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It was good to see Vice President Dick Cheney in Northern Nevada this week drumming up support for Social Security reform.
For years, politicians have ducked the looming financial disaster, fearing they might find themselves in the crosshairs of one of the most powerful voting blocs in the country Š senior citizens and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
Even with the vice presidency as his bully pulpit, Cheney will be hard-pressed to go toe-to-toe with AARP and its massive war chest, which it has tapped for a $10 million advertising campaign attacking Social Security reform. One of AARP's television ads shows a plumber demolishing a suburban home after telling a woman that's the only way to fix her clogged sink. That sort of fear mongering does little to promote any meaningful discussion of an issue that is long overdue.
Senior citizens currently drawing Social Security payments are justifiably concerned about any attempts to reduce their benefits. At this stage their options for making up any reductions are extremely limited.
On the other hand, AARP and its members seem totally unsympathetic to the millions of younger Americans who are now paying for a retirement program that is headed toward insolvency because the fund has been raided by politicians, current retirees are taking out more than they put in, the number of workers paying into the system is declining and return on dollars invested are abysmal. These are the people who will end up holding the bag if something is not done to end this massive Ponzi Scheme. Of course by then the current AARP board of directors, Sen. Harry Reid and all the others who are fighting Social Security reform won't be around to answer for the damage to millions of Baby Boomers and Generation Xers who were cheated out of their retirement income. But then this sort of thing has been standard operating procedure in this country for so long it's become accepted practice Š saddle the next generation with more and more debt and a lower standard of living. Hey, what are kids for!
Pardon us for saying so, but suggestions that the Social Security tax be increased, future benefits be reduced and retirement age be raised just so we can preserve the status quo for a few more years is selfish, thoughtless and unreasonable. Let's call Social Security for what it is - an elaborate government fraud. Thanks to President Bush for at least giving the victims some hope of opting out.
For years, politicians have ducked the looming financial disaster, fearing they might find themselves in the crosshairs of one of the most powerful voting blocs in the country Š senior citizens and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
Even with the vice presidency as his bully pulpit, Cheney will be hard-pressed to go toe-to-toe with AARP and its massive war chest, which it has tapped for a $10 million advertising campaign attacking Social Security reform. One of AARP's television ads shows a plumber demolishing a suburban home after telling a woman that's the only way to fix her clogged sink. That sort of fear mongering does little to promote any meaningful discussion of an issue that is long overdue.
Senior citizens currently drawing Social Security payments are justifiably concerned about any attempts to reduce their benefits. At this stage their options for making up any reductions are extremely limited.
On the other hand, AARP and its members seem totally unsympathetic to the millions of younger Americans who are now paying for a retirement program that is headed toward insolvency because the fund has been raided by politicians, current retirees are taking out more than they put in, the number of workers paying into the system is declining and return on dollars invested are abysmal. These are the people who will end up holding the bag if something is not done to end this massive Ponzi Scheme. Of course by then the current AARP board of directors, Sen. Harry Reid and all the others who are fighting Social Security reform won't be around to answer for the damage to millions of Baby Boomers and Generation Xers who were cheated out of their retirement income. But then this sort of thing has been standard operating procedure in this country for so long it's become accepted practice Š saddle the next generation with more and more debt and a lower standard of living. Hey, what are kids for!
Pardon us for saying so, but suggestions that the Social Security tax be increased, future benefits be reduced and retirement age be raised just so we can preserve the status quo for a few more years is selfish, thoughtless and unreasonable. Let's call Social Security for what it is - an elaborate government fraud. Thanks to President Bush for at least giving the victims some hope of opting out.
