How about the promise of security from the government oversight agencies for your savings in banks? How about the government agencies watching over your Wall Street and other investments? How about the government's role providing for police? How about the Defense Department? How about the government agencies making drug companies run a minimum test protocol to determine if their drug products are safe for you? How about the agencies inspecting the food processing plants? Along with Social Security I think these services are a relative bargain.

How was the money spent? Surely you do not believe the money spent "before its time" was some unanticipated influx of people who retired without paying in their fare share do you? The real risk to Social Security becoming insolvent is the Federal Government paying for deficit spending caused by cutting taxes on rich people for all those other services they enjoy more throroughly than the average person by failing to pay back the money they plundered. Fiscal responsibility was a sound Republican characteristic until the people with all the money noted if the government bought expensive crap from them, and lots of it, it was ok to have the government go into debt. It became another means to redistribute wealth from the middle class to the wealthy.

I am not so sure how political perspective fits. You either believe the government money handlers do not have your best interests at heart, or you believe they do. I don't. I believe they would love to figure out how to use that money to make a tax increase to pay for the deficits be put off until the next generation shows up aged and empty handed.

You misunderstood me. I am not a fan of Communism. But I think the back room deals in Congress where DoD spending is doled out in a "one for you and two for me" arrangement if I am more influential than you, are far from the ideals of capitalism. Doing a good job is one of the last considerations in a contract award. Cost to the government or even effectiveness of a weapons system are secondary to the priorities of Congress in awarding big contracts. Even little contracts. So, my point was not that there was something good about it. My point was if you want to ferret out Communist practices in Government, our Government, to save us all money and make the land more secure from external enemies, go check the DoD out. Social Security is peanuts by comparison, and Social Security is not Communism. It is an insurance policy. And selling insurance on a "pay if you play" or "no-choice" basis in the insurance business has been demonstrated to lower premiums for everybody except those driving illegally, without insurance.

Go after Communism. Stomp it out. I am all for your goal. Just don't pick something cheap and easy to attack, incorrectly and inaccurately label it Communism and act like you are doing a good deed. Find some real decay, some real Commies and root them out. Merry Christmas. Jim

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Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)