Allow this baby-boomer to comment. I have long wished for the ability to invest all, or even part, of my SS money for myself. Why the HELL does the government think it can do it better than me? If I make poor investment choices, then too bad. If I happen to make good ones, I might have been able to retire earlier. Not so now, thanks to the paltry return on my investment, if there is even a positive return. I don't really want to know, all I do know is that the amount I would get at 66 (my scheduled age for full benefits) will be about enough to buy groceries and pay the heating bill. I pray for President Bush to persevere in this, and for Republicans who are running in '06 to grow a set of balls and step up to the plate.

I offered my help to Raffini, but never heard back. I've blogged on this issue, and will continue to do so. It will have no impact on me, but my sons could sure make a difference in their lives with this program, and leave it to my grandchildren!

I wonder if there's any way we could get Congress to keep their filthy hands off the surplus between now and 2018 and invest it in something with real value and a real rate of return instead of co-mingling it with the general fund and spending it? Nah, probably not. Anybody ever want to just shoot the whole lot of them and start over?