To my shock, I learned recently that the Paul Ryan plan for Social Security includes scrapping the entire system (basically), BUT ALSO giving every retiree a monthly sum -- the same sum for everyone. I believe this is what the British do (yeah, so Ryan is proposing part of a "European" model -- and no one has noticed...as usual).
As with the British system, this payment is meant to provide a minimum level of security for every senior: enough so they don't starve, but not enough for them to live in luxury UNLESS THEY PLAN THEIR FUTURE IN ADVANCE. Now, please don't tear me apart for having facts wrong here. I haven't researched this. I just want to use what little knowledge I have of it to make a point I think is important, so please bear with me a little while longer, OK?
Because there's more, at least in the UK. And IF IF IF (this is the workable compromise part) you combine that with universal health care, think about the result: You don't need to work, but you can if you want more income, more pleasures than a bare-bones existance. OR you can do the work you want to do, even if it doesn't pay well, with no fear of suffering through illness (and death) because you can't afford quality health care. Indeed, if you are creative (or even communist!), you can join with your brothers and sisters, share resources and live comfortably that way, too, while still having the freedom to do what you want to do in life.
Now, granted, IIRC, the Brits do this throughout their economic system, not just with retirees, so the level of luxury you have in life depends largely upon just how much you're willing to do to achieve it.
LUXURY, not life. Think about that a moment. Think how this could actually work.
If the government knew exactly how much it would have to pay out to cover the social safety net, year in and year out (including disability, btw), there's a lot of useful predictability there. Similarly, Medicare has proven that when the government has control over health care, the system is more efficient and (somewhat--and with the potential for a lot more) effective.
What have I missed here? This seems so "Well, duh!" to me. I'd like to hear from people who can pick this apart. I know the UK system is far, far from perfect, but what would YOU do with a guarenteed "baseline" income with no worries about the impact of medical bills on your present or future plans? How would that change your life?
I am an ambitious, and somewhat successful, horse breeder who has averaged only $39K per year as a college teacher. Remember Ann Romney's dressage horse? I ride and train horses to that level, although dressage is just one of the sports my horses are bred for. I could talk about Olympics now, and how close I came to sitting in a "seat" similar to Ann Romney's, but I don't want to identify myself that much.
I DO, however, want to use that "seat" to make my point. Little ol', poor me (and I've got another trait that makes my experience the epitome of an "American Dream" story, but, again, I don't want to identify myself right now) came very, very close to sitting in Ann's seat only because, for the first time in my life, I was able to pursue my horse business' goals without having to also work my arse off to keep a roof over my head. This happened because I lived with someone who did that for me (kept a roof over my head). However, I would have lived (and virtually HAVE lived, in the past--do remember the $77,000 in expenses the Romney's wrote off on their horse--I keep my business overhead way, way down, but it's still a do-or-die business for me: either I sell pricey horses to afford to produce more pricey horses, or they and I starve)...anyway, I would have lived in a 12x12 horse stall to have kept my business afloat. The thing is, I damn near made it to the top with minimal income because I worked my butt off for years and years, and then was given the FREEDOM to focus on my goal.
And what about my health care? That roof over my head also came with private health insurance. So, you see, I was truly free. (Oh, if ONLY conservatives could be made to see that you are not "free" is you have to worry about or be doomed by health care costs!!!! You can't take the job you want, you can't live where you want, you can't take risks--not if you want to protect your future, a future that could be miserable if you don't also protect your HEALTH. Oh, how it maddens me that they just don't get that!)
I believe combining a guaranteed minimum income with guaranteed health care gives you that freedom. AND this combination would also "reduce the size of government," as our Republican friends want to do so badly. Paul Ryan has stepped around the socialism poo left behind by conservative dogs, strode up the walkway of 44 Real Change Ave., and opened the door into the home of a Progressive Future.
What if we could all live there someday?
BTW, while the roof over my head is about to get torn away, the half dozen years I've lived under it has enabled me to develop my business such that I've built up an inventory of Ann-Romney-like seats in the Olympic stands, "seats" I can parlay into funds to keep breeding more seats. And so on and so on and so on. In short, if you are out there Republicans, I hope you can be honest and recognize that nothing can beat realfreedom when it comes to creating and supporting small businesses and entrepreneurial ideas.