dirty
EOG Master
Americans have this penchant for finding ways to categorize a year s it comes to a close. Fine ... I can play that game as well as anyone, and my thoughts will be no more valuable nor profound than anyone else's ... except, perhaps, for any thoughts that Cynthia McKinney might manger to dredge up.
The continuing story of 2005 was, of course, the war in Iraq. More on that in a minute. The most spectacular story was Hurricane Katrina. But 2005 also had a theme ... the continuing decline in self-sufficiency and individual responsibility. The decline in American self-reliance can be seen in two big stories from 2005; Social Security reform and the flooding of New Orleans.
Social Security reform first. There is no doubt whatsoever that the entire Social Security system is in grave trouble. With each and every day that passes there are more people receiving benefits and fewer people working to pay those benefits. While it's true that what's done is done, we should never miss an opportunity to explain to people that there is no Social Security Trust Fund. It's doesn't exist. For decades -- for generations -- the Democrat-controlled congress, and then the Republican-controlled congress would take every single penny in Social Security taxes and, after writing the checks for those receiving benefits, would spend every single penny that was left on various vote-buying programs. That phony trust fund is nothing but a bunch of congressional IOUs sitting in a grey file cabinet in West Virginia. In not-too-many years there won't be enough Social Security taxes coming in to cover the benefits going out. Then it will be time to present the IOUs to congress for payment. Where do you think that money is going to come from? You don't actually think that congress will cut spending somewhere to pay those IOUs off, do you? No, of course you don't So what does that leave? Tax increases. So, if you make over $100,000 a year, get ready to lube up, bend over and grab your ankles.
So, along comes a president with the actual guts to promote a reform plan for Social Security. The idea was to allow people to take a portion of their Social Security taxes and place then in a privately owned retirement account. Now naturally the Democrats went nuts. That was to be expected. Democrats are, after all, the party of dependence. Democrats can be absolutely counted on to fight any government reform program that will empower the individual at the expense of government. The surprise was that the people of this country reacted very negatively to the idea. They didn't want to control their own retirement programs. The reform program was going to give them more freedom! Freedom to make a choice as to where to invest that 4%? My goodness, what if they made a bad investment? No thank you. No freedom for me. Just let the government do it.
Second ... Hurricane Katrina and the flooding of New Orleans. Prior to Katrina New Orleans led the nation in the percentage of residents on welfare and living in welfare housing. Along with that, of course, came one of the nation's highest crime rates. Then comes the flood, and these people continued the same behavior that they adopted as their lifestyle before the hurricane, a lifestyle of government dependency. Sit around, enjoy yourself, and wait for government to provide you with the essentials of life.
OK .. I know we're speaking in generalities here. Sure there are exceptions, but by and large those who were exceptions are no longer languishing in the 81,000 welfare hotel suites in 47 different states that have been and are now being paid for by achievement oriented Americans who are actually paying taxes. Over the past few months we have seen deadline after deadline from FEMA. The free hotel ride ends in November; no, make that December. OK, you can stay 'till January. February's fine. Oh, what the hell. Why don't we just give you a deed to your hotel room! Room service, anyone? What should we expect? These people did next-to-nothing to become self-sufficient when they were living off the public teat in New Orleans, why would a flood and a change in scenery change that? Two months ago I called the managers of several Atlanta area hotels and motels housing Katrina evacuees. I had one question: Have any of the evacuees in your hotel approached you about a job? Not one manager answered in the affirmative. Not one.
During the first part of 2006 there will be deadline extension after deadline extension, and the bulk of these evacuees will stay put in their hotel room until the taxpayers find - and pay for - another place for them to live. The lifestyle of dependency will continue.
This is going to be the story of America in the 21st Century. People will continue to seek government-provided security, and politicians, eager to enhance their power, will continue to find ways to give the people what they want. The war on individualism and individual accountability will continue.
This was the story of 2005. Those who strived for achievement and self-sufficiency were likely to be derided derided and mocked while their pockets are being picked. They were the evil, greedy rich. Those who chose the path of government dependency continued to be embraced and protected. For those who believe that we get more of the behavior we reward, and less of the behavior we punish, 2005 wasn't that great a year.
The continuing story of 2005 was, of course, the war in Iraq. More on that in a minute. The most spectacular story was Hurricane Katrina. But 2005 also had a theme ... the continuing decline in self-sufficiency and individual responsibility. The decline in American self-reliance can be seen in two big stories from 2005; Social Security reform and the flooding of New Orleans.
Social Security reform first. There is no doubt whatsoever that the entire Social Security system is in grave trouble. With each and every day that passes there are more people receiving benefits and fewer people working to pay those benefits. While it's true that what's done is done, we should never miss an opportunity to explain to people that there is no Social Security Trust Fund. It's doesn't exist. For decades -- for generations -- the Democrat-controlled congress, and then the Republican-controlled congress would take every single penny in Social Security taxes and, after writing the checks for those receiving benefits, would spend every single penny that was left on various vote-buying programs. That phony trust fund is nothing but a bunch of congressional IOUs sitting in a grey file cabinet in West Virginia. In not-too-many years there won't be enough Social Security taxes coming in to cover the benefits going out. Then it will be time to present the IOUs to congress for payment. Where do you think that money is going to come from? You don't actually think that congress will cut spending somewhere to pay those IOUs off, do you? No, of course you don't So what does that leave? Tax increases. So, if you make over $100,000 a year, get ready to lube up, bend over and grab your ankles.
So, along comes a president with the actual guts to promote a reform plan for Social Security. The idea was to allow people to take a portion of their Social Security taxes and place then in a privately owned retirement account. Now naturally the Democrats went nuts. That was to be expected. Democrats are, after all, the party of dependence. Democrats can be absolutely counted on to fight any government reform program that will empower the individual at the expense of government. The surprise was that the people of this country reacted very negatively to the idea. They didn't want to control their own retirement programs. The reform program was going to give them more freedom! Freedom to make a choice as to where to invest that 4%? My goodness, what if they made a bad investment? No thank you. No freedom for me. Just let the government do it.
Second ... Hurricane Katrina and the flooding of New Orleans. Prior to Katrina New Orleans led the nation in the percentage of residents on welfare and living in welfare housing. Along with that, of course, came one of the nation's highest crime rates. Then comes the flood, and these people continued the same behavior that they adopted as their lifestyle before the hurricane, a lifestyle of government dependency. Sit around, enjoy yourself, and wait for government to provide you with the essentials of life.
OK .. I know we're speaking in generalities here. Sure there are exceptions, but by and large those who were exceptions are no longer languishing in the 81,000 welfare hotel suites in 47 different states that have been and are now being paid for by achievement oriented Americans who are actually paying taxes. Over the past few months we have seen deadline after deadline from FEMA. The free hotel ride ends in November; no, make that December. OK, you can stay 'till January. February's fine. Oh, what the hell. Why don't we just give you a deed to your hotel room! Room service, anyone? What should we expect? These people did next-to-nothing to become self-sufficient when they were living off the public teat in New Orleans, why would a flood and a change in scenery change that? Two months ago I called the managers of several Atlanta area hotels and motels housing Katrina evacuees. I had one question: Have any of the evacuees in your hotel approached you about a job? Not one manager answered in the affirmative. Not one.
During the first part of 2006 there will be deadline extension after deadline extension, and the bulk of these evacuees will stay put in their hotel room until the taxpayers find - and pay for - another place for them to live. The lifestyle of dependency will continue.
This is going to be the story of America in the 21st Century. People will continue to seek government-provided security, and politicians, eager to enhance their power, will continue to find ways to give the people what they want. The war on individualism and individual accountability will continue.
This was the story of 2005. Those who strived for achievement and self-sufficiency were likely to be derided derided and mocked while their pockets are being picked. They were the evil, greedy rich. Those who chose the path of government dependency continued to be embraced and protected. For those who believe that we get more of the behavior we reward, and less of the behavior we punish, 2005 wasn't that great a year.
