Columnist ignores reality on Social Security
To the editor:
In response to John L. Smith’s criticism of Rep. Joe Heck’s honesty (Sunday column) about Social Security, this is from Wikipedia: “A pyramid scheme is a non-sustainable business model that involves promising participants payment, services or ideals, primarily for enrolling other people into the scheme or training them to take part, rather than supplying any real investment or sale of products or services to the public.”
I think most adults would recognize this is very close to what our current Social Security program has become, though as Mr. Smith acknowledges, Ponzi scheme is more accurate. The question should now be: What do we do to solve the problem?
Does Mr. Smith offer a solution? Of course not. He attacks Joe Heck and others who want to fix the mess we’re in for recognizing the problem. What we need is more honesty, like the kind Joe Heck and Paul Ryan are supplying, and less of the demagoguery and whining from the John L. Smiths of the world.
Douglas Hunter
Las Vegas
Played out
To the editor:
Rep. Joe Heck was pummelled last week after he tried to explain why Social Security is no longer self-sustaining. But the truth is that cash inflows from worker paychecks are no longer sufficient to pay all of retiree benefits. The Ponzi scheme is played out.
The surplus (the so-called trust fund) is gone, and the Treasury is now having to inject increasing billions of dollars it doesn’t have to make up the difference. With the debt reaching unsustainable levels, something has to give.
The sooner our politicians quit demagoging Social Security and start solving the problem, the less the eventual pain will be for workers and retirees.
Tom Keller
Henderson
Lawmaking failure
To the editor:
After reading Chuck Muth’s Sunday article about the Legislature in the Viewpoints section of the Review-Journal, I would like to add my two cents:
Overall, the entire legislation process was a pathetic waste of money and our new governor was a major disappointment.
I did not see one idea on how to get Nevada back on its feet. Our elected officials let the citizens down, yet again. The Silver State must attract private-sector production jobs. We need to get companies to build plants that make things the world wants to buy.
For too long we have relied on the casinos to set the employment opportunities — and as we have learned, they can’t do it alone. Without a prosperous private sector, the fools in Carson City can increase taxes all day long but the people will not be able to pay them.
Bruce Feher
Las Vegas
