Let’s set up a little analogy here. We’ll go back to FDR. Instead of setting up a system to supplement retirement income, FDR decides to create something called Housing Security. It’s a plan for the government to provide housing to every American who reaches the age of 65. This government housing is financed by a payroll tax. Everybody pays – and everybody is guaranteed basic housing when they retire. If you want a fancier house – go get it on your own. When you die they carry your body out of your government-provided residence and someone else moves right in. If you have children they’re going to have to find another place to live.
OK .. not exactly a perfect plan, but at least old folks know they aren’t going to have to live in a cardboard box.
The plan is particularly popular with Democrats. They know that old folks vote in larger numbers than any other segment of our society, and they know that these old folks are vulnerable can be easily frightened. So – with every federal election the Democrats send the same message to the older voters. “If you don’t vote for us, you are going to lose your retirement home. You’ll have to go find another place to live.” If you want to frighten old farts, tell them that they’re going to be put on the street. They’ll crawl over each other’s bodies to get to the polls to keep you in office.
Now --- here comes an evil Republican. The Republican knows that soon there’s just not going to be enough money coming in from payroll taxes to pay for these retirement homes. One of three things is going to happen: Taxes are going to have to go up, retirees are going to have to double-up in those homes, or the wrinkled citizens are going to have to wait longer before their retirement home is ready
The Republican has an idea. Why not let workers put their money into buying their own home? Let them put that money to work making payments on a home that belongs to them, not the government! Look at the advantages! When they die they can leave the home to their children!!! The home would be something they actually OWN! The way it is now these retirees have absolutely no legal claim to this retirement home the government is promising them. The politicians can take it away any time they want to !!! If workers were allowed to invest in their own homes they wouldn’t have to worry about some politician taking it away!
Well, I’ll tell you. The Democrats wouldn’t react well to this idea at all. If people owned their own retirement homes the Democrats wouldn’t be able to hold those homes over their heads at election time! How in the hell are you going to frighten an old person to vote for you if you can’t threaten them with the loss of their home! Those homes absolutely must remain under the ownership and control of politicians! You can’t effectively frighten voters by threatening to take away something they own! You can only frighten them by threatening to take away something YOU own!
The analogy, of course, is to Social Security. Social Security is not a retirement program, it’s a vote-buying scheme. The Bush Administration wants to take part of your Social Security retirement “account” and remove it from government control --- turn the ownership of that account over to YOU --- the person paying for it.
A study commission set up by Bush has come out with an interim report. The report says that there are only two real options for Social Security. Either we face benefit cuts, higher taxes and massive borrowing --- or workers are allowed to build personal wealth through private, long-range investments.
Democrats are livid! Outraged! They are petrified that this idea might actually be presented to --- and then understood by the American people! If that happens, and if Social Security moves toward privatization, Democrats will have lost possibly their most important vote-buying tool!
Here’s a link to the interim report from the Social Security reform study commission. This IS important to you. It is MORE important to your children. Time to put down the remote control and spend a few moments thinking about how things might be made better – for your children, if you will – and freer in this country.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/onpolitics/transcripts/ssreport071901.pdf
OK .. not exactly a perfect plan, but at least old folks know they aren’t going to have to live in a cardboard box.
The plan is particularly popular with Democrats. They know that old folks vote in larger numbers than any other segment of our society, and they know that these old folks are vulnerable can be easily frightened. So – with every federal election the Democrats send the same message to the older voters. “If you don’t vote for us, you are going to lose your retirement home. You’ll have to go find another place to live.” If you want to frighten old farts, tell them that they’re going to be put on the street. They’ll crawl over each other’s bodies to get to the polls to keep you in office.
Now --- here comes an evil Republican. The Republican knows that soon there’s just not going to be enough money coming in from payroll taxes to pay for these retirement homes. One of three things is going to happen: Taxes are going to have to go up, retirees are going to have to double-up in those homes, or the wrinkled citizens are going to have to wait longer before their retirement home is ready
The Republican has an idea. Why not let workers put their money into buying their own home? Let them put that money to work making payments on a home that belongs to them, not the government! Look at the advantages! When they die they can leave the home to their children!!! The home would be something they actually OWN! The way it is now these retirees have absolutely no legal claim to this retirement home the government is promising them. The politicians can take it away any time they want to !!! If workers were allowed to invest in their own homes they wouldn’t have to worry about some politician taking it away!
Well, I’ll tell you. The Democrats wouldn’t react well to this idea at all. If people owned their own retirement homes the Democrats wouldn’t be able to hold those homes over their heads at election time! How in the hell are you going to frighten an old person to vote for you if you can’t threaten them with the loss of their home! Those homes absolutely must remain under the ownership and control of politicians! You can’t effectively frighten voters by threatening to take away something they own! You can only frighten them by threatening to take away something YOU own!
The analogy, of course, is to Social Security. Social Security is not a retirement program, it’s a vote-buying scheme. The Bush Administration wants to take part of your Social Security retirement “account” and remove it from government control --- turn the ownership of that account over to YOU --- the person paying for it.
A study commission set up by Bush has come out with an interim report. The report says that there are only two real options for Social Security. Either we face benefit cuts, higher taxes and massive borrowing --- or workers are allowed to build personal wealth through private, long-range investments.
Democrats are livid! Outraged! They are petrified that this idea might actually be presented to --- and then understood by the American people! If that happens, and if Social Security moves toward privatization, Democrats will have lost possibly their most important vote-buying tool!
Here’s a link to the interim report from the Social Security reform study commission. This IS important to you. It is MORE important to your children. Time to put down the remote control and spend a few moments thinking about how things might be made better – for your children, if you will – and freer in this country.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/onpolitics/transcripts/ssreport071901.pdf
