A flat rate for Social Security
2/19/2005The President's plan for Social Security must be analyzed on two levels.
First, and foremost, Republican politicians have never liked Social Security. Most opposed its creation in the 1930s. Most opposed the Medicare addendum in the 1960s. Many Republican voters want to keep Social Security as is, but believe the two-faced Republican political hypocrites who feign support for a program that generations spend entire careers trying to annihilate.
Second, the Bushwackies see a huge pot of money in Social Security which could replace the lost value in the stock markets caused by their disastrous economic policies.
What a plan! Demolish the Social Security system they hate and bolster the sagging stock market at the same time. For the wealthy elite, most of whom are heavily invested in stocks, it's a win-win.
The basic premise that Social Security is in crisis is a preposterous exaggeration - a scare tactic. It is unconscionable to frighten senior citizens this way. But we have learned the bitter lesson that the only compassion in "compassionate conservatism" is vacuous verbiage. There is no compassion, only passion for further engorging the bulging pockets of the super-rich, top 2 percent.
All reliable actuarial data show Social Security to be solvent for at least 30 years. The long range solution, beyond this, is quite simple.
Social Security contributions are currently collected from only the first $90,000 of income. In other words, the more a person earns above $90,000, the lower percentage of total income that person pays into Social Security - Robin Hood in reverse.
Many conservatives support a flat-rate income tax. Why not a flat rate on Social Security contributions on total income? Sounds fair to me.
Dale Pertcheck
Sylvania
Jack Ford has a plan for our great city, but where is the free off-street parking?
The mayor and City Council should look around. Successful businesses, from factories, doctors, lawyers, restaurants, retailers - large and small - have one thing in common: free off street parking. Many of these businesses have left downtown for the lack of free or affordable parking.
I've been in the retail business in Toledo for 50 years. At any time had I lost my free off-street parking, my business would have suffered and might not have succeeded.
Not one mayor or city council in the last 50 years has had the brains to figure this out.
The city should do for Toledo what it has done for DaimlerChrysler and the other large companies. The answer is eminent domain.
Take over the existing parking facilities for the good of downtown Toledo.
FRANK W. FULKERSON
Wildwood Road
I don't see why an arrest for DUI should harm Justice Alice Resnick's political career. After all, it didn't seem to damage George W. Bush's.
PHYLLIS FERGUSON
Somerset Street