Mr. Wake, social security is doing fine

Susan didn't change her name to Stone when we got married. Nonetheless, she sometimes gets junkmail addressed to Susan Stone (instead of Susan Wake). Even funnier is when I get things addressed to Tom Wake.

I got one recently, from something called The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicine (they have a website, but I don't want to link to it). This must have been a mass mailing, or I'm on a random list of US citizens who got it, because nothing I am affiliated with could lead them to believe I'd support their views.

Not only was it mistakenly sent to a "Tom Wake", but the contents of it really made me laugh. The basic position of this organization is that radical changes to the Social Security (and Medicare) system are not needed. In particular, they are against any "privatization" schemes, including the one proposed by Bush, but no doubt including any such idea. Included was a letter that I can just sign my name to and send directly to my representative, telling him how much I want to keep SS the same and that he should listen to the views of this committee organization.

The laughable thing here is that in a 6-page letter they don't once discuss any financial difficulties that SS and Medicare are facing. They attack privatization, but don't offer any other ideas or solutions to the looming problems. It would be one thing to be against a particular idea, and instead propose others. But they don't propose anything, because they don't even mention the problems in the 6-page letter at all! One must assume that they favor raising taxes to cover the future shortfall, but of course they don't want to say that in their fundraising letter! Instead, we get howlers like this:

"But I do know that Social Security was put in place by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1935 as a kind of "chain of trust" between generations to keep older Americans from experiencing devastating poverty. And I am confident that it is in that spirit that you and/or your spouse undoubtedly contributed to Social Security for many, many years..."

Umm... I wouldn't be so confident if I were you. In fact, I doubt very many people -- besides members of this committee perhaps -- contributed to SS "in that spirit".