Why is Social Security Failing?

According to a report by the Associated Press written in May, 2009, Social Security will pay out more in benefits than it collects in taxes by 2016, and the pot will be completely depleted 2037. The end of Social Security will come four years sooner than predicted because of the latest recession which led to greater unemployment and less Social Security funds to collect.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, the head of the trustees group, said that the Social Security annual surplus will be completely gone by 2016 because of the increased demands from the 78 million baby boomers in line to retire. A report by the Heritage Foundation states that “younger workers are especially aware that Social Security will not be able to provide the benefits they have been promised when they retire.” This is because the WWI and WWII Generation paid very little into the program, yet they received the greatest benefits. When the Baby Boomers start retiring, the system will be shocked and fall apart completely.

Why is Social Security Still Around?

Social security still exists because the American government uses fear tactics to save it. By saying that killing social security will kill the financial stability and preferred lifestyle of our grandparents, our parents, ourselves, and our children, the program sticks around. It is also such a massive and complex program, that most are too overwhelmed to even think about combating it. It is easy to listen to soundbites put out by politicians  that social security will help people in old age. That is comforting, safe, and easy. But the opposite is true. Social security won’t help everyone in old age, and when the Boomers break the door down to retirement, with a longer life expectancy than ever before, Social Security will reveal itself to be insecure and dangerous. The current system is not only social insecurity, it is financial suicide.

Social Security Reform

Social Security is not the titanium walker the government promised, rather a wobbly crutch with too much weight to support. The Social Security crutch has too many splinters and cracks that cannot be fixed with duct tape and glue alone. Citizens need to learn to walk on their own two feet and help others do the same. When people understand the importance of personal wealth, rather than government wealth, then less citizens will have to rely on the government to get them get by until they pass. With a little faith and financial education, we can do better for ourselves.

Civilians of this country should not let the sacrifices that military families make go to waste. Just like a soldier in combat or an EOD tech getting ready to defuse an IED, protect your homes, your families, and your constitution from the corrupt politicians in Washington that aim to take your freedom away. What will the fight for freedom mean abroad, if there is no fight at home?

Make your representatives fight for you and fight against them until they do.

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• The Aftermath of Fort Hood (crazyadventuresinparenting.com)

Military spouses, which have their own day early in the year, have to learn to be alone for months at a time just waiting for the day they can run towards their spouse across the glistening tarmac. They prepare just as much as any soldier does and life in the military is a never ending cycle where the only constant is change.

Mourning at Fort Hood - LM Otero/AP

Families are supported by Readiness Programs that prepare them for deployments. They learn to be supportive, faithful to the work of the Nation, and stand ready and prepared for any outcome. The Army runs one of the strongest and most structured Family Readiness Programs out of all the services and the spouses are resilient because of the success of the Programs. But nothing could have prepared the families of those who lost their lives under the fire of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan at Ft. Hood on November 5th, 2009.

Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, is responsible for killing 13 people  and injuring over 30. As a psychiatrist, Maj. Hasan helped American soldiers deal with the pressures of military and home life. One psychiatrist who had worked with Maj. Hasan, who requested to remain anonymous, told NPR that “he was being treated as a Muslim by the Army — an Arab — and not as an American. He felt he was being discriminated against.” Maj. Hasan was also dreading a future deployment to Afghanistan or Iraq. If he was torn about deploying because he felt he had an affinity to one of those nations, then he was never American to begin with.

Those that lost their lives in the violence were “Americans of every race, faith and station. They were Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and nonbelievers,” according to NPR. They are:

* Capt. John P. Gaffaney, 54, of San Diego, Calif., assigned to the 1908th Medical Company, Independence, Mo.

* Capt. Russell Seager, 41, of Racine, Wis., assigned to the 467th Medical Company, Madison, Wis.

* Staff Sgt. Justin Decrow, 32, of Plymouth, Ind., assigned to the 16th Signal Company, Fort Hood, Texas.

* Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wis., assigned to the 467th Medical Company, Madison, Wis.

* Spc. Jason Hunt, 22, of Tillman, Okla., assigned to the 1st Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas.

* Spc. Frederick Greene, 29, of Mountain City, Tenn., assigned to the 16th Signal Company, Fort Hood, Texas.

* Pfc. Aaron Nemelka, 19, of West Jordan, Utah., assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, Fort Hood, Texas.

* Pfc. Michael Pearson, 22, of Bolinbrook, Ill., assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, Fort Hood, Texas.

* Spc. Kham Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, Minn., assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, Fort Hood, Texas.

* Pvt. Francheska Velez, 21, of Chicago, Ill., assigned to the 15th Combat Support Battalion, Fort Hood, Texas.

* Mr. Michael Cahill of Cameron, Texas., a civilian employee on Fort Hood.

It is the worst kind of injustice for the families and the Nation to take the life of a soldier who is ready to run into battle. According to National Post, Maj. Hasan has been taken of the respirator, but is still in intensive care.

Public donations can be made to the families involved in the shooting by going to the official Ft. Hood Homepage and clicking on the “Public Donations to Help Families of Victims” link.

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GOP Leaders Unveiling Patients Choice Act of 2009 © Talknewsradio

Here are the core concepts of the Patients Choice Act of 2009 (PCA) pulled directly from the official summary.

Emphasize Prevention
Five preventable chronic conditions consume 75% of our health spending and cause two!thirds of American deaths.  Investing in prevention will lower long!term costs and ensure Americans live longer and happier lives.  Solutions should change “sick care” into “health care.”

Create a Market that Works for Patients
The status quo regulation of the insurance market does not provide incentives for insurance companies to cover chronically sick patients and many sick patients are unable to afford premiums.  Businesses must play by transparent rules and compete for patients’ business.  The market must work for every patient every time.  Patients should have convenient and affordable options, and they should have control of those options.  Doctors, hospitals, and nurses should be more involved in patient!centered care.

Guarantee Choice of Coverage Options
Patients should be able to choose from a variety of private insurance plans. The federal government would run a health care system—or a public plan option—with the compassion of the IRS, the efficiency of the post office, and the incompetence of Katrina.  We cannot entrust the federal government to deliver high quality health care to every American.  All Americans have a right to personalized and individual health care that will meet their unique needs.

Insist on Fairness for Every Patient
Patients already in government programs deserve a human approach to their health benefits and fewer bureaucratic barriers.  Individuals struggling to purchase their own health insurance deserve the same tax breaks as Americans working in Fortune 500 Companies.  Medicare beneficiaries deserve delivery choice when selecting between health benefits.

Fairly Compensate Patient Injuries
Patients should have the right to fair legal representation and fair compensation for tragic, inexcusable mistakes in the health care field.  However, today’s legal system serves the self!interest of personal injury lawyers, drives up costs, and delays justice.  Science! driven and results!oriented change is needed today.

No Tax Increases or New Government Spending
America spends more than $2.4 trillion on health care every year—16.6 percent of our gross domestic product.8  On a per capita basis that is nearly twice what other industrialized nations spend,9 and it is 25 percent more than Switzerland, the next biggest spender, spends.  Entitlement program liabilities threaten our nation’s long!term fiscal stability.  Future generations of Americans will have to pay $36 trillion in new taxes to keep the promises made by today’s politicians for the Medicare program alone.  Last year, the federal government estimated that without reforms, the Medicaid program will spend at least $4.9 trillion over the next 10 years.10 Washington has already proven we cannot spend our way out of this problem.  Innovative solutions should focus on making health care more affordable, especially when cost is a major barrier to access.

Restore Accountability to Government Programs
The children covered under government health care programs today will face future tax increases in order to pay the $36 trillion unfunded liabilities in the Medicare program alone.  Medicaid fraud and mismanagement waste at least $32.7 billion in taxpayer dollars every year.  Reforms must bring about efficiency, transparency, and results.   Failure to act now will jeopardize our nation’s long!term fiscal security.

Include Ideas from Governors and States
Rather than one!size!fits all Washington mandates, a comprehensive solution to health reform must include governors, state legislatures, and every American citizen.

Click on the link to download the entire summary of the PCA and spread the word quickly. Congress will be voting on a new health care system in July.

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There are five basic assumptions that explain the realist theory.

Anarchy

The world is anarchic, meaning that there is no global government. Citizens within a nation depend on government for protection from outside threats from other nations or rogue actors, like terrorists. Because there is no global governance, it is important for a nation to have as much power as it can to ensure that the citizens are protected.

Maintaining Sovereignty

Nations want to rule themselves to pursue their own domestic destinies. If a nation is constantly battling the imposition of another, it can’t focus on its own domestic affairs. In relation, If a person is constantly worrying about being fired (power struggle) then they act differently in regards to raising their children, perhaps by skimping, sending them to bad schools, or making them work to help out. However, if a person doesn’t have to worry about money (security) then they can send their kids where they want, have money to buy them what they need, and make decisions for the household that they want to make. By having government provide security, a person is able to fulfill their own destiny.

The Military is the Greatest Resource of Power

The most common way for a nation to get protection and have domestic freedom is to have a strong military. Any type of military is essential for protection, whether it is strictly defensive like Mexico‘s, or both defensive and offensive like the United States‘ military. The stronger the military, the less chance of an attack.

This unfortunately leads to paranoia in the world. Many questions arise such as why “Nation A” needs so many nuclear weapons if they are only trying to protect themselves. In theory a nation only needs as many weapons as its closest enemy. When it starts building more their true intentions are questioned and their defensive acts may be construed as secretly offensive.

Transparency

A nation’s intentions need to be disclosed so that other nations can act accordingly. If a state is transparent, or open about all of its actions such as arms building or joining an alliance, then its enemy will know what it is up to, and can act accordingly. However, even when a nation’s leader gives an official statement about promoting a given policy, skepticism still ensues. For example, not too many people believe that the Iranian government is using nuclear technology for domestic energy even though this was the government’s official declaration.

In a card game, if you tell everyone else what cards you have, then you lose leverage to win the game, or power to bluff your way through it. In addition, you could be lying about what cards you have, therefore accepting that your opponents could be lying about their cards too. Negative behavior is hard to control internationally because there is no way to punish it.

Survival in the Global Arena

Everything circles back to the original idea of survival. Considering all of the above, a nation’s goal is to survive and figure out what it needs to do in order to stay one step ahead of everyone else. Realists believe that there is no room for ethics in the international arena, and that everything that can be done will be done to gain and sustain power and protect the well being of the citizens it protects.

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Put Power Tactics to Good Use

Saul Alinsky‘s book on Power Tactics is filled with ways to organize, conquer, and succeed in community organizing. Put these in your PDA, text or email them to your phone, write them on your hand, and get ready to party likes its 1773 until our demands are met. The information is very valuable and while it was originally meant for left-wing extremists, the tactics are reversible and can be used against the Left. Karl Rove stated that the Obama’s are big fans of the book and its tactics. Here is a chance to give the left a dose of its own medicine.

Rules for Power Tactics:

1. Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.
2. Never go outside the experience of your people.
3. Whenever possible, go outside of the experience of the enemy.
4. Make the enemy live up to their own book of rules.
5. Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.
6. A good tactic is one that your people enjoy.
7. A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.
8. Keep the pressure on with different tactics and actions, and utilize all events of the period for your purpose.
9. The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.
10. The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition.
11. If you push a negative hard and deep enough, it will break through into its counterside.
12. The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.
13. Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.

Rules to test whether power tactics are ethical:

1. One’s concern with the ethics of means and ends varies inversely with one’s personal interest in the issue.
2. The judgment of the ethics of means is dependent upon the political position of those sitting in judgment.
3. In war the end justifies almost any means.
4. Judgment must be made in the context of the times in which the action occurred and not from any other chronological vantage point.
5. Concern with ethics increases with the number of means available and vice versa.
6. The less important the end to be desired, the more one can afford to engage in ethical evaluations of means.
7. Generally, success or failure is a mighty determinant of ethics.
8. The morality of means depends upon whether the means is being employed at a time of imminent defeat or imminent victory.
9. Any effective means is automatically judged by the opposition to be unethical.
10. You do what you can with what you have and clothe it in moral garments.
11. Goals must be phrased in general terms like “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity,” “Of the Common Welfare,” “Pursuit of Happiness,” or “Bread and Peace.”

I personally congratulate all the liberals who mastered Rule number 5. Not only did they come up with a clever sexually charged label for the hard working Tea Party Protesters, they also failed to read the entire list and ask themselves whether or not they were being ethical. Good job liberals.

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