GloucesterTimes.com, Gloucester, MA

Breaking News

Letters/My View

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE CHANGES IN POLICY: Commenters are required to have a username with a valid and verified email address. Gloucestertimes.com reserves the right to ban the IP address of any commenter (person) found using multiple aliases under multiple e-mail addresses in a deceptive manner. Posts that do not meet site standards, which can be found here, will be removed.


If you are experiencing problems logging in or posting comments, please contact Disqus' help center by clicking here.
comments powered by Disqus
November 22, 2012

Letter: Privatization and Social Security

Gloucester Daily Times

To the editor:

In the 1930s, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt — our only four-term elected president — established the Social Security program to be set aside as a protection for retirement.

It was to be separately funded by a percentage drawn from a worker’s earned wages. This fund was doing so well Congress decided to tap into it instead of leaving it alone. Now it is a problem.

Medicare, government-run, is struggling, yet HMOs run by private enterprise seem to be making money. The Postal Service, government-run, is deeply in debt. But UPS and FedEx, two private enterprises, appear to be making money. And yet, when that evil word “privatize” pops up, those that are being enabled through government programs go into a panic fearing they will lose benefits.

While Congress is gridlocked trying to keep from borrowing any more money from China, private enterprise is criticized for sending their jobs overseas to make a greater profit. However, due to the mood of the people, private enterprise will find a way to capitalize on “made in USA” marketing much more quickly than government programs.

Privatizing some government-run programs is not a bad thing.

It does not necessarily mean eliminating them, just cleaning them up and making them more cost-efficient.

HAROLD L. NELSON

Haverhill

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Letters/My View

NDN Video
AK-47-wielding thug may be the most bumbling crook ever Oklahoma Survivors, Heroes Survey Damage Trout's cycle a boost for Angels Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado Kim Kardashian Flaunts Pregnant Bikini Body in Greece NBA star pledges $1M to help tornado recovery Shakira's Shocking Talent Morgan Freeman falls asleep on air GRAPHIC: Blood-Soaked Machete Killer Caught on Tape Elin Nordegren Furious With Lindsey Vonn For Parading Kids in Public Camera Captures Climber As He Loses Grip And Falls Helen Mirren Meets with Dying Boy in Queen Elizabeth's Place Crowd Chants '¡Si, Se Puede!' After Passage of Immigration Bill DWTS Crowns a Winner Police Ram House to End Hostage Standoff Demi Moore a Rocks Bikini at Harry Morton's Family House Anthony Weiner: I'm running for New York City mayor Kate Middleton's Dress Flies Up VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal The Hangover Baby All Grown Up