It's Your Money and Your Future

Past Articles

• Means Testing Social Security
• Fixing Social Security

Things seem a bit quiet on the Social Security front of late. Is it that George W. Bush has been spreading his political capital a bit to thin - Social Security Reform, Judicial Appointments, Foreign Relations? While it may be quiet remember still waters run deep. There remains much underfoot taking place to gut the social insurance plan and replace it with another welfare plan that can be cut later with rhetoric on lazy, ignorant takers.

I make no bones that I highly disagree with the current administration on the "crisis" in Social Security. I agree the plan needs to be reviewed as it has been in the past and adjusted to meet the needs of current and next generation retirees. However the current recommendations still do not address the "crisis" and further make it worse. The following article Fixing Social Security written by Robert M. Ball demonstrates the problem is not as large as been projected and the solutions well within our ability as a country and people.

Mr. Ball has been associated with Social Security for over fifty years initially as a field assistant and as Commissioner at his retirement in 1973. But as I continue to say, you form your own opinion.

There were hints before the election that the State of the Union address confirmed, George W. Bush's continued determination to dismantle the foundations of the democratic society as we have known it for over 60 years. His plans to change the tax system, the social support system and now the retirement support system will effect us, our children and children's children in ways difficult, at best, to predict.

As an individual who tends toward liberal thought, many of the current administration's reform plans concern me as they appear to exclude thought that does not adhere to narrowly defined objectives. President Bush is taking on many established programs in his second term. He has outlined what he wants done and left the details to others with some very finite caveats. It is difficult to keep informed on his VAT tax system proposal; his faith-based social system proposal; his private account social security reform proposal. If you add terrorism and homeland security issues it becomes impossible to be adequately informed.

As a 50 year old baby boomer I am in that 30 to 50 age bracket of individuals who will be significantly affected should the Social Security Reform plans that have been laid out be implemented. Too old to divert enough funds from Social Security to "take care of myself." Too young to be secured from any reduction in Social Security payout. This age group will be most dramatically impacted in old age. It would behoove us to take a very profound interest in what is being played out on what is the strongest social policy of any government to date. Therefore I have chosen to focus on this aspect of our President's reform plans. It's Our Money and Future is dedicated exclusively to the topic of Social Security and G. W. Bush's reform plans.

This site will provide comment and links to resources with the objective to provide a balanced discussion on the topic of changes to the United States Social Security System. There is no argument that the system needs review and change, but total overall to a cornerstone of what has made the United States of America the social example of the world needs careful thought and the involvement of all of us. As death and taxes are two things we all have in common, so too is surviving old age. Life is not black and white nor are the solutions to the reformation of the Social Security System.

A first recommendation of sites that provide information is The Social Security Network http://www.socsec.org/ supported by the Century Foundation. This site serves as a resource for information and research on the Social Security program. As balanced as possible this site discusses the debate about its future striving to present facts and analysis to assist in determining how to handle the changes being proposed.