To find the money for his "guns and butter" programs, Johnson consolidated the federal government's operating budget and the Social Security budget.
As he himself put it, "Mah frens, we've got one pot of money oveh heah...and we're spendin' more than we're takin' in. Thass what we call it a daffacit.
"But oveh heah, we've got anothuh pot of money...and there's more goin' in than is goin' out. Thass what we call a surplus.
"And if we just put the two of 'em togethah, thar'd be as much comin' in as was goin' out. Thass what we call a balanced budget."
Thus was the vault opened up to Congressional raids and Social Security doomed...
Through the CETA program, I got the necessary tools to go to work as a mechanic on the Alaskan pipein. By fronting me the tuition for a semester of trade school, and the cost of some tools, the great society got a working stiff pulling in 2 grand a week and paying beaucoup payroll taxes. So all not bad...