, unless you totally eliminate those in need and for that you'd need to have a Hitler type mentality in terms of the 'expendability' of human life.

only real if you sell.

DOW's been tanking but the question of whether that means you actually lost on an investment is what you pay vs. what sell for.

And yes, there are safe investments. No one was forcing people into the stock market, they were for allowing them to invest the money themselves. If they wanted to invest in fixed return investments, fine.

....beyond an obligation that is held in trust for them. It was put in place because of the failures of many humans to make wise individual choices and then needing the government to bail them out. Sound familiar?