Congressional Insight - Written March 9, 2005

CONGRESSIONAL INSIGHT
To: Lamar Smith
I just got a notice that your message might be junk mail and I had to check a spot saying it wasn't. I hope I'm right!!!!!!!!!!! I think you are on a committee that can do something about the overreaction to spam and other unwanted E-mail. I have no problems and just delete what I don't want.
Regarding SS, it's protected as long as over 12 percent of the better part of the national payroll is paid to eligible beneficiaries every year. It becomes problematical when SSI enters the picture.
Did you consider that Baby Boomers will be dead in 30 years? Not all Baby Boomers are eligible now. I'm all for helping the elderly whether they're eligible for SS or not. I'm too old to care where my money comes from, Welfare or SS, but I think most SS recipients want what they paid for and the young folks don't want to set up a welfare program for themselves.
Investing SS money in the stock market makes no sense. You can use compound interest, simple interest, dog pound interest, pound cake interest, sledge hammer interest or credit card interest and SS beats'em all. I paid in a total of $15,000, most of it paid in the last few years before retirement. I have received more than $67, 000 in benefits. I am 68 years old and receive $875 per month SS and a small private pension. I would receive more if the SS program paid out what it is supposed to pay out. If employers want to project low wages in the future, or outsourcing most of the better jobs, (the SS administration could never do that. could they?), then the whole economy will turn sour and not just SS recipients will be short changed. We'll do just fine if we get what we're supposed to get every year. The idea of a "trust fund" was never in the cards from the getgo.
If you really want to protect SS, do something for the American working man. Big Business has a way of squeezing out the little guy every time they write legislation for you guys in Congress.