Social Security: Fred Barnes has it

Our advice is quite different. Rather than fall silent on personal accounts, the president should talk about little else. Without the prospect of giving every worker, no matter how poor, a chance to invest in and actually own financial assets, Social Security reform loses its innovative quality.

But bring individual retirement accounts into the equation and everything changes. Forget today's polls that gauge the public support for these accounts as lukewarm. Touted heavily by Bush and Vice President Cheney and explained in TV spots, Social Security reform, Bush-style, will grow in popularity. Why? Because individual accounts offer something for nearly everyone. For the poor, reform provides an opportunity they otherwise would not have to invest in equities and acquire assets that are inheritable by their children. They would become stakeholders in America, and it would cost them nothing beyond the chunk of their income they're already paying in payroll taxes. And for everyone, rich or poor, it would mean a chance to boost their retirement income over what the current Social Security system would provide. Given the last 100 years of financial history, they can expect their investment income to grow more rapidly than money left in the Social Security system.

Why is it that Dems who constantly bray "personal choice" have such difficulties supporting "personal financial choices"? Rhetorical question, I know, I know.

It's this "thingee" they rant about "safety nets". Dems are livid that President Bush is saying that "safety net" is about to expire. They are reacting as tho he's torn a hole through their heads.

The "Big Teat" image has taken many years of devising and nurturing -- all brought to us by the Democrat Party. It's the Amazonian image of images. Ergo, Dems are behaving as tho "rape" of the one-breasted warrior femme of Feminist Lore has been, uh, punched in the socket.

Fred Barnes is right. The problem, however, as I have been studying -- is in the visual and in getting citizens from the "safety net" mentality to one of strength -- managing their own futures. It's a presentation packaging issue, IMHO.

Social security as it exists now represents to me, the flawed condom. You might get lucky, and then again, you might not. Chances are, you won't. I say: Punch 'er, again!