The real reason Social Security is in trouble.

[Another Bill C.]

The government owes so much to the Social Security fund that it cannot pay the debt which it would have to do when the Boomers retire.

I received this e-mail from the Bureau of the Public Debt in response to my inquiry as to the amount owed the Social Security Fund.

http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/bpd/bpdhome.htm

"As of Jan 31, 2004 the Social Security Trust Funds, consisting of the Federal Old Age and Survivors, Federal Disability Insurance (FDI), Federal Hospital Insurance and Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds owned $ 1, 830,638,603,000 in federal debt securities. Included in the total is $ 30,250,000 in a marketable Treasury Bond held by FDI, the balance is in non marketable public debt securities.

"The Monthly Statement of the Public Debt shows the individual holdings (except for the marketable security). See page 8 ftp://ftp.publicdebt.treas.gov/opd/opdm012004.pdf Also for more detail of holdings for all trust funds invested in public debt securities see http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/dfi/dfiholdingsreports.htm.

"Hope this helps
OPDA"

[SharonAnn]

1. Well I guess their financial scam is working

They spend all of our money that we put in Social Security "surplus" for ourselves. They spend the economy into a deficit on top of that. They did that by slashing tax rates on corporations and the wealthy and using "our" money to pay for services.

So now that they've stolen our money they're telling us they don't want to pay it back?

Thieves, pirates, brigands, robber barons, looters.

[hippiegranny]

2. enron-omics

at it's very conservative best!

[no_hypocrisy]

5. Onto The Bastille, mes compatriots!!!!

We're not gonna take this! As * told us in 2000, "It's your money!" We earned it, it was taken from us, and if Kenneth Lay has to pay some taxes to reimburse us, then fine.

[indepat]

6. This has been the Rethugs plan since the Gipper took office so

it is no surprise. Your terms are descriptive but, IMHO, much too civil, much too genteel, and not nearly scathing enough for these plundering, pillaging, shanghaiing, looting, larcenous and despicable scoundrels and scalawags. What the heck, my vocabulary is not up to the task of accurately describing any and all those who would shaft an entire generation of Americans, steal them blind and then wallow in their sanctimoniousness and reichousness.

[Cleita]

3. How about a million granny march on Washington.

A lot of old people have RV's many who live in them. The caravan could start on the west coast. Each town it passes through could go down main street picking up more protestors each time. I envision the caravan growing and growing as it approaches Washington. Speeches can be made and pamphlets passed out in each town. Of course you need to advise the local news outlets ahead of each town. They will come and report on it locally. Eventually the nationwide outlets would pick it up. By the time you converge on Washington they probably won't let you in any further for security reason, but your point would have been made.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

4. kick

:kick:

[bluedog]

7. need help please.

I need help to answer this in a way that a republican will understand...

how destroying S.S. will aid Bush or big business. If people like ....... and others like her keep saying Bush is trying to destroy S.S. I would like to see proof. Every president borrows from S.S.; in fact, there is no real S.S. account.

The money simply comes in and is spent. It would be one thing to say that Bush is incompetent or a coward for not cutting funding to pork programs (like so many other presidents have not done), but to say that Bush actually wants S.S. to fail is beyond reasoning.