Fried Green al-Qaedas

It strikes me as beyond bizarre when I see so many commentators on Social Security wonder out loud about why the Bush juggernaut is so intent on attacking this particular problem. As almost everyone admits, the SS financing shortfall would do well to make the list of our top ten worst problems. One problem that kicks SS ass is the Medicare shortfall, then there's the Medicaid shortfall, and our monster trade deficits, and the Tom Delay integrity deficit, etc, etc. With all these problems of greater import looming on the horizon, why oh why, bemoan the pundits, is President Bush and his posse spending so much time and political capital on SS?

The answer is as plain as the nose on a clown's face, and everyone is doing their best to pretend not to see it. It's because, unlike any other problem, SS has it's own financing mechanism. All of our other financial problems must be solved out of general funds. The clearest indication of the immoral intentions of BushCo is their blurring of the lines, at every opportunity, of the distinction between SS contributions and income taxes. Please repeat after me, they are NOT the same. Geez oh pete, 12.4% of the first $90,000 of everyone's earnings is a HUGE pile of money. Of course BushCo want to get their thieving little hands on it. How many times must it be shown that this group is all about the cash, for it to seep in; "hey fellas maybe this is also all about the cash". And why does this turd in the punch bowl go unannounced? Why does the pundit class still insist on providing Bush with the cover of good intentions? Oh, goodness yes, President Bush just wants to help younger workers get a better deal for retirement. And Bernie Ebbers just wanted everyone to have great phone service.