ANS -- FW: the biggest theft in history

Hi -- this was sent by one of our readers.  An interesting perspective on Social Security, our Earned Retirement Income. 
--Kim

Subject: FW: SOCIAL SECURITY NOW CALLED 'FEDERAL BENEFIT PAYMENT'/ENTITLEMENT!


Have you noticed, your Social Security check is now referred to as a "Federal Benefit Payment"?
 
I'll be part of the one percent to forward this.  I am forwarding it  because it touches a nerve in me, and I hope it will in you.  Please  keep passing it on until everyone in
our country has read it.
 
The government is now referring to our Social Security checks as a “Federal Benefit Payment.”
This isn’t a benefit – its earned income!
 
Not only did we all contribute to Social Security but our employers did  too.  It totaled 15% of our income before taxes. If you averaged $30K  per year over your working life,
that's close to $180,000 invested in  Social Security.
 
If you calculate the future value of your monthly investment in social  security ($375/month, including both your and your employer’s  contributions) at a meager 1% interest rate
compounded monthly, after 40  years of working you'd have more than $1.3+ million dollars saved! This  is your personal investment.
 
Upon retirement, if you took out only 3% per year, you'd receive $39,318 per year, or $3,277 per month.
That’s almost three times more than today’s average Social Security benefit of $1,230 per month,
according to the Social Security Administration (Google it - it’s a fact).
 
And your retirement fund would last more than 33 years (until you're 98  if you retire at age 65)!   I can only imagine how much better most  average-income people could live in
retirement if  our government had  just invested our money in low-risk interest-earning accounts.
 
Instead, the folks in Washington pulled off a bigger Ponzi scheme than  Bernie Madoff ever did.  They took our money and used it elsewhere. They  “forgot” that it was OUR money
they were taking.  They didn’t have a  referendum to ask us if we wanted to lend the money to them.  And they  didn’t pay interest on the debt they assumed.  And recently, they’ve  told us that the money won’t support us for very much longer.  But is it  our
fault they misused our investments?
 
And now, to add insult to injury, they’re calling it a “benefit,” as if we never worked to earn every penny of it.
Just because they “borrowed” the money, doesn't mean that our investments were a  charity!
 
Let’s take a stand.  We have earned our right to Social Security and  Medicare.  Demand that our legislators bring some sense into our  government – Find a way to keep Social Security
and Medicare going, for  the sake of that 92% of our population who need it.
 
Here’s a novel idea: begin to pay back Social Security, and call it what it is: Our Earned Retirement Income.
99% of people won't forward this.
 
Will you?
 
 
David Hurlburt
650-355-8102
dghurlb@pacbell.net