busted and broke..

anyone more educated about this stuff wanna comment?

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?articleId=c07e5171-d9f8-4588-bccc-01853bf31c84&headline=Sen.+Gregg%3a+Entitlements%2c+spending+dragging+U.S.+into+bankruptcy

That article Has to be wrong because the great Obam told me I had to have this and it wouldn't really cost me any money.

I'm scared of the direction this country is headed. Truly frightened, but what can I do? EVERY time you try to have a discussion about what to do, or how to act, it devolves into a who caused this mess finger pointing session.
Good reliable information is hard to get, our media has an agenda, and both parties just want to stay in charge, not really fix anything.

I want someone to tell me this is how it's always been. This messed up, and that we will just keep trucking roughly on the course we are going, but it really doesn't seem like that is at all possible..

We've been bankrupt since 1971 when Nixon closed the gold window...not sure where this guy is getting his 5-10 years unless he thinks he is in the 1960's.

When the gold window was closed it was an out and out default on prior promises to take dollars in exchange for gold...we couldn't do it without giving away all of our gold so we defaulted. Everything since has been a big game of smoke and mirrors.

nocones wrote: I'm scared of the direction this country is headed. Truly frightened, but what can I do? EVERY time you try to have a discussion about what to do, or how to act, it devolves into a who caused this mess finger pointing session. Good reliable information is hard to get, our media has an agenda, and both parties just want to stay in charge, not really fix anything.

Yeah--this knee-jerk, militia-minded negativity that just came out of nowhere is both puzzling and frightening.

Everyone was fine with this disaster until Nov '08. I just don't get it.

Throwing social security in with "entitlement" programs is just plain wrong. Anyone ever figure what is paid in over a lifetime of work vs. what is paid back per capita? Until it was lumped into 'general fund' , S.S. was total self sufficient and running a surplus. Now it is (and has been) being bled dry.

minimac wrote: Throwing social security in with "entitlement" programs is just plain wrong. Anyone ever figure what is paid in over a lifetime of work vs. what is paid back per capita? Until it was lumped into 'general fund' , S.S. was total self sufficient and running a surplus. Now it is (and has been) being bled dry.

social security [insurance] benefits were originally tied into the life expectancy of the populace and it insured against living "too long", as at 65 the benefits started paying back, the average expectancy was only around 62.... now today we still get benefits at 65 yet life expectancy is around 15 years higher all while adding an enormous group of beneficiaries to the pool who are 'entitled' to those years of benefits and retirement.