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I'm just venting. I've got a few irons in the fire so to speak, and my Social Security project continues to move forward, albeit slowly.

Here's my take (an unemployed ironworker) on the manhole cover question: 1. Safety. A manhole cover sits on a flange that keeps it approximately level with the surrounding pavement. In other words, the outer diameter of the cover is greater than the inner diameter of the mounting flange...

Wrong. That's the problem. You take an educated person like yourself, and he or she will grasp onto a concept like this because it seems logical enough. And there are many instances of these seductive and easily digestible lies, especially in matters of money. How could a devalued dollar...

From the introduction of the PACT America report: "There are acceptable times for the accumulation of debt. Businesses often take loans in order to finance growth. This debt can help a business to gain increased profits, and a profitable business will be able to pay back its debts. Therefore...

I have developed some very interesting and far-reaching theories by substituting labor for kinetic energy and capital for potential energy and then applying the laws of thermodynamics. Not that you care. But in the truest sense, money (think wealth) can neither be created nor destroyed...

Here's part two of that article. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- If you look at current stock prices, you will see that they are overvalued from a historical perspective, and value investors like Warren Buffet have been complaining about this fact...

Here's an article that I wrote for the local union newspaper. It's a little bit long, but I really encourage people to read the whole thing. I think it has some pretty good insights about the corporate pension situation...

Thanks for the good comments and support. One thing I would like to say is that my plan is also a form of pension reform. I do not think it would be too much of a stretch to say that pensions are in great danger than Social Security. I would encourage people to listen to my podcast...

Furthermore... Yes there is a demographic problem, but is it a permanent one? Not exactly. Yes, the ratio of workers to retirees will decline when the Baby Boomer generation starts to retire. But that is the intended purpose of the Social Security trust fund. However, eventually this...

1) Even though it is a “pay-as-you-go” system, Social Security is able to provide a solid return on investment. Wages typically increase over time, and this natural appreciation creates inflation-protected returns for contributions to the system. While we are powerless to control the...

I haven't visited this forum for quite some time now, but I figured there might be a few people who still remember me. Anyway, the local newspaper recently did a story about my efforts with Social Security reform. As some of you may know, I decided to write a proposal for Social Security...

Not at all. The President's Commission Report entitled "Strengthening Social Security and Providing Personal Wealth for All Americans" is THE proposal for private stock accounts. http://www.csss.gov/reports/Final_report.pdf Page 5: "Social Security actuaries estimate that, for a single...

The American people can "demand" anything they want, but what money does the government actually have? If the government has so much money lying around, then why do we have a $7.8 trillion national debt? http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy06/pdf/spec.pdf Federal Government Assets: page...

That is the whole point. By "taking over this investment" I meant that they could start buying the bonds that will be used to pay back the trust fund. Since the trust fund is currently earning 5.7%, these workers would then be able to start putting money into a secure savings program that...

The one point that I keep trying to explain is that it is all about the transition. ALL contributions (12.4% of income up to $90,000) are needed in order to fund the obligations of the current program until 2042. There is NO extra money, because even the trust fund surpluses have been figured...

"According to the Social Security Administration, the effective interest rate on the $1.6 trillion Social Security trust fund was 5.7% for calendar year 2004. http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/ProgData/effectiveRates.html The government must find new financing for Social Security trust fund in...

First of all, Social Security is NOT a Ponzi scheme. Ponzi schemes involve unsustainable leverage and outrageous investment returns. Social Security is able to provide a completely legitimate investment return through the natural growth of wages. Read this for more information...

From my report dated February 23, 2005: The Social Security trust fund was established with excess payroll tax dollars. Therefore, workers were taxed in order to form the trust fund. This money was then lent to the government and Social Security was given "special issue" bonds that pay...

The $1.6 trillion trust fund has already been spent to help support our budget deficits. Even though the trust fund earns 5.7% interest, this interest is paid by our tax dollars. The only benefit is that we pay this interest to ourselves. The government would need to borrow $1.6 trillion to...

Thanks. The Fed has been raising interest rates in an attempt to stop inflation. However, these inflationary pressures are not due to low interest rates; they are a product of our weak dollar. From my report dated February 23, 2005: The true effects of a weak dollar are delayed in...