On 2/2/2014 12:30 AM, wrote:
On Sat, 01 Feb 2014 18:00:23 -0600, Califbill
wrote:

"F.O.A.D." wrote:
On 2/1/14, 6:32 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 2/1/2014 6:08 PM, F.O.A.D. wrote:
On 2/1/14, 5:59 PM, Tim wrote:
On Saturday, February 1, 2014 8:05:54 AM UTC-6, F.O.A.D. wrote:


What, that we have a country that allows corporations to fire someone

because they get sick? What a wonderful country.


What does the wrong doing of company have to do with this country?
Does she not have a legal team working on the situation? The article
says she does...


In most more rational western countries, the woman wouldn't have been
fired because she took ill, because her health insurance would not have
been something supplied via her employer. But that's the way we allow it
to be in this country...fired because you got sick and might impact the
company's health insurance premiums. *That* is sick.



Was that the reason she was fired? I don't know because her lawsuit
hasn't hit the courts yet and we haven't heard what the company has to say.

That said though, I agree, it's yet another example of why businesses
making widgets shouldn't be the provider or even administrator of health
insurance plans. Government passing laws that force businesses to
retain employees even as the health insurance premiums rise
exponentially isn't doing anything to help anybody.


Indeed, health insurance should not be subject to the employer's whim.
Neither should defined benefit pensions. Too many workers have been
screwed out of pensions because their employers used the funds for
something else or allowed unfunded liabilities to skyrocket.





Sort of like the unfunded public pensions? How many cities have or are
going to declare bankruptcy over unfunded liabilities?

Good point, there are far more unfunded government pensions than
private sector pensions. The biggest one is Social Security

What happened to the social security *trust fund*

On 2/2/2014 11:09 AM, wrote:
On Sun, 02 Feb 2014 09:37:52 -0500, Hank wrote:

Good point, there are far more unfunded government pensions than
private sector pensions. The biggest one is Social Security

What happened to the social security *trust fund*


FDR passed the legislation that allowed the government to spend in it
1939 and they have spent every dime of it since then.
The trust fund was just another line item on the debt since then.

*POOF* gone. Words used to have meaning.

On 2/2/14, 11:09 AM, wrote:
On Sun, 02 Feb 2014 09:37:52 -0500, Hank wrote:

Good point, there are far more unfunded government pensions than
private sector pensions. The biggest one is Social Security

What happened to the social security *trust fund*


FDR passed the legislation that allowed the government to spend in it
1939 and they have spent every dime of it since then.
The trust fund was just another line item on the debt since then.



Just exactly how did Roosevelt "pass" such legislation?

--
There’s no point crying over spilled 4-Methylcyclohexanemethanol.

In article ,
says...

On Sun, 02 Feb 2014 09:37:52 -0500, Hank wrote:

Good point, there are far more unfunded government pensions than
private sector pensions. The biggest one is Social Security

What happened to the social security *trust fund*


FDR passed the legislation that allowed the government to spend in it
1939 and they have spent every dime of it since then.
The trust fund was just another line item on the debt since then.

The trust fund is paying off.
Thank God and FDR for the trust fund.
http://www.ssa.gov/oact/trsum/

It's the same as US Savings Bonds in that it will be paid.
Good as gold, and backed by the full faith and credit of the United
States of America.
Only Congress can change it.
They're welcome to try.

Boating All Out wrote:
In article ,
says...

On Sun, 02 Feb 2014 09:37:52 -0500, Hank wrote:

Good point, there are far more unfunded government pensions than
private sector pensions. The biggest one is Social Security

What happened to the social security *trust fund*


FDR passed the legislation that allowed the government to spend in it
1939 and they have spent every dime of it since then.
The trust fund was just another line item on the debt since then.

The trust fund is paying off.
Thank God and FDR for the trust fund.
http://www.ssa.gov/oact/trsum/

It's the same as US Savings Bonds in that it will be paid.
Good as gold, and backed by the full faith and credit of the United
States of America.
Only Congress can change it.
They're welcome to try.

Where is the money? Where are real assets backing that "trust fund"? The
government spent the money, and it is just an undocumented part of the
national debt. The government will have to tax people again to pay for the
"trust fund" obligations.

On 2/2/2014 11:09 AM, wrote:
On Sun, 02 Feb 2014 09:37:52 -0500, Hank wrote:

Good point, there are far more unfunded government pensions than
private sector pensions. The biggest one is Social Security

What happened to the social security *trust fund*


FDR passed the legislation that allowed the government to spend in it
1939 and they have spent every dime of it since then.
The trust fund was just another line item on the debt since then.



I thought the legislation allowed the transfer of *excess* funds to the
general treasury.

There are economists that claim that's how Bill Clinton was able to
claim a "surplus" in the latter part of his administration. The dot com
bubble produced SS contributions far in excess of payouts and the
excesses were transferred to the general fund.