Posted by Thomas Dixon on September 23, 19100 at 17:30:09:
Help save our children
Children of today have an uncertain future. They can no longer follow their father's footsteps, plow their father's fields. If someone were to poll 3rd grade children today and ask them what they wanted be when they grow up, I think they would say policemen, firefighters, doctors, nurses or teachers; poll a 12th grader and the story changes. They are no longer children but maturing young adults who are now facing the realities of life. Stop at your nearest fast food restaurant or at your nearest grocery store and ask the patron if he or she intends to go to a college? In my experiences, they seem a little confused, not sure. They do not want to admit it, but the fact is they can hardly support themselves now, how could they even consider the financial requirements of an education. This stress put upon these parents and their children is pulling them apart. Families are losing the glue that binds them together. More and more parents divorce, and the children are left to make it on their own. Many parents, fearing such a future, have decided not to have children at all. It is a heart-wrenching world they find themselves in. An Austin, Texas based newspaper, The Austin American Statesman, published an article on March 19, 1999 titled "Do The Math on Dropouts". They reported a staggering 42 percent dropout rate across Texas. Everyone refused to believe it then; and even now, few understand its consequences. This is a real problem, not just for Texas, but for America; it must be turned around. At one time in our history, a high-school education was enough. With a little hard work and a high-school diploma, you could find work, support a family and have children. Today, in America, the training you need for a good starts with a high-school diploma, not end with one. The family savings rate is all but gone; the birth rate in American is flat if not negative. We, as a people are on a slippery slope with little to hold onto. And yet, we as a people are at a time in our history never before imagined. We have, at our disposal, a way to stop this downward trend, a way to reunite the family and educate our children.
Congress created the Social Security Act to protect the destitute from starvation. It has evolved far beyond that. The Social Security Trust fund collected over 80 billion dollars in surplus in 1999. This trend is expected to continue for at least the next 14 years. If this money could be property managed, it could generate billions more in interest. By 2014 there will be over $2 trillion in the fund, even without investing it. There is enough money going into the fund to finance current obligations and finance the family reunification we so desperatly need. Bush was correct when he proposed making the trust fund property of the people. We as a people need this money and we need the urance that it is ours. Children today should be able to borrow from their future deposits to pay for an education today. This would take the burden off parents who could not afford to send their children to a higher level of education. With an education, a skill, these kids would earn more and contribute more into the fund. Everyone wins. Children can see a real future and teachers can better prepare them for this future. If we do nothing now, we will have nothing in the future. We are in a new era that requires new ideas. Today we have the resources to meet these needs if we act now. Privatize social security. Take it out of the budget and make it a trust fund as it was intended. The next president will decide the future of social security. Choose him wisely. Please VOTE
See: www.swgweb.com/~dixon
www.socialsecurity.org
www.ssa.gov/history/brief.html
If you want real economic numbers to see how this really works, send a request or send comments/suggestions to: tdixon@ccsi.com
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