Subject: Re: Any Body like Medicare and SS ??
It's complicated.
At age 30, I would have said "yes" - forego any Social Security benefits

I might have said the same. But at 72 I look at my brother and his wife and say, "Thank God for Social Security and medicare and VA Medicine. Otherwise I'd be having to house both him and his wife, and cover the med bills. I am so happy that I don't have to take care of them. And I realize there have to be plenty of other people entirely dependent on SS and Medicare at the end of their lives and don't resent my contributions one bit. I am doing fine and will continue to do fine. I think the return on SS could be improved, but Congress is in charge of that - and Reagan needed it to make his budget look OK. It's one of those odd things, people who are dependent on SS and Medicare will vote to get rid of it.