On Ayn Rand and Her Social Security

[Hardrada]

I'm shocked that you are just now jumping on this tinkertoy bandwagon. This was discussed on Fark over a week ago. Perhaps you need to re-organize priorities; it is doubleplusungood that it took you this long to join the bleating chorus.

On Fark, the key word bandied about was "subsidies" with the various Fark Liberals(tm) maintaining that SS and Medicare were "subsidies."

As far as the definition of the word goes, indeed. But *wait* - there's MORE!

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/subsidy

sub·si·dy
   /ˈsʌbsɪdi/ Show Spelled
1. a direct pecuniary aid furnished by a government to a private industrial undertaking, a charity organization, or the like.
2. a sum paid, often in accordance with a treaty, by one government to another to secure some service in return.
3. a grant or contribution of money.
4. money formerly granted by the English Parliament to the crown for special needs.

These definitions, good in as far as they go, fail to explicitly distinguish between monetary extorted from 3rd parties and given to someone other than those 3rd parties, and money *returned* (in part) to the original forced contributors of those funds. Last time I looked at my paycheck, there were involuntary deductions for both SS and Medicare.

Historically, several companies that have endeavored to opt out of these deductions and pay employees in cash have been paid visits by IRS enforcers, and various people have done jail time for daring to give their employees a break.

Now *there* is a subsidy: you get 3 squares a day, free sex with Bubba, and a free bed to fetally curl up in after the sex, courtesy of the US taxpayer.

You *could* maintain that she didn't have to participate in the System, that she could have just left the country. But then you would sound just like those horrid "love it or leave it" Neanderthal conservatives from the 60s that you appear to disdain as hopelessly anti-intellectual. Not a very consistent position, there, bucko.

OTOH, there is a counter-argument that when The State has eliminated by fiat all alternatives, then individuals have no choice but to participate. What would you expect someone to do if government took over all food production and the supermarket industry? Or the shoe industry? Not eat or wear shoes? Rugged individualism, indeed.

Always good to know that you folks are churning out the agitprop. But you really do need to stay current.

[Syrinx]

1. what?

I admit to having consumed a couple of adult beverages, but I have read your post and reread it several times, and I just don't understand what you mean.

Are you sticking up for Ayn Rand, saying that she's no hypocrite? Are you advocating for the elimination of Social Security?

I'm having trouble understanding exactly what you are getting at, but it doesn't sound friendly to the general aims of this particular message board.

[Very_Boring_Name]

2. I dont think drinking was your problem

I think the OP had a few too many.

[ProfessorGAC]

3. It Seemed To Change Direction. . .

. . . a couple of sentences before each point attempted was actually made.

Reallly confusing OP.
GAC

[Hardrada]

11. I am just trying to make sense of the various arguments pro and con Ayn Rand.

Not denigrating Social Security per se. I think the responses here are useful and illuminating.

[Obamanaut]

4. This SS vs Ayn Rand was discussed nicely several days ago in a thread

with more than 200 responses. I guess it wasn't ALL on Fark a week ago.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=439&topic_id=272214

Oh, and unrec

[SpiralHawk]

5. I agree. Ayn Rand was a Total Hypocrite (R) & myopically selfish & small souled

...no amount of confusing RepubliGibberish can change the godawful, plug-ugly RepubliRealities...

[lepus]

6. How was she a hypocrite?

For getting back some of the money she had put into social security and medicade/medicare?

[Bluenorthwest]

7. She said she did not belive in such systems and also that

her class of people only gave to, never took from, such programs. She claimed that people like her were above and beyond it all. Claimed that folks like herself could up and leave, no need at all for the rest of society, except of course for the benefit checks apparently. The leeches would be expected to forward the benefits to the Island? Or would the rich folk on the Island care for the likes of Rand, broke, sick, and seemingly having blown a fortune on designer homes and Hollywood parties.

This is the woman who claimed all the geniuses could leave society behind, the loss only society's. But she needed and most importantly she wanted to take part in the public system in the end. Her entire life's teaching was shown to be empty, like her own bank account. The second she needed it, Social Security was fine with this hack. She was glad it was there, she needed, she wanted it and she took it, after a lifetime of calling others who did so every name in the book.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SpiralHawk]

9. There you have it - the epitome of Republiconism

in a nutshell

[Iggo]

10. Fark Fark.

Three weeks!!!

That's like ages ago!