Senator wrong about Social Security
Sen. Durbin was once again hoisted by his own petard in his Aug. 13 letter stating, “Social Security has not added one penny to the nation’s debt.” Who is he kidding?
Currently, the federal government owes the Social Security Trust Fund about $5 trillion. That is called debt, senator. There is no lockbox.
In the last few years Social Security has been paying out more that it collects, and this pattern will continue into the foreseeable future. The difference comes from our general revenues which, in itself, is insufficient to even fund our annual nonentitlement budget.
Ergo, we are financing the Social Security shortfall, and more, by increased indebtedness with China and other nations. Politicians seem to be increasingly proficient in using semantics to twist and disguise real facts in order to satisfy personal agendas.
How can we ever begin to solve a serious problem when our own senator fails to acknowledge its existence.
George R. Kinsley
Libertyville