you need to listen to fox news a little closer. we are enjoying a robust economy--shipping our jobs to third world countries is good for us-- more jobs are being created daily --ect. ect.

 

Most of these are astoundingly easy to fix. To wit: National debt is growing-stop spending like drunken sailors. (Note to my Navy friends--it's just an expression)Social Security is failing-It's probably worse than you think, but easy to fix, privatize. Price of healthcare and medicine-result of government interference in the market in the first place. This one would be painful, but the only way to fix it is to get away from employer-provided insurance to individual insurance. Education-get rid of the touchy-feely crap and actually teach kids to read and write and do math. Fire as many administrators as possible and spend money on actual teaching.

Anything else you need fixed? Seriously, most of the problems you mention are problems that result from the federal government exceeding its constitutional authority in one area or another and could easily be fixed if anyone was *really* interested in fixing them. It's easier just to vote for whoever promises the most goodies, though.

 

JIM POINTER FOR PRSIDENT

Jim you may have some ideas therem, BUT the reality is that it is NOT that simple, and some [ideas] I (just me personaly) do not agree with. For instance privatization of SS. It does sound good, thou it did fail in Argentina, but mainly because there is a large segment of the population who does work hard for their money yet do not have the savy to make the right investment decisions to ensure a secure retirement. Further more, since you are not in the race, the question still stands: WHO will fix it and by what exact steps, programs, etc. You my friend can try in 2008

Peter

 

i don't think it is WHO i think it is witch party. Dems or Reps
traditionally ,it seems working people always fare better when dems are in charge.

 

... Herb you are right. To a large extent I used the who refering either to the candidates or the parties. Altough here is an inteesting bit for all. Check out the Texas republican party's web site and read the state party's platform. Now considering that Bush is enjoying the Texas GOP's endorsment by accepting their platform and then ignoring many points of the platform it makes one wonder. Is it still Reps. V Dems. or the party afiliation is only a matter of convenience? I sure would like to know.

 

wc=0

 

I'm with Truman on that one--anyone who actually wants to be President is crazy. The biggest problem with SS isn't just the insolvency, it's that once the feds take it from you, you no longer have any property right to it whatsoever. Say you contribute for 40 years, then die right before you collect. Your heirs don't inherit the money you paid in.

As far as the investment part goes, that's not too hard to solve. Just make available nothing but index funds that cover the value/growth and domestic/foreign market segments. Low cost, efficient, and best of all the money and all the money it makes are yours. With that much new investment in the equities markets, the economy would take off like a rocket, which would mean more new jobs than you can count.

The really hard part would be where to draw the line for full, partial, and no participation. If you're already retired it wouldn't be right to take it away after making the promise, so some form of the payment side of the current system would linger for a while. I'd say if you're 20 years from retirement, poof, you're now on the new privatized system, with your 7.5% going into your private account. Less than 20 years, your option as far as level of participation.

I know, that was kind of nerdy, but I couldn't resist. Hope I didn't put everyone to sleep.

 

Where? I'm a workin' people, and I'm much better off now than I was 4 years ago, or at any time before that. My income has gone up over $30K in the last four years, and my benefit package, amid rising healthcare costs, cost me the same as it did 4 years ago, and I have better coverage to boot.

I work for the largest construction management company in the US, and business is BOOMING. My department has doubled in the last two years, and we are in the process of hiring half again as many folks as we have now. 90% of our projects use union labor exclusively. That's a lot of union hands staying busy. Matter of fact, we're having problems getting bidders and buying out contracts because there is so much work out there, contractors can pick and choose. Don't like my number? So what, I'm too busy to do your job anyhow.

Under the last administration, the unions (at least as far as construction) had an awful lot of members looking for work.......

 

you sir are one of the fortunate minorities

 

My income has gone up over $30K in the last four years, and my benefit package, amid rising healthcare costs, cost me the same as it did 4 years ago, and I have better coverage to boot.

Wait until your next contract, you already have seen what they did to grocery workers out here every major company is going to want the same concessions from the unions. I wouldn't be surprized if you can bet on that in Vegas. That was just the beginning my friend.

 

Well 2001 4x4 what do you think of the response so far. It sounds as though you listen to the lieing liberals in the media and belive all they say.if you could rightfully attribute all this to one man as president in office for 3 1/2 years i guess you liked slick ***** and the tuna man even less. BUSH/CHENEY 04.

 

Actually i didn't think Clinton was a bad president and probably one of the best polititions of the century.
Wasn't real inteligent when it came to keeping his private life private. probably two or three other people in the country who have done somethng similar in their private lifes also, just didn't have as many people watching them and were able to get away with it.
Sure have to admire his wife for being as forgiving as she has been, but then that is what God wants us all to do is be forgiving. right?

 

Not under contract. Not bound by collective bargaining. I bargain for my own package. I would also argue that there's a lot of union hands around here that weren't as busy 5-6 years ago as they are now.

I would beg to differ with that statement.
Working people do not create jobs. Big Business (and medium business) create jobs. Kinda hard to create jobs and expand business when the government takes away all of your capital in taxes. Working people do not fare better when they are not working.

Admire Hillary? I think she's just a glutton for punishment. Why jump off the gravy train when you can forgive and forget? Divorce would not have been politically advantageous for Hillary, or she'd have done it......

 

i admire her for doing as god would want us all to do. forgive.

 

96 2500
perhaps you are right about her motives, i don't know her personally so i can't say one way or the other