April 05th, 2007Thank You for Dying: An Interview with Chris Buckley
April 05th 02:53:51 PM
As the buzz surrounding Chris Buckley's new book Boomsday continues to build, the Wall Street Journal published an author interview last week. Below are three of Buckley's answers I found to be interesting (WSJ in bold, Buckley in normal print). Ryan Lynch, S4's own witty communications spinster, is currently reading the book, so look forward to hearing his thoughts.
But what makes you think young people can be made to care about Social Security?
If I were "generation whatever," I would be pissed off. We have an $8.5 trillion national debt, and that bill is going to come due one of these days. But people who raise the cry of alarm can be made in our culture of gratification to sound tiresome. Cassandras have always been historically discredited until the monster rises out of the ocean and eats everyone on the beach.
So you're going to make them rise up through satire?
Well, you know, birds gotta fly. Girls gotta dance. This is what I do. I hope younger people read it. I hope they take parts of it seriously. And I hope they get politically active and start forcing some of these harder issues.
You're a modern-day Jonathan Swift?
I'm not. I'm an acolyte of the Swiftian altar, and perhaps a wannabe. But that's not a bad ideal to aim at. That's a pretty good North Star. There have been humorists who think of themselves of sitting at the children's table of literature. We're stuck with this conception that humor, comedy, satire isn't really a main event. I dispute that.
Posted by Natalie Vernon| Comments (0)
April 04th, 2007Former Congressman Penny to Speak to Minnesota Students
April 04th 02:32:01 PM
On Monday, April 2 at 5:00 p.m., former Minnesota Congressman Tim Penny will be engaging students in an informal discussion of Social Security reform. Students will enjoy a free dinner and clear beverages as the now Professor Penny describes the benefits of Personal Retirement Accounts.
If you are a student at the University of Minnesota -- GO and learn how you are being screwed by the current Social Security System. The event will take place in the Hubert Forum Exhibit Area in the Humphrey Institute on the West bank of the Minneapolis campus. 
Posted by Natalie Vernon| Comments (2)
March 29th, 2007Whitehead Favors PRAs
March 29th 10:14:37 AM
Jim Whitehead, the Georgia state senator running for U.S. Congress, indicated on the S4 Action Network candidate survey that he is a strong proponent of Social Security reform. From our press release:
“Senator Whitehead wants to protect the future of America’s children, and we applaud him for recognizing the looming threat of our entitlement programs,” said Mark Harris, the S4 national director. “We hope that the senator will help defend the interests of young Americans as he works to restore a sense of responsibility in Washington.”
Read the entire release.
S4 Action Network
Posted by Ryan Lynch| Comments (0)
March 28th, 2007Oregon Students' Take on SS Reform
March 28th 04:15:16 PM
Last week when there was all the DeMint Budget Amendment #489 excitement, I sent out a flurry of emails to students here in Oregon, trying to get them to call Senator Smith and encourage him to vote YES on Senator DeMint’s amendment.
It was interesting to see the responses and questions that some of the students had, not just about the “Stop the Raid” amendment, but about Social Security in general. One student was very concerned about the transition costs that would result from changing the system to one that included Personal Retirement Accounts. The student acknowledged that indeed, our generation can’t count on Social Security and that it would be nice for something to be done, but was hesitant to latch on to what S4 advocates for -- Personal Retirement Accounts -- because of the costs necessary to make it happen.
I think, as fiscally responsible citizens, we SHOULD be concerned about ANY of our government’s spending -- whether it's entitlement programs or pork barrel projects or whatever! That being said, there are incredibly huge structural problems facing Social Security, which to me, make me compelled to get the system fixed ASAP -- because the longer we wait really just compounds the problems and in the long run SCREWS our generation even more!
What are these structural problems that make me willing to accept any initial transition costs of implementing a system of PRA’s ??
Read More »
Posted by Evan Dent| Comments (0)
The End Of The World As We Know It
March 28th 03:49:04 PM
From Chris Buckley, the author of the acclaimed Thank You for Smoking, comes the sarcastic yet enlightening book Boomsday. But rather than cover the genius minds of swanky PR executives charged with selling nicotine, this time Buckley focuses on the looming fiscal Armageddon -- the Social Security bust when 77 million baby boomers start to retire.
Gasp! Is he actually writing about the importance of Social Security in way that could potentially be marketed to the masses and taken seriously?!?! That was my first reaction.
My second: Order Boomsday. A sucker for satire and pop cultural spin, I look forward to reading about the Social Security crisis through the eyes of a young blogger who has experienced firsthand the pluses and perils of Washington politics and the ever-growing generational gap. I just hope readers can look past his snide delivery and understand that yes, for our country, this is so much more than just a fiscal nightmare.
Read USA Today's review of the book here.
On a totally unrelated note, if Doomsday were to be made into a movie, (an instance before which Hollywood would freeze over, I am sure) who would be the fourth horseman of the apocalypse? Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) was for Personal Accounts before he was against them; I am sure he would put up a stellar performance worthy of an Academy Award.
Posted by Natalie Vernon| Comments (0)
What's the policy on idea immigration?
March 28th 08:42:51 AM
From the Wall Street Journal:
Ever since Mexican President Felipe Calderon won election in July with just under 34% of the vote, critics and supporters alike have cast doubt on his ability to govern.
But now it looks like Mr. Calderon, who is less than four months into his six-year term and lacks a majority in Congress, may be about to pocket a major legislative victory. And on no less an issue than the transformation of the pension system covering federal workers from pay-as-you-go to a fully funded system of individual accounts (emphasis ours).
Why the switch to personal accounts? For one thing, Mexico predicts its pension shortfall under the current system to be about $7 billion in 2012. That's a lot of money. The system's actuarial deficit is so large, in fact, that the "transition costs" (about $1 billion plus increased government contributions into worker accounts) seem tiny. Sound familiar?
A better explanation for the specific reform of personal accounts is simple: investment works. Chile's system in particular has provided a model for Mexico, but other countries such as Sweden have also successfully embraced personal ownership. It seems that when government pension programs run into trouble, individual accounts are increasingly the way to go. Slowly but surely, the tide is turning.
As for Mexico, its congress passed the reform last week and the senate is expected to do the same within the next few days.
Posted by Ryan Lynch| Comments (0)
March 22nd, 200745 Senators Vote to End the Raid
March 22nd 04:54:38 PM
Forty-five senators voted today in favor of the DeMint Amendment, which would have ended the raid on the Social Security trust fund. From our press release:
“We are disappointed that the majority of the Senate continues to ignore our generation’s future,” said Mark Harris, the S4 national director, “but we are proud to stand by those senators who did vote in favor of the amendment. In particular, we would like to thank Senator DeMint for his courageous dedication to protecting our retirement security.”
(...)Notable supporters of DeMint’s amendment include Sen. Corker (R-TN) and Sen. McCaskill (D-MO), both of whom are serving first terms. McCaskill was the only Democrat who voted in favor of the amendment. Other notables are Sens. Domenici (R-NM) and Lugar (R-IN), who both voted against a similar bill last year.
“We applaud Senator McCaskill for her brave vote on the floor today,” added Harris. “Protecting the retirement security of young people is not a partisan ambition, and Senator McCaskill’s vote offers proof of that.”
Read the rest of the release here.
S4 Action Network
Posted by Ryan Lynch| Comments (0)
March 21st, 2007HELP STOP THE RAID!
March 21st 04:40:26 PM
U.S. Senator Jim DeMint has introduced an amendment to protect the Social Security surplus. Amendment #489 to the Budget Resolution would ensure that all revenue generated by the Social Security tax is spent only on Social Security.
A vote on the DeMint Amendment is expected sometime between tonight and Friday, so it's imperative that you call your senator as soon as you can to express your support.
Find out how you can help stop the raid on the Social Security surplus today by visiting S4's Action Alert for the DeMint Amendment.
S4 Action Network
Posted by Ryan Lynch| Comments (0)
March 19th, 2007Social In-Security Bake Sale
March 19th 09:31:43 PM
Recently, the Mount Holyoke College S4 chapter sponsored a Social In-Security Bake Sale. The successful event demonstrated to students how younger workers subsidize the retirement benefits of older workers through charging freshmen $2 for a cookie, while college seniors got the baked goods for free.
Want to hold a Social In-Security Bake Sale on your campus? Contact Evan Dent at Evan@SecureOurFuture.org!
Posted by Jo Jensen| Comments (0)
Stopping Short
March 19th 12:35:21 PM
Citing a report issued by the Urban Institute, an article in USA Today takes a look at the unfairness of providing benefits to current senior citizens at the expense of future generations. It's worth the read (March 15, "In the News"), if at least for facts like the following:
1. "AARP, the nation's largest seniors organization with 36 million members, spent more on lobbying in three of the past four years than any group except the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Since 1998, AARP has spent $105 million on lobbying. The Children's Defense Fund, a major advocacy group, has spent $1.3 million."
2. "In the past four years, seniors have won key victories in Congress. In 2003, they got prescription-drug coverage under Medicare, projected to cost $38 billion this year and $119 billion a decade from now. In 2005, they helped block President Bush's plan to create private investment accounts in Social Security, which were favored in polls by young voters."
The problem with USA Today's news article is just that--it's a news article. There are enough pieces of information to put together a good argument for reform, but the newspaper stops short. This is a failure that may be explained by the article type and section, but I'm guessing USA Today won't be editorializing for personal accounts any time soon.
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Posted by Ryan Lynch| Comments (0)
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