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They're Promising More Now
Elberon, NJ May 31, 2000 Aaron
H. Schectman
THINKING ALLOWED
Essays on issues, ideas and reflections on the times. Published now and
then. Opinions pro or con are welcome. THEY'RE PROMISING MORE NOW
Liberals and Conservatives are not campaigning on the differences between
their political philosophies today. They agree that promising more of the
same thing now is the safe way to campaign. There is a slim margin in how
much and in what ways their promises are essentially different.
The Conservative promises are vague about details. The idea of the
promises is to just keep announcing that one's own promises are better than
the other side's promises while both agree that making more promises is the
way to go at this time. This, I think is good for all of us although we
have to guess in order to make informed decisions about which promises are
better.
In many people's minds the issue is not food on the table anymore. The
promises are not about one or two chickens in everyone's pots anymore. The
promises are not about enough money in everyone's accounts: they are about
our freedom to invest the money the Social Security system takes from us now
and letting us guess if we will have enough available when we retire on some
future moveable date.
It is not debatable anymore if people in our country should be "covered" in
some way or other. Almost all those who work (except homemakers) are
covered these days. The debate and promise revolve around if we need a
super powered governmental agency or workers themselves making decisions on
how to make pension monies grow. One side says that the stock market should
be the place where each individual should invest his Social Security money.
The other says only a little of this money should be invested in this way.
The way the stock market has been booming has made many of us wishful that
we had a bundle in there - in the stocks that are making money.
My thoughts on the matter revolve around the promises. When you give your
money to a stockbroker you are gambling that the stocks he chooses will make
your ship come in. You are gambling with your future on some guess made
now. Is life like this? I am pretty sure I don't like such guesses or
promises. Carol's Evaluation: Carol did not like this one at all.
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