Reforming Social Security

Editorials

October 20, 2006

Anonymous The Daily Southerner Fri Oct 20, 2006, 12:27 PM EDT

Social Security reform was supposed to be a Bush administration priority in this term. It was introduced with a lot of promise and the president conducted numerous town meetings across the country. Congress balked, however, and the issue fell flat.

Each year the problem goes unfixed, it costs $600 billion more. There may not be a program for younger workers because the system will be bankrupt by sometime around the year 2040. Those of us younger than 55 who are paying for the retirement of baby boomers – and especially our children and grandchildren – may never see a dime of the money we've put into the program.

In order to change that, Congress must first admit there's a problem and then take drastic action to fix it.

While Republicans at least acknowledge the looming crisis, most Democrats refuse to come to the table to discuss possible solutions.

One thing the two parties should be able to accept is that it's time to stop using the Social Security surplus to balance the federal budget. While it may appear as though the debt will increase, it's more a matter of honest budgeting. A bill addressing that issue went nowhere last year.

Social Security was never meant to be a retirement plan. It was meant to supplement savings. ... We still support allowing younger workers the option to put away a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal savings accounts to begin taking responsibility for their own retirement.

Personal accounts are just one piece of the complex Social Security puzzle, but they are an important part because they have a better chance of preserving at least some of the payroll taxes the younger generation is paying into the system for themselves and their beneficiaries.

We have serious reservations about making Social Security another welfare program, as has been discussed in a limited way through a proposal called "progressive indexing" or means testing benefits, but at least it's an idea that can be used as a jumping-off point for debate.

The next Congress must have the political will to address Social Security for the long term.

Let's get to the table in 2007 and get serious about true Social Security reform.

— The Truth, Elkhart, Ind.

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Editorials

Happening a special event
My first Happening on the Common was one to remember, perhaps in part because it included a wide variety of music, arts and crafts and food.
And while you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking if someone liked either music or arts and crafts, there is no such uncertainty when it comes to food.
My favorite of the day was from the Hispanic Youth Group from Tarboro’s First Baptist Church. Their tamales were, as the Campbell Soup Kids used to say, “umm, umm. good!”

May 21, 2012
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Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a parking lot, knowing in yiour heart that you remembered where you parked but faced with the realization that you didn’t?
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Then, sheepishly, we walk away and begin our wandering and wondering as we try to find our wheels.

May 14, 2012
Who looks after our parks?
To the Editor:
There are so many wonderful aspects of living in a small town like Tarboro; we have opportunities to participate in improvement programs in gardening, home restoration courses, weight loss, summer recreation, wholesome weekend events, some of which are free, and many more that meet the interests of our residents, such as the upcoming free concert on our Town Common by the North Carolina Symphony. There’s a “Trap, Neuter, Return” organization to keep the feline population in-check. Check out the calendar page of the Daily Southerner and you will be informed of opportunities for all ages.

May 14, 2012
Thanks from United Way
To the Editor:
A remarkable group of more than 175 citizens came together recently to celebrate a major accomplishment for the communities in Edgecombe and Nash Counties. The joy was palpable at the Champions’ Luncheon as the United Way Tar River Region affirmed that the ambitious goal of raising more than $1.26 million has been reached! There was a collective sigh of relief in knowing that funds will be available to continue support for the growing number of needs in our local neighborhoods.

May 14, 2012
Economic growth a must
I give credit to Rich Karlgaard, a regular contributor to Forbes magazine, for many of the statistics I use in this column.
As we all know our economy is extremely sluggish to put it mildly. It’s just growing at somewhere between 1 percent and 2 percent and at this rate the economy can only get worse. In comparison, our economy has grown, on average, at a rate of 3.3 percent since the end of World War II. And even during this time frame we had two big recessions.

May 9, 2012
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We beg to differ.

May 9, 2012
And we continue to walk ...
As a cancer survivor — and on behalf of other cancer survivors — thank you to everyone who has taken even the most minute role in the Relay for Life effort.
That effort continues this week when the Rocky Hock Opry rolls into town for a couple of Saturday performances at Edgecombe Community College.
Please, continue your support.

May 7, 2012
Early voting over; Go to the polls and vote Tuesday
Tuesday is election day.
It is a time when we, as Americans, go to the polls and make decisions that affect the course our communities, our counties, our states and, ultimately, our nation, will take.
But while many will spend time discussing their “right” to vote, we would like to point out that it is also the responsibility of a citizen of this great land to participate in the electoral process.

May 7, 2012
Your Views
May 7, 2012
Do you remember where you were?
I would be willing to bet there won’t be a person at the Tarboro High School football field and track today and tonight who can’t tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing when they learned they had cancer.

May 4, 2012
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