Wednesday, January 16, 2013

A couple of items about Social Security

This article should put to rest the pervasive lie that many in government have perpetrated for years that the Social Security program is on solid financial footing.  The lie can no longer be deemed credible by any thinking person.  Even the Secretary of Treasury now admits it...this article provides proof.  And, this is just the tip of the iceberg.  Other social services programs instituted over the past 50-60 years are likewise in trouble.  All because our government has made promises it cannot (nor could it ever) keep in the long term.  Promises to voting constituents bought votes but now we are confronting the serious financial burdens the resultant programs present.  Borrowing more and more money is not the answer.  Indeed it makes matters worse, especially for our children and grandchildren who will be (already are) shackled with unfathomable debt. To disparage those who maintain that the current path is unsustainable is to ignore stark reality.  Charging Republicans, as the left maintains, as being heartless, unsympathetic for the down and out and for a whole host of other problems is a total disingenuous and dishonest cop out.  That is not to say the Republicans are free of blame for our woes - to the contrary they have made major contributions to the problems we face.  Both the political left and right are culpable and I maintain equally so.  So, now both guilty parties must start admitting their sins (no matter how much it will embarrass them or their party, hurt their political fortunes or impact the citizenry).  Fixing the problems we face must now be their collective priority.  But, I am afraid that what they will do is seek to minimize their role in the debacle and follow their traditional path of "reluctantly" raising taxes.  Given our dire condition, they may even trim (and maybe even eliminate) some politically popular programs Congress should never have started. More taxation is not the solution, cutting spending is.  The second link piles on more facts dealing with Social Security issues.

 George Burns 

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