re: #19 MinisterO

This is not a matter of faith. Despite your apparently unshakable belief to the contrary, the 2011 federal budget includes $791.681 billion for Social Security. It’s right there on page 141 of the Budget of the U.S. Government.

Do you think the words “Budget of the U.S. Government” mean something else? Do you think Social Security is included as a joke? Do you think that the budget only includes the parts that Congress approves each year?

Regardless of what’s probably semantical nonsense, the $1.65 trillion deficit is calculated by subtracting the total outlays including Social Security from the total revenues. If you don’t include Social Security it’s only $1.5 trillion.

Where did I imply that “faith” was required?

I understand and appreciate your “confusion”.
Again, the SS trust fund is a “stand-alone” entity.
Do you understand this concept? Yes? No?

The SS “numbers” are used in the “unified budget”, which is a convolution of the actual budget.
Yes, they are fully aware of what they are doing.
It is not included as a joke, it is included to enhance the budget’s “curb appeal”.

SS does NOT have a “budget”. It has an accounting.
The expense to administer the SS fund is charged to the federal budget.

How did you calculate the $1.5 trillion, since w/o the SS numbers, it would have to be higher than the $1.65 trillion?

Here is a link that might assist your understanding:
ssa.gov

On the next post, I have included some excerpts from that link….