[cdxx]

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No, people can be provided "grandfathered" benefits according to what they have already paid into the system. In this way SS and Medicare are phased out incrementally.

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but this would still screw everyone who is due benefits. do you see why?

btw, i am not arguing that it's a shiitty pyramid scheme. i am saying abolishing it is leaves a lot of people in poverty and without health insurance.

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Please elaborate how ending a ponzi scheme would make it "bigger" than it already is.

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read the above post. i know this from my family's background (not specifically social security/medicare). they were promised pensions and health care when they retire. the system was abolished, and they received their contributions back at a pro-rated rate. the contributions were worthless.

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This is backwards. Low or zero population growth makes it much harder to keep SS going.

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it is harder to keep SS going in its current incarnation, because current contributions pay for people who already retired. i am not arguing that. OTOH, there's no reason why a different system cannot support a non-growing population of seniors.