http://www.willisms.com/archives/2005/04/rock_the_vote_t.html

I don’t see it as an ‘or’ choice. For example the current social security system provides none of the above. If we had real private accounts we would have all of the above. Its more like a choice of no independence nor responsibility with a plan that provides only meager comfort and security versus private accounts that provide:

- independence from government bureaucrats who can change the rate of taxation, retirement age, benefit amount at any time.
- responsibility for planning your own retirement. Instead of just accepting what Social Security can provide, individuals can choose how much to put away and what types of risk they are willing to have.
- comfort, private accounts have the capability of providing a much better return than social security. The US stock market had an average return of 11% from 1926 to 1999. A good balanced index fund will be able to return a gain much higher than social security with no long term risk for the investor.
- Security, with private accounts the money is yours. Should you die you can pass this money off to your offspring. Not only that but you could afford to buy life/income insurance that will provide you and/or your heirs with an income should something happen. This insurance is much cheaper than even a fraction of what you pay into social security.

hey mr. anonymous (bald or otherwise) – I define liberty as “The right and power to act, believe, or express oneself in a manner of one’s own choosing.”

I believe that my choices become limited and degraded when my fellow working citizens suffer in poverty needlessly. I still don’t get what’s wrong with a minimum standard of living for all workers; the sky is still the limit. Buy as many cars and yachts as you want, just ensure that every child in this country has a comfortable and supportive homelife while you’re at it.

Anyone want to address my previous comments about protection from corporate malfaesance OR treating complex problems so simplistically OR the Ayn Rand allusions??

Oh, and Mr. Anonymous – just because you were once poor and now are not does not preclude you from being an elitist, it would just happen to make you the worst kind of elitist.

What is your definition of liberty? Liberty does not involve mandatory programs that you may not even approve of. Liberty is doing as one pleases.

I like how you refer to Libertarians as elitists considering I have lived in poverty. My parents were at one time homeless. Hard work got us out of the hole with no help from the government using another person’s earnings.

please stop treating massively complex issues so simply. you act as if there were only two sides to this issue, when in reality there are many.

I think most of us want a combination of Liberty, Comfort, Prosperity, and Security.

The youth of America deserve an in-depth dialogue not simplistic and value laden generalizations. We’re the ones that are going to pay for the solution to the Social Security problem, there should be full disclosure for what we’re buying.

Looks like the Libertarians have come out en masse all of a sudden. What, did you get an email telling you where to spew your rhetoric? Next thing we’ll be inundated by the LaRouche Youth. But, I’m glad that at least some of you can form a distinct opinion of the Social Security matter that is not a pipe-dream version of Pres. Bush’s message (there is NO PLAN people!!)

Kevin, thanks for telling the truth about your view on the minimum wage.

I find it interesting that none of you chose to adress my concerns about corporate malfeasance.

Personally, I think that all of you Libertarians take Ayn Rand way too seriously… yes, noble concepts, but exponentially harder to do on a macro scale than say. Not that we shouldn’t be educating people about personal financial responsibility, we should.