The American Spectator

Reader Mail

(Page 3 of 13)

p>Can someone tell me how the Federal government invests the monies in its pension funds? That is, if it has any specific funds or any investing strategy. Are they putting any of these monies into the private market like they want to do with part of the Social Security funds? Remember Senator Albert Gore Sr.? He left office earning $40,000 a year. When he died his pension was paying him $140,000 a year. Is this good investing or fiscal insanity? I knew a woman who retired from the federal government in 1956 at age 54. She received a pension of $2200.00 a year when she retired. When she died in 1995 her pension paid her $21,000 a year! Are there any other pension plans like this in any country that is not a kleptocracy? There are millions of federal pensioners that are getting this largesse from the taxpayers and we are worrying about a piddling fund like Social Security that is funded largely by private citizens and businesses! And what makes it worse is that people who should know better, like Hogberg, Limbaugh, Hannity are operating the smoke and mirrors for the government. br> -- Bob Keiser br> Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania /p>

If the problem is a declining number of workers supporting a growing number of retirees, how is this fixed by allowing young workers to opt out? Wouldn't this reduce the number of contributors even more?

p>The solution should be the opposite -- getting more workers into Social Security. This means members of Congress and federal employees. Their inclusion would save the system! br> -- G. Ferguson /p> p> FREEDOM'S FAINT OF HEART br> Re: Patrick O'Hannigan's What I Should Have Said With the Merlot in Hand :

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