Democrats, not GOP attacking our benefits

I, like millions of other “boomers,” am rapidly approaching retirement age. I am angry and somewhat frightened at the prospect of not receiving the Social Security benefits I paid into for 45 years. I started digging into the history of the system …

1. FDR introduced Social Security as a voluntary program. It no longer is.

2. It was supposed to be 1 percent of your first $1,400 in pay. Now it’s 7.65 percent of the first $90,000.

3. It was supposed to be tax deductible if you elected to participate. It’s not and it isn’t.

4. All contributions were to be in a “trust fund” solely for contributors. Wrong again, the money was moved to the general fund and spent under Democrat Lyndon Johnson.

5. The annuity payments were never to be taxed as income, wrong again, thanks to Democrats Clinton and Gore. Up to 85 percent of it can now be taxed. So the money we were forced to give the federal government to put away for our retirement is now taxed and we will be lucky to ever see it. Gosh, what party had the biggest hand in this, let’s see … Lyndon Johnson and his Democratic House and Senate moved our ‘entrusted’ retirement money to the general fund so Congress could spend it.

Thanks to the Democratic Party, the FICA income tax deduction was eliminated.

Thanks to the Democratic Party, Social Security annuities are now taxed. Al Gore cast the deciding vote in the Senate as vice president.

And thanks to Jimmy Carter, immigrants at the age of 65 now qualify for Social Security even though they never paid in a dime.

The sick thing is that the Democrats will tell you the Republicans are trying to take away your Social Security and many will believe it.

R. BRUCE JOHNSON

Sandpoint