Monday, June 4, 2012

The "Lock Box"

The Ugly Truth About Social Security Is Revealed - Forbes: "Speaking to USA Today about deficits, Horney explained why Social Security should not be counted as part of the U.S. budget deficit. It shouldn’t because Congress can alter its liabilities by reducing benefits or raising taxes. Or, as Horney more bluntly put it, “Retirement programs are not legal obligations.”

The seemingly obvious response might be “Now they tell us”, but that would be a bit overdone. Indeed, though American-style liberals and other water carriers for the welfare state would rather we not know this, we have no legal right to the dollars we hand over to the federal government in the form of Social Security payments. We never have had any legal right, and Horney should be credited for telling the truth."