We have two presidential elections before 2012. The financial wheels are turning and after 2012, SS and Medicare rapidly go out of reach. We turn this ship around before 2010 or there probably won't be enough time left.
I will be posting the summary of this thread soon. I will probably finish the analysis tonight or early tomorrw. I will post the summary along with the next question and start of a new thread.
I don't disagree with the numbers;, but the rudder had better be swung hard starboard by 2008 because, if the US is going to be saved in its current 50-state form, it's going to take leadership that only a President can provide along with a conservative supermajority in the Senate and a conservative majority in the House. Indeed, the longer it takes to get all three of these conditions, the less of a chance there is to save the US.
Of course, I'm getting a bit ahead of the roadmap with this, but it's unavoidable.