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Readers Debate Social Security's Merits

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 23, 2008

It's A 'Ponzi Scheme'

Regarding "Social Security: We Need It And Want It" (Other Views, Aug. 18):

Florida AFL-CIO president Cindy Hall's article defending our great government Ponzi scheme was disingenuous in more ways than I can list. She starts off citing all of the current benefits of Social Security and listing how their loss would affect today's recipients. This is an out-and-out scare tactic to distract readers from the fact that Social Security reform and privatization is about helping recipients many years in the future, not today's retirees.

Seniors have contributed to the system for their entire lives and deserve their benefits. However, basic arithmetic shows us that the solution for the future is going to be either personal retirement accounts or more payroll taxes and lower benefits. The true "disgrace" is that many like Hall prefer the latter.

MATT CURRAN

Dade City

Poverty Prevention

Regarding "Phase Out This Fraud We Call Social Security" (Other Views, Aug. 18):

"Social Security in any form is morally irredeemable," says Alex Epstein of the Ayn Rand Institute, a libertarian think tank.

What happened to the dictum: "Be your brother's keeper?" Should that apply only to blood brothers? Ayn Rand thought so, but Jesus didn't.

Social Security was invented in part to protect people from spending their last cent helping their children. With the specter of double-digit inflation for many working people, saving enough to be secure in their old age means having less or no children, which is the path many responsible people have chosen. Should we choose to exacerbate this tendency?

YOLANDE KERSEY

Tampa

Article Was Correct

Alex Epstein's comments regarding Social Security could not be more correct. It is time to allow individuals to invest for themselves rather than have wages confiscated by a government that has no constitutional authority to enact a retirement plan.

We are beholden to foreigners to the tune of $7 trillion in debt. They will not continue to fund our wastrel government. If we do not end the entitlement mentality and cut entitlement spending, we will be broke, conquered and debt slaves to the world.

ANDREW NAPPI

Hudson

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