Don't mess with Social Security

Editor,

President Bush talks about Social Security as if Social Security is our biggest financial problem that we face today. The facts are that Social Security can meet 100 percent of its obligations for the next 37 years with no changes to the current system, according to the Social Security Administration itself.

Everyone agrees that there are things we should do to make Social Security stronger, but the real Social Security crisis would be the President's own privatization plan — which would cut our benefits and unravel our nation's most successful anti-poverty program.

Rather than limit solutions to privatization, I think the President should focus on solutions that don't involve taking money out of our pockets and putting it into the ruthless hands of Wall Street. Nothing is for free and there are no guarantees for high returns without high risk gambling.

The president has been wrong on just about every important issue during his last four years in office and we cannot afford to be duped again by his lack of insight regarding our retirement future.

The fact is, even the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office concluded that privatization would require benefit cuts.

Without Social Security, almost half of today's seniors would live in poverty. It just doesn't make sense to replace a guaranteed benefit plan with a guaranteed gamble that would likely create a few lucky winners and a majority of unlucky losers forced to live out retirement in poverty.

Leslie Wallace

Ronan

Good efforts were appreciated

Editor

I congratulate the Mission Bulldogs boys and girls basketball teams for giving it their very best at the district tourney in Libby.

The town of St. Ignatius, your classmates, your fans and the entire school are proud of you all. You did not give up, you gave it your very best, and you played as a team. Congratulations to the Mission Bulldogs.

Lynn Delecaris

St. Ignatius