Forward-thinking Republicans? Dream on...

Recently, the president said he wanted to address the need to revamp Social Security. One of the ideas being batted about is allowing younger workers today to divert a small portion of their Social Security payroll taxes into private retirement accounts that they can grow and pass on to their families when they die. SS will not do this.

Anyway, Bush is having resistance within his own party. No surprise there, since the Gimme Generation of the AARP has scared them into thinking about political (rather than practical) fallout. But how's this for total cowardice and self-preservation?

From MSNBC:

Most alarming to White House officials, some congressional Republicans are panning the president's plan — even before it is unveiled. "Why stir up a political hornet's nest .... when there is no urgency?" said Rep. Rob Simmons (Conn.), who represents a competitive district. "When does the program go belly up? 2042. I will be dead by then."

Emphasis mine. Hey, thanks, Rob! To hell with the rest of us, since you will have long since been worm food by then! To hell with your kids and grandkids...let the little bastards fend for themselves, having contributed their whole lives to this federal Ponzi scheme and have nothing to show for it...you won't be here for it to affect you! So it's all good, right?

How come when Enron blows everyone's pensions to hell, then the wrath of the government comes down with intense ferocity...yet when that same hypocritical government does the same thing to us in 40 - 50 years, it will suffer no ramifications for it? After all, you do know that federal courts have ruled that SS benefits are not guaranteed, don't you?

That means that not only are your benefits not guaranteed, but that the government went to court to lay that decision down now so when the day of reckoning comes, they can look back and say "The courts agreed, we're under no obligation to pay you anything. Your payroll taxes used for SS were never earmarked for you."

And as long as today's politicians have neither the stomach nor the sack to address the problem (since, by their own admission, it's not their problem), you can bet that those of you (myself included) born after 1965 will see a U.F.O. before we will see one red cent of Social Security benefits.