Document text
- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us January 11, 2005 Your retirement needs protection By Dick Trout Ashland You better shout now, you better not wait or future Christmases will not be great. Toys may break or already be broken, but Social Security is no toy! Don't let this administration "fix" it. What they'll do is break it! Social Security taxes are taking in more revenue than is being spent. It can meet commitments for the next 40 years with no changes. Most respected economists, using only slightly more optimistic forecasts than the very conservative Social Security Administration estimates, report that, with minor changes, we're good until at least the year 2100. The real problem is with current government spending, the federal General Fund "budget." Mostly this is due to the rising cost of Medicare, our unplanned war expenditures, and the huge reckless tax cuts for the already very wealthy. Social Security is not only OK but, in fact, its monies have been used to cover up General Fund shortages for many years. Social Security assets have actually improved since President Ronald Reagan made changes to the system in the 1983. The current administration wants you to believe there is a problem here so you'll not notice or complain about General Fund deficits in the trillions of dollars. The creation of a privatized Social Security system will be terrific for the financial services industry but bad for the rest of us. We can stop this movement now and the president and his friends may still save some face, but nothing will dissuade them once their train gets rolling. Write/call/e-mail your senators and House representative and send a copy to our governor. "Fear! Fire! Foe!" they are shouting, trying to scare you. These scare tactics have worked many times in the past, and are being employed again. They are being used on both you and your representatives in Congress. Congressman Walden needs to know he has the overwhelming support of his constituents on this issue before daring to consider going against his party, as do Senators Wyden and Smith. Social Security is not about to fail and it certainly is not in crisis. Don't let all the fancy talk - the gobble-de-gook - deceive you. The really scary numbers are the cost of Medicare and draining the General Fund of revenues by tax cuts for the wealthy. The facts that people live longer and there are more retirees have been factored in by economists and these are not the problem. Tax cuts - and more tax cuts - for the rich, and wild spending are the culprits. Keep in mind that the trillions of dollars the government must borrow to pull off this privatization scam are the trillions that you, or more probably your descendants, will have to pay back. The Social Security system is funded with dedicated money backed by the Federal Government's bonded obligations, as is our highway system. Your own secure retirement depends on not allowing this administration to change what already is working for a dangerous scheme whose only "sure thing" is that it will again reward those who least need it. Let your elected representatives know how you feel now. Later will be too late. Dick Trout has an economics degree from Santa Clara University. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Women's Slippers men's slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks heloc libor rate Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weight Loss Programs Memory Foam Mattress college loans alternative student loans Matchmaking & Dating Scripts Adventure Travel Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation trillion cut diamonds Currancy Exchange Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams