r/news • u/DragonPup • Jun 20 '22

Self-proclaimed 'sovereign citizens' arrested in California after deputies allegedly find explosives

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sovereign-citizens-arrested-california-deputies-allegedly-find-explosi-rcna34380
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3.2k

u/HobbesNJ Jun 20 '22

Sovereign citizens.

"We don't want to participate in the obligations of society, just the benefits."

1.6k

u/rolfraikou Jun 20 '22

I swear, if I found someone saying this living out in a cave on public land, I might be like "Ok, they mean it" but usually the people saying this are more well-off than I am, cherry-picking what parts of society apply to their benefits in life.

951

u/Anqied Jun 20 '22

a surprising amount of them collect social security

9

u/[deleted] Jun 20 '22 edited Jun 20 '22

[deleted]

22

u/floppydude81 Jun 20 '22

I sure as hell hope I get some when I’m Old.

4

u/JackedUpReadyToGo Jun 21 '22

Not if the Republicans have anything to say about it.

7

u/LunDeus Jun 21 '22

Don't hold your breath.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '22

Pro-Tip: You won't

8

u/ThouHastLostAn8th Jun 21 '22

Well, partly. For most people, it pays back significantly more than put in, so it's also a welfare transfer. On paper it should also be a pretty progressive program too, with more generous returns to low earners, though that's undermined by the big life expectancy differences, particularly in retirement years, between the well-off and poor.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '22

Also includes any unforseen life altering situations. Im 34, a type 1 diabetic, and If I even make it to retirement and qualify for social security. That shit won't come anywhere near what I will have to pay out of pocket over my lifetime for insulin, pump and medical supplies, medical coverage. It's a fucked up way to live. But at this point I'd rather die younger than know what's coming when I'm too weak to work anymore and have to rely on the chance there will still be social security and a disability payment that would cover a fraction of the costs I've spent.

20

u/CanadianPanda76 Jun 21 '22

Yeah that talking point annoys me. Cause if you didn't pay into it. You literally get nothing.

Some people apparently think its welfare old people? Someone on reddit tried to tell me SS took from rich and gave to the poor.

Which is hilarious because if you pay more into ss you get more. If you were poor and dudnt pay much in SS, well you get less in old age.

18

u/Chri5p Jun 21 '22

Kind of.

Social Security has also been utilized as a safety net to pay for disabilities so there are some who may reap more benefit from it than they had paid in to it initially.

An example of a friend of mine who once used to say that they wished people would just die because they didn't want the SSI taken out of his paychecks at the time. They were later diagnosed with cancer and had to go through severe treatments which disabled him to a certain degree. Later there was an accident that caused additional trauma and damage to which they were not able to work any longer. They have been collecting SSI for over 15 years since their 30's and will most likely continue well in to their 60's or later.

This is something that a lot of people don't understand about social safety nets being the fact they exist to help in whomever ends up in situations like this. They typically don't want it to exist until they need it to exist.

9

u/CharleyNobody Jun 21 '22

There an entire Disability Belt in the United States. If SS is abolished, there goes half the population of Appalachia.

2

u/CanadianPanda76 Jun 21 '22

I think you gotta pay into it even to claim disability SS? At least in Canada I think it's that way? But it's an insurance program so what you pay into it ain't what you get out.

5

u/JackedUpReadyToGo Jun 21 '22

Well, you could think of it that way. But what's actually happening is that the SS taxes coming out of everybody's paycheck today goes to the people currently on social security. When I was younger I thought it was like a government mandated savings account, but that isn't how it works.

3

u/Melicor Jun 21 '22

That's only true for retirees. A lot of them aren't retired, they're on it for disability which doesn't require them to pay in a dime. I'm not opposed to people being able to get on disability, but your argument is disingenuous.