Reading The Plot Against Social Security, it's a must read!

[Hamlette]

subtitle: How the Bush Plan is Endangering Our Financial Future but the most fascinating stuff is where the Bush plan came from (they've been honeing these attacks for YEARS, things like, first you scare them to death telling them the system is going bankrupt, then you divide young and old by telling the old their benefits will not be touched and telling the young they are getting screwed.)

But the very best stuff is the stats on Social Security now and then. Great ammo for arguments with people who say we gotta change SS.

(For instance, the 16 workers per 1 SS recipient ratio soon to be 2:1? Well, it was 16:1 in the 30s when it first started because so few people were eligible for SS then (hadn't paid in) and it went to 5:1 in the first 20 years so the 16:1 number is just rubbish! In the next 45 years it went from 5:1 to 3:1 where it is now. There is some evidence that it might even be reversing soon so instead of going to 2:1 it will go back up. If we could sustain the system for all these years and 5 workers per recipient and 3 workers per recipient, 2 is not that alarming.)

[LeftyDarthBrodie]

1. Enjoy the book

I read it and finished it a couple weeks ago and found it very informative. The book discredits every claim Bush made during his attacks on Social Security. The history of the Right's hatred of this program was very informative.

All of his solutions were interesting. I feel raising the income level subject to taxation is the best fix for now with the best chance of support from a majority of Americans.