America is very close to becoming a socialist county. There, regretfully, I acknowledge that fact!

FDR initiated the slide toward socialism, by giving us Social Security. Most will say that Social Security is the greatest legislation ever passed by Congress. I’m on Social Security. I‘d be a fool not to.

But I’ve done the math. Had I placed the same amount of money in the stock market as the government, made me pay in to Social Security during my working career, I would now have a higher monthly income and still have the principal.

My father was lucky. He never paid into Social Security. Before he turned 65, he made a $3,000 one-time payment, making him eligible. He got his investment back in six months. He lived to ripe old age of 97. I never felt that process was fair.

Social Security is the ultimate Ponzi scheme. It works only if more people join the workforce than retire. When the program was drafted, there were 35 workers paying for every person receiving benefits. No one could imagine the balance would drop to around seven to one.

Additional factors are at play. When Social Security was implemented the average lifespan was 69. The age to draw has dropped to 62, and the average recipients life span is 78. Do the math.

The system would’ve remained solvent longer, if LBJ had not robbed the fund to pay for the Vietnam War. In its present format, Social Security is not sustainable.

We have the welfare system. The concept meant well. You can’t allow little children to go hungry. Today’s young women have choices. Will they do better on welfare than in the workforce? If a young woman gets pregnant, has a couple of kids, between welfare, food stamps, WIC, rent subsidies, fuel allowance, free school lunches, free medical care, free prenatal care, free vocational training, free child care, free cellphone and more, welfare becomes the obvious choice for many. Why work? Welfare pays better.

There many reasons why America is becoming a socialist nation. Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare are a few. The intentions all well intended, but not affordable long term.

America was a manufacturing country. We made stuff. Making stuff provided good-paying jobs. Because of high costs of labor and benefits brought on by unions, always wanting more, and the government continually adding more rules and regulations, companies considered the cost-benefit ratio and concluded they could make more money with less hassle if they made their stuff overseas.

Most high-paying manufacturing jobs are gone. America has lost tens of millions of jobs. Replaced by welfare and minimum-wage service jobs. Yesterday, America was the leader of the world. We had the world’s most dynamic economy. Today, America has become a debtor nation. On the road to socialism.

Look up the definition of socialism.

The DFL has done this to America, with the GOP’s complicity.

 

 

Don Sorensen

Albert Lea