[Melas]

If the idea behind Bush's plan is for the individual contributors to be contributing toward their own retirements and not toward someone else's, then there's absolutely no reason for the government to be involved at all. I would wager that many people would prefer to be completely in charge of their money rather than have the government tell them how to manage it. Who wouldn't?

I can answer that. The reason it can't be left totally to the individual, and the reason the Bush plan doesn't leave it totally up to the individual is because a healthy, compassionate society cannot simply sit idly by an watch those who've made poor choices suffer. Americans are (thank God) a compassionate people. We're simply unable to step over the bodies of the homeless en masse who've made poor choices.

[ThinkDifferent]

a healthy, compassionate society cannot simply sit idly by an watch those who've made poor choices suffer

Fine. So turn SS into a real welfare system that keeps old people from starving, and let the rest of us out of the Ponzi scheme aspect.

[xrp]

We're simply unable to step over the bodies of the homeless en masse who've made poor choices.

Shoot...I can. Especially if we can unravel the tapestry of that person's life and find out how wasteful that person most likely was with his/her monies.

[CSM]

"The reason it can't be left totally to the individual, and the reason the Bush plan doesn't leave it totally up to the individual is because a healthy, compassionate society cannot simply sit idly by an watch those who've made poor choices suffer."

So, you admit that it is a welfare system. The difference is that this welfare system pays out to 100% of a specific age demographic, regardless of their needs. Let's just drop the FICA name and move the tax into the Fed Income Tax category and drop the charade. At least then, people would realize where they stand.

[inquest]

The reason it can't be left totally to the individual, and the reason the Bush plan doesn't leave it totally up to the individual is because a healthy, compassionate society cannot simply sit idly by an watch those who've made poor choices suffer.

You're pushing the Bush line that "compassion" is equated with government-enforced welfarism. If Social Security is completely dismantled, there'd be nothing forcing you or anyone else to "step over" anyone's "bodies". You and everyone else will still be free to show them all the compassion you want. Having government take over the "compassion" ethic is a seriously misguided idea.