[CaptainHaplo]

GoldenRivet - your dead on - though sometimes - as has been the case with our country - the payee is now going to be our kids and their kids unless we stop the bleeding now. Thats where we are. So many "entitlements" and no way to really pay for them ourselves. Where we are parallels the Roman Empire in so many ways its scary!

Which brings me to another chance to talk about issues. Entitlements. There are too many of them - doing to little and often in the wrong place. Everyone hears about social security. How many of the presidents talk about "fixing" it. Every fix gives it another decade before its broke again - and the taxpayer foots the bill. Another Washington practice that has to stop. You can't fix it.

Its an unpopular thing to say - but its got to go. It was a bad idea to start with - why is it the government's job to take care of you when your past a certain age? Why isn't YOUR job to plan for those later years? Why isn't it my job to plan for mine? Now - I'm not talking privatizing it or anything - I mean it needs to be GONE. There are ways to do it by phase that are fair and reasonable, with a heavy hit up front that can be mitigated over time. Its time we take some tough problems head on and stop leaving them for our kids. We can keep the promise to our elders as long as we ourselves are willing to stop the cycle of dependance on the government .

So many other programs need to be outside the scope of the federal government. Why is the federal government taking money from the states in taxes, only to redistribute it via the mess that is everything from road money to food stamps? It makes no sense - and its about time we got out house in order.