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A Follow-up Post on People’s Daily on Social Security Issues (Subsequently Removed)

“Who is raising whom?” [The government treats the people as a mother treats her child, but who is nurturing whom?] was a follow-up post questioning a People’s Daily article titled, “Social Security Is Not a Panacea.” It appeared in Baidu’s follow-up posting section, but the post is no longer available on Baidu. The writer of the follow-up post pointed out that social security should be the retirement funds that the contributors deserve to have after retirement. However, People’s Daily had described it as a charity fund that the government offered. Below are the 10 questions from the post.  

1)    People’s Daily said “63 percent" of Chinese residents believe that their retirement life should depend on the government. Only 9 percent of residents believe that they are responsible for their own retirement.” Question: Is the government the creator of wealth or do taxpayers provide the wealth?
2)    In China, around 37 million people enjoy a government pension without paying one cent toward social security; other people who have contributed to social security funds can only receive a 70 yuan basic social security paycheck each month. Who has raised money for whom?
3)    Can I withdraw my contributed money from the government social security funds and take full responsibility for my own retirement from now on?
4)    Chinese people who have paid retirement fund premiums accounted for 28 percent of the national income, three times higher than the same period in other countries. Why have such high premiums resulted in a huge loss? Who should take responsibility?
5)    Retired employees of the civil services and of government institutions enjoy 80 percent of China’s pension resources. Where in the world can government employees not need to pay social security but still enjoy pensions several times higher than those who have paid their social security fees?
6)    If you deposit your money in the bank, and you withdraw it when needed, then does that mean the money was raised by the bank?
7)    Why does the government compel people to join social security and force the people to pay? Why don’t the Chinese [who benefit] know that they should be “thankful”?
8)    Who has provided money for you, People’s Daily?
9)    “The one child policy is good; it is the government that will take care of you when you are old.” Who was it who made this solemn promise to all of the Chinese people?
10)    37 million retirees in China receive pensions several times higher than others but have never paid any retirement premium. Are they retired government officials or state enterprise employees, or ordinary people? Do the people raise the government? Or does the government raise the people?

Source: Baidu’s follow-up posting section, February of 2015
http://tieba.baidu.com/p/3552884419