As you know, each year that the federal government runs a budget deficit, it must borrow money in your name to pay for the shortfall. ...more

October 29, 2009

People angry and frightened that they've lost almost half their life savings in a year are calling the 401(K) retirement law a failed experiment that needs a risk-free, mandatory replacement. Some even want Congress to take emergency action to help workers refill their depleted accounts. ...more

February 2, 2009

Re: Don Plezia's Feedback letter, "Fix Public Education By Eliminating Teacher Unions," in the Dec. 16 edition of Hernando Today. ...more

December 18, 2008

In most challenging situations where a major problem is the issue, do-nothing-and-hope-for-a-miracle is not an option. ...more

December 13, 2008

Let's pretend abortions had not been legalized in 1973. Pretend it is 1991 and 18 years after Row v. Wade. Assume 1 million babies had been allowed to live and they are now 18 and entering the work place. I know many will still be in school but the following are conservative estimates. Do your own math using your estimates. Let's assume they begin work at an average of $12,000. FICA taxes are 15 percent including their employers share. Say the next year another million had been spared execution and begin work and this continues through year 2008. Since government does nothing well (Thomas Jefferson), all the FICA taxes earned nothing. Since I am an optimist I also consider over this 17-year period that wages and FICA taxes go up on average of 5 percent a year. By the end of 2008 the Social Security Trust Fund will have collected 2.6 trillion more dollars. ...more

November 15, 2008

Am I the only one who doesn't get Jim Gries' problem with Social Security? He doesn't seem to like the Trust Fund system, but his speeding car and duck waddle metaphors make his point a little hard to follow. ...more

August 26, 2008

Mr. Dunlap, now that I know where you're coming from, I would like to "beam up" a response. First, if you feel uncomfortable talking to my 3-year-old granddaughter about Social Security, I will substitute the 9-year-old with this warning: She knows 2 plus 2 doesn't equal 5. ...more

August 21, 2008

I'm afraid that I will have to decline Jim Gries' generous offer to sit in his rocking chair and explain Social Security to his 3-year-old granddaughter. And I'm amused that Mr. Gries does not consider it "fear-mongering" to call the Social Security system a "weapon of monetary destruction (WMD)." Actually, although he says that his earlier letter was a recital of fact, there is nothing in any of his letters that backs up his hysterical attack on the Social Security system. ...more

August 15, 2008

Jim Gries's letter about Social Security is unnecessary fear mongering. Social Security is simply an income transfer program. Workers today pay a tax to support retirees and disabled people. In exchange, workers get the promise that when they retire, a new generation of workers will support them. As Gries notes, the program has a substantial surplus. By law, that surplus is invested in bonds issued by the U.S. government. ...more

August 7, 2008

In a sluggish economy, Gov. Charlie Crist is offering a budget that taps deeply into reserves to build what he calls a "bridge to the future." By gambling that an economic rebound is coming soon, Crist avoids making the tough choices circumstances require. ...more

February 12, 2008