Same choir, but not singing from the same page...

[alexpgp]

It would appear, after a cursory review of the following two statements, that at least one of the speakers is ill-informed. Or perhaps engaging in prevarication. Or simply hoping to advance an agenda by engaging in scare tactics, although according to what was said in a White House press conference on June 29, 2011, the President (at least) wants to make sure that he does not engage in such tactics, attempting instead to "be responsible and somewhat restrained so that folks don't get spooked."

I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on August 3rd if we haven't resolved this issue. Because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it.
—Barack Obama, Washington, July 12, 2011 (CBS News)

For years, however, I seem to recall various governmental talking heads telling us that all was okay with Social Security. Indeed, just this past February, the OMB Director spoke on just this subject:

Social Security benefits are entirely self-financing. They are paid for with payroll taxes collected from workers and their employers throughout their careers. These taxes are placed in a trust fund dedicated to paying benefits owed to current and future beneficiaries. ... According to the most recent report of the independent Social Security Trustees, the trust fund is currently in surplus and growing. Even though Social Security began collecting less in taxes than it paid in benefits in 2010, the trust fund will continue to accrue interest and grow until 2025, and will have adequate resources to pay full benefits for the next 26 years.
—Jacob Lew, OMB Director, February 21, 2011 (USA Today, Op-ed page)

This behind-closed-doors stuff is getting tedious. It'd be nice to throw a little sunshine on the shenanigans.

Cheers...

Comments

[velvet-granat.livejournal.com]

What makes me really sad are articles like this one (http://www.npr.org/2011/06/25/137414737/among-the-costs-of-war-20b-in-air-conditioning). In essence, it says that the US government spends a billion a year more on air-conditioning in Iraq than it does on the entire NASA program.

Air con. In a desert. In a war for oil, fought for over a decade, and lost from the start. While they are saying that they can't even pay the dole to the citizens back home. It's just... ridiculous.

[velvet-granat.livejournal.com]

Slip of the brain - I meant to write Afganistan. (Which is even more wasteful, on the scale of things.)