Are Government Benefits Stable Enough to Rely On?

• Author: Kelly Cooke
• Posted: 2024-09-20

The United States of America is currently going through more than its fair share of problems. Inflation is crippling the economy, and the job shortage of 2021 has continued throughout 2022, even if the unemployment numbers do not accurately reflect the situation. The fact is that many people are suffering, and hardly anyone has confidence in the future of the country's economy. This is something that is being taken very seriously by many seniors, who are panicking at the prospect of being retired and broke. Social Security Income (SSI) is already stalled entirely on reflecting the environment around it. In other words, seniors have not received meaningful increases in years, while politicians give themselves a pay raise every single year to reflect the changing economy around them. These seniors are people who have paid into the system their entire adult lives, and now that entire system is threatened.

The current state of America's economy brings up a very good question for most existing seniors and millions who one day hope to retire with a senior benefits package: Is the government even worth relying on anymore? As you can see with dozens of other stories over the years, just because you paid in does not in any way mean you will get that money back. There are all sorts of stories about teachers, firefighters, police officers, etc, who retire and are expecting benefits, but they end up with nothing because someone pulls the rug out from under them. Keep in mind, these are not private sector jobs here. No one is talking about the employees of a fortune 500 losing their benefits. These are all public-sector jobs, which are supposed to be protected by the government. And, more often than not, they remain unprotected entirely.

Each party blames the other for why social security is failing, and then nothing gets done. Politicians and the media simply whip people up into a frenzy, where they blame their political opponents for failing systems and no real SSI increases. The people get angry, protest, spam social media, and nothing ever changes at the highest levels. There is no actual incentive for any politician to fix social security, when they can use the issue to keep their bloc vested in voting for them. It's sad, and it's cynical, but it's true.
 

What's Hurting SSI the Most

What's really hurting SSI the most is that social security does not mean "Retirement benefits and security." It's basically an open-ended program that operates as a social safety net for Americans and, to the surprise of many, people who are in America illegally. If you heard the story about the Biden administration giving bus rides, hotel rooms and cash-loaded debit cards out to illegal immigrants, then you already understand why there are no real and meaningful SSI increases to be had. It's because the politicians are intentionally diverting money away from the social security senior pool to give to the immigrants. A lot of seniors are okay with this. They support caring for underprivileged immigrants in America. Which is fine; each to their own. Though how many of these seniors understand that if this program goes bankrupt, there is no more money for their own retirement payments? Not many realize how SSI works, and fewer still realize that the government is not printing money to fill up the social security coffers.

The government will print money to stage an overseas proxy war with a nuclear power. They will print money to hand out stimulus checks to artificially inflate the economy. But they will not print money to put into social security; those funds come completely from tax revenue.
 

Trust, but Diversify

The federal government is going to take social security taxes from you as long as you have a job. So, when you do retire, you are legally entitled to SSI benefits. It is technically your money. However, most financial experts agree that you should not put all of your eggs into that particular basket. You're going to want to diversify and look at private equity lines that may pan out over the years. Investing in an IRA, a solid 401K, gold and other appreciable items - these are all methods by which you can secure your own retirement funds and will not need to depend on the government.

Due to how much the government squanders and wastes, there is no guarantee that retirement benefits will be waiting for you when you retire.