SOCIAL SECURITY

The Declaration of Independence declares: 

“all men … are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights …That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men …” 

The Preamble of the US Constitution shows how these rights are to be secured including: 

“provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare.” 

Two clear distinctions should be made here:

• PROVIDE implies actively and financially supporting.
• PROMOTE implies a more passive approach. For example, “I’ll promote that we put on a grand feast, but I want you to provide it! “ 
• GENERAL Welfare is not the same as INDIVIDUAL Welfare. General Welfare would benefit the people as a body generally.
• INDIVIDUAL Welfare targets a certain segment of society to benefit, such as the poor. 

Social Security is a form of individual welfare not authorized in the Constitution and should be repealed. We advocate PHASING OUT the entire Social Security program, while continuing to meet the obligations already incurred under the system, limited to the total contribution of each individual. 

Until the current Social Security system can be responsibly phased out, we propose that: 

• The Social Security tax must not be a “rainy day” fund that politicians can pirate or from which they can borrow to cover their errors and pay for their excesses. 
• Individuals who have contributed to Social Security will be allowed to withdraw those funds and transfer them into an IRA or similar investments under the control of the individual contributor. 
• Any merger between the U.S. Social Security System and that of any foreign country is banned, so the distribution of benefits will not go to persons who have not qualified for payments under American law as legal residents. 
• Earning limitations on persons aged 62 and over be removed, so that they may earn any amount of additional income without placing their benefits at risk. 

We support the right of individuals to choose between private retirement and pension programs, either at their place of employment or independently.