[Info-vax] HP stopping VMS paper documentation ?

[Kenneth Fairfield]

On Thursday, December 8, 2011 8:37:49 PM UTC-8, AEF wrote:
> On Dec 8, 9:55 pm, c.... at wvnet.edu (George Cook) wrote:
> > In article <28187830.863.1323362221431.JavaMail.geo-discussion-forums at pril5>, Kenneth Fairfield <ken.fa... at gmail.com> writes:
> > > On Thursday, December 8, 2011 6:25:27 AM UTC-8, Bob Koehler wrote:
> > >> In article <jbn3ma$lt5$1.... at online.de>, hel... at astro.multiCLOTHESvax.de (Phillip Helbig---undress to reply) writes:
> 
> [. . . trimming in effect here . . . ]
> 
> > > No, Social Security is an *insurance* program: you pay into
> > > over your working lifetime, and you draw out of once you
> > > reach the age for which your cohort qualifies.  (Also note
> > > that Social Security is entirely self-sufficient in that
> > > SSI taxes, and only SSI taxes, fund it.  For deficit hawks,
> > > SSI contributes $0.00 to the US debt.  In fact, the SSI
> > > Trust Fund loans money *to* the US govt...and only to the
> > > US govt...by investing in US Treasury Bonds, which is
> > > mandated by law.)
> >
> > No longer true.  From the Washington Post on 10/29/11:
> >
> > "Now, Social Security is sucking money out of the Treasury. This year,
> > it will add a projected $46 billion to the nations budget problems,
> > according to projections by system trustees. Replacing cash lost to
> > a one-year payroll tax holiday will require an additional $105
> > billion. If the payroll tax break is expanded next year, as President
> > Obama has proposed, Social Security will need an extra $267 billion
> > to pay promised benefits."
> >
> > This means SSI has started redeeming bonds instead of issueing
> > them.  Each bond redeemed is paid out of the general fund.  In
> > other words, SSI is now directly adding to the deficit and debt.
> > Now that the feds can no longer borrow cheap money from SSI, the
> > US must borrow even more money from China.  We are now borrowing
> > money to pay back borrowed money
> >
> > George Cook
> 
> What?! Tax breaks causing problems? Who'd a thunk it?

<Grin>

[...]
> According to a cousin of mine who is a successful investment banker:
> Fixing Social Security is "a math problem," as he put it. "If we can't
> do that, we can't fix anything," or something to that effect.

Indeed.  Just lift the cap on SSI tax for incomes in excess of $106K and the problem disappears.  Sigh...

BTW, I agree with the gist of George's follow-up: the "temporary" reduction in SSI tax is not a good idea.  For one thing, it makes its financials look worse, and therefore lends credence to the <false> claims by the right that this an "entitlement", e.g., "welfare", program.  OTOH, eliminating the cap solves all its solvency (real or imagined) problems well beyond the foreseeable future.

    -Ken