In Passing |
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scream-of-consciousness; "If you're trying to change minds and influence people it's probably not a good idea to say that virtually all elected Democrats are liars, but what the hell."
In Passing |
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"If the number of Islamic terror attacks continues at the current rate, candlelight vigils will soon be the number-one cause of global warming. " |
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I do wish authors would learn something about Social Security before they start blaming underfunding on the government borrowing from the Trust Fund. Fact is money deposited in the Trust Fund is used to purchase government securities (think T-bills). Those securities pay interest. In other words, it's loaned to the government. This does not constitute "dipping into" the Trust Fund. The money is still there in exactly the same way that your money is still in your investment account when you buy bonds.
That doesn't mean that Social Security is adequately funded by any means. It's long been anticipated that the system would eventually reach the point where taxes received wouldn't equal benefits paid. Only thing is that wasn't supposed to happen for a couple of decades yet.
It's too early to go dig up the exact numbers but the funding shortfall is double digit trillions of dollars on a present value basis. That means that, in addition to the incoming taxes SS needs mucho dinero today in order to meet it's obligations.
End result - there are only three options - a massive increase in SS taxes (roughly double), a significant cut in benefits, or a significant increase in the retirement age (or a combination of all three).
By the way - Medicare is in worse shape and it's ten times as big a problem.
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The government "investing" SS funds in its own bonds is like me "investing" for my retirement by writing myself a check each month and putting it in a lockbox. When I retire, I can just start cashing those checks, right?
That is actually a better plan than the way the FedGov is doing it, which is the equivalent of writing the check, giving it to your no good brother-in-law, then expecting to get it back in twenty years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDJSVPAx8xc
http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/02/awesome-palin-campaigns-for-rick-perry-writes-hi-mom-on-her-hand-pics/
Remember when that awful George Bush wanted to actually do something about SS before the proverbial house was aflame? What a terrible President he was.
I hear this current fellow will have manna falling from the heavens come dawn.
Casca
The B.M. has an even bigger health advantage when you consider that few people can finish eating one and fewer still manage to digest them if they do. The only advantage pasties have is that they taste good.
GrinfilledCelt
Rodge-
I appreciate your watching Andrea so we don't have to, but linking to Think Progress merits a kind warning.
You would think that the wife of a man who did more to wreck our economy than almost anyone in the country would have some humility at this point.
But, no, Andrea and her smug playmates at MSNBC have to trash Sarah because she writes a few topics on her hand that she wants to cover in her rousing speech.
At least no one really hears what they have to say anyway.
The most telling thing, though, is how much the MSM and other liberals are starting to truly fear Sarah.
Not that it will take much of a candidate to polish off this cross between Alfred E. Newman and James Earl Carter in 2012, but it will be fun to watch her put the wood to Obama.