On Sat, 21 May 2005 22:59:46 -0500, "shu" wrote:

well cliffy, how bout just taking your money, and putting it in a bank?
failing that, how about sticking it under a mattress? either way you'll end
up with a lot more then what's returned back

On average, you are wrong. In both of your cases you lose to
inflation & to taxes as well in the bank.
Social Security is *supposed* to be indexed for inflation.

if *you* want, you can have the govt force you to stick it in the bank for
you, but a lot of us don't want that

You'd rather have them decide *what* you can "invest" in & under
what rules, paying which brokers how much each year to trade it
for you?

btw. my example has nothing to do with pensions,,

Oh?

you're grasping for
straws, personally i would never stick a lot of money in a pension fund

But setting up private ones was exactly your subject.

in
an industry that is so heavily unionized, GM is a wonderfull example of what
happens with too much unionized labor.. too many "benefits" not enough real
cash, and no way to reverse it.

Their major problem, much like everyone else's, seems to be the
cost of health care.
And trusting the government .... those private accounts that you
are advocating can be raided at any time by the government, just
as SS has been.

Clearly you also missed what has happened in every other nation
that has tried it ..... your trust in big & bigger government, stock
brokers (big shrubbie donors, like the medical firms), etc. is,
however, very touching indeed.

BTW, Your spelling & suchlike seems to have improved.
On the wagon? LOL ...
--
Cliff