SECURITY: A quick fix

About Friday’s editorial on the coming doom of Social Security?

It could be fixed in 10 minutes:

1. Make all income regular income. No more skipping out on FICA and Medicare taxes for capital gainers’ who still collect benefits.

2. Eliminate the taxable income cap currently around $119,000.

3. No more opting out of social security by preachers and public pensioners, many of whom opt back in when life circumstances make social security and medicare a good idea after all.

4. Stop contractor employee abuse. Companies are reclassifying employees as contractors which puts all the FICA and Medicare tax burden on the contractor employee, who in turn tax-deducts and expenses his/her way to an adjusted Gross Income of $0. It’s not hard to do and is why the FICA taxpayer-to-recipient ratio has dropped from 12:1 to 3:1.

5. Make Social Security Disability for the truly disabled, and not just the latest flavor of long-term welfare for the lazy. There are just as many disability recipients as there are (replacement?) undocumented immigrant workers.

6. Means testing. Not every American needs a government check to retire comfortably.

MIKE RENO

Post Falls