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Social Insecurity, Affirmative Action Kills, Coercion vs. Cooperation

By Theresa Fritz Camoriano

1.  Social Insecurity – Would you rather give 12% of your income to a politician who has no legal obligation to you, in the hope that his successor will take care of you in your old age, or would you rather put that money into an investment you own?  That seems to be a no-brainer, and yet, in the current debate over Social Security, about half of the people seem to want to give their money to the politician.  Don’t they realize that the government has no legal obligation to take care of them in their old age no matter how much money they “contribute”?  Are they so unsure of their own ability to invest that they think they would be better off depending on an unknown politician who will be elected in the future?  Don’t they realize that there is no lock box or trust fund – that all the money they pay into Social Security is paid out as quickly as it comes in?  Don’t they realize there is no way future generations will be able to carry the load government has promised and that, if Social Security were a private business, it would be in bankruptcy already?

          I have heard some people oppose private accounts by saying that the government should not be forcing us to pay into a social security system at all.  Unfortunately, that option is not on the table.  Of the options that really are available – staying with the current pyramid scheme or shifting to privately owned accounts, the private accounts clearly are far superior.  The current system pits one generation against another and is in deep financial trouble no matter what we do, while private accounts at least are the beginning of a way to put retirement funds on a more sound footing.      

“People who oppose the privatization of Social Security call it ‘a risky scheme.’ But is anything more risky than turning money over to politicians and hoping that they won't spend it before you retire? They have been spending the ‘trust fund’ for decades.” – Thomas Sowell

(See also Walter Williams  http://www.washingtontimes.com/commentary/20050310-085600-6732r.htm)

2.  Affirmative Action Kills – A defendant in Atlanta recently overpowered the petite female deputy who was escorting him into court, took her gun, critically wounded her, and killed the judge, the court reporter, and another deputy.  The murderer then escaped, putting many other innocent people at risk.  By the time he was captured, he had pistol whipped several people and probably murdered at least one other person.  In my opinion, the person hired to escort large, dangerous defendants into the courtroom needs to be big, burly, and very intimidating, not a petite affirmative action hiree.  It is not prudent to be politically correct when the lives of innocent people are at stake.

3.  Coercion or Cooperation – I recently received a very rude message on my answering machine from the Water Company, telling me that it was getting ready to turn off my water, because my bill was one week overdue.  I have lived in the same house for eighteen years and have always been prompt in paying my bills.  I don’t know why my payment was late this time – whether I didn’t receive the bill, or maybe it got lost in a stack of papers after it arrived at my house, but I was surprised that the water company would treat a good, longstanding customer in such a manner.  On second thought, I shouldn’t have been surprised.  The water company is a government-protected monopoly.  Like the Post Office, the electric company, and other protected monopolies, it has no competition, so it doesn’t have to treat its customers with respect as a typical private business would.  Unfortunately, government coercion is replacing voluntary cooperation in more and more aspects of our lives, and the result is a coarsening of our society.  Instead of pleasantly cooperating with each other on a voluntary basis, trying to attract business and develop goodwill, people are pushing one another around by force.  For example, instead of just trying to persuade us to stop smoking and instead of allowing restaurants and bars to respond to the demands of consumers, government is enacting smoking bans that will throw business owners and smokers into jail if they do not comply.  Just imagine how it will be when government completely takes over our health care.  “So you say you are deathly ill and in pain?  Tough!  Shut up, take a number, and wait your turn!”  That is, of course, unless you are politically connected, in which case you move to the front of the line.

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