In their quest to prove that there is nothing wrong with Social Security as it currently sits, the Dems released a Social Security Calculator yesterday.
The first thing I noticed about this is that they won�t show you their math, so these numbers could be, and probably are, made up or at least computed in the worst possible light the Dems thought they could reasonably get away with.
I entered my numbers three times and the final figures were all within $5 of each other, so thankfully, it does not look as if it is a random number generator.
I came up just under $5000 shorter under the Bush plan than I would get the current system.
You know what, I�ll take that.
Do you know why?
Because this will be MY MONEY.
Remember, these numbers are most likely computed under the most conservative guess possible of rate of return. It is highly possible that I could get double the amount from my private account than this calculator shows. Or triple or quintuple.
That, and MY MONEY would not be subject to �The Widow Tax�.
Under the current system, if I actually make it to retirement age and then die a couple years afterwards, the Analog Wife will then then have to choose between her current SSI payment or the SSI payment I was getting before I died. Oh, and she gets a one time $250 check.
Under the Bush plan, she gets her check and everything in my private account.
Also, if you look at the very bottom of the page, in very, very, very small print, you will see this link:
�Please Click Here for Detailed Explanation of Calculations and Assumptions.�
That link takes you to the Senate Democrats website and directly to a .PDF file which reads:
�Note that the calculator is based on your average annual salary.
For example, a relatively young worker�s current salary will likely be significantly below his or her lifetime average annual income, whereas a worker close to retirement may have a current salary that slightly overstates his or her lifetime average. You can try different income levels to get a sense of how the Bush privatization plan will effect your total annual benefits. (In contrast, the Social Security Administration�s calculator is based on your earnings in a single year and then extrapolates your earnings backwards and forwards. As a result, estimates of your future benfit on the SSA calculator may differ from the ones shown here.)
In other words, this calculator is total bullshit and the Dems know it.
They just want to scare as many people as possible into being afraid of Bush plan.
Because it is all they have left.
Continuing wth my personal theme of making war on junk science and progenitors of same, I pronounce this “Social (in)Security” site to be junk science, Mathematics division, Accounting Section.
Ask yourself this: what faith can you have in the numbers behind the “calculator” when it’s founders have already told you the result, both politically and mathematically?