Can social security and medicare be considered "living off the state"?

Question

I recently heard a friend's elderly mother criticizing him for filing for unemployment after he was laid off from his job. He'd been having trouble finding work that would pay as much as his unemployment benefits - her answer was "I don't care if he has to work four jobs, it's better than living off the state - MY taxes pay for that."

My question is, what are some other payments/benefits that people receive that could fall under this umbrella of "living off the state" that she'd be likely to benefit from? I don't know how, exactly, unemployment or Social Security or medicare or anything like that works and I'd like to be able to make a parallel argument the next time she gets on her high horse.

Answer 1

You can reasonably consider Social Security and Medicare as deferred compensation.  It is no different from a private pension plan except that it is funded by taxes instead of premiums.

Unemployment can be looked at as an employer financed insurance plan to help support workers between jobs and is also deferred compensation and subject to income tax. Unemployment tax paid is part of the employers cost of labor.  Some industries, particularly seasonal ones, have a large number of its workers idle at times while other businesses have no turnover.  The former pay high unemployment tax rates and latter pay very little.

Drawing on both of these programs produce benefits directly tied to the persons work history.  This is different than living off somebody else's tax dollars.

Answer 2

Of course they are.  I am all for programs to help seniors and those who need it, and yes, you do pay into Social Security, but people get far more out than they put in.   I've paid into Unemployment for 30 years, and I've never gotten a dime out of it, but I absolutely do not begrudge those benefits to those who have lost their jobs.  

I love it when those who scream about "socialism" never include benefits THEY are getting from the government.

Let me ask:  does this woman call herself a Christian?  Just wondering.  She sounds pretty mean and selfish.

Answer 3

Your friend's mother sounds abusive and needs to be ignored.  Whether unemployment is living off the state or not isn't the issue.

But, his unemployment benefits are not paid out of her taxes.  On the other hand, her Social Security is paid for by current workers' taxes.  I think it would be pointless to discuss this with her.

Answer 4

You pay taxes when you buy things, gas, houses, land,

income, jobs(everyone contributes to unemployment benefits who works)  The taxes go to support all kinds of things that the government does including social security, medicare and

unemployment benefits. It is the mass of people contributing to the common good of all. If your friend is unemployed and

collecting from that fund it means he has already contributed to that fund while he was working.You cannot collect u.e without contributing to it. I would ask his elderly mother why if she is so set on not living on the state she is collecting social

security and I presume medicare. That is living off the state.

In additon the amount of taxes his mother is paying unless she is upper middle class or wealthy is very little compared to those of us who are still working. I would also point that out to her. I could retire but I am still working to support her and my kid brother who has retired. I am not taking a pension. I have contributed to u.i. for over 45 years and never collected a dime but I have been fortunate in my choice of occupation.

Suggest to mother have a look at the economy right now and ask her if she remembers the Dirty Thirties ie the Great

Depression when 50 per cent of the population was unemployed.and farmers went bankrupt because they

could not sell their produce/milk/beef etc.  Looks like we

are heading for something very similar. Lastly be polite elderly people tend to get very short memories when it comes to what THEY did in the old days!

Answer 5

I don't think she is on a high horse at all.  She is coming from a time when the government didn't do anything for people and that's how it was.  People fended for themselves if you didn't have money for food, you starved, that's the way it was and should be today.  People were to proud to get handouts, unlike today where people expect handouts.  That's the problem with people today, the workers and people contribute 30% of their wages to help people who are to lazy to get off their rumps to work.  If I was in charge there would be no handouts, no welfare nothing.  It would be survival of the fittist.