Harrop seems to miss basic truths

Columnist Froma Harrop is so busy Bush-bashing that she totally ignores the facts. Here are a few that always seem to escape the discussion:

The great pyramid scam, Social Security, which started with 34 payers for each retiree, is now down to 3 for 1. The first of the 77 million baby boomers started turning 62 years old in January. Adding fuel to the collapse, all three senators contending for the presidency recently voted to extend Social Security benefits to illegal aliens.

In the late 1960s, President Lyndon Johnson decided to grab the growing reserves of Social Security funds and include them with all other federal income.

The result? Congress spent all the money and replaced it with U.S. treasuries, which are nothing but government debt, and that translates directly to taxpayer debt.

Congress continues the scam by paying interest to the Social Security trust with more U.S. treasuries. Result? More government/taxpayer debt. Wow, great investment.

President Bill Clinton started taxing Social Security money received at retirement. What about the tax paid on that 6.2 percent that was deducted from our paychecks all those years? Doesn't that add up to double taxation?

While the United States, Illinois, Cook County and the Social Security trust all were going broke thanks to mismanagement and corruption, the Dow Jones Industrial Average grew from 2,000 in 1987 to over 12,000 today.

It's long overdue to take Social Security money away from incompetent career politicians. If the 30 companies making up the Dow Jones Industrial average closed their doors on Monday, the "full faith and credit of the United States" wouldn't survive until Friday.

D.K. Rycknian

Barrington