Parkersburg, West Virginia

Yes, Virginia, there really, truly is a Social Security Trust Fund. It exists in paper form in a filing cabinet in Parkersburg, West Virginia and consists of bonds backed by the government's "full faith and credit." Frankly, I never believed such a thing actually existed.

So with all the national debt scare and threats by Tan Man Boehner to raise the retirement age to 70, where does Social Security really stand? With no changes, the trust fund will be exhausted by 2037. More than 53 million people receive Social Security. Retirement benefits average $1,100 a month and disabled workers get about $1,065. So what happens if it runs out, well, then social security would only pay 75% of current benefit levels. All this courtesy of the trustees' report for Social Security and Medicare.

The bottom-line: Don't believe a word about Social Security contributing to the national debt and about any need to radically revise it. Just a little tinkering around the edges and it's good to last. Will it totally pay for your retirement? No, but it gives you some social security.

Medicare eating into our nation's future. More B.S. With the recent Healthcare Bill, Medicare funds will now be exhausted in 2029. The Healthcare Bill extends its life another 12 years. Medicare now covers 46 million retirees and disabled.

The bottom-line here is crackdown on waste, streamline costs,and develop better preventive health measures.

So, the last item--the real Third Rail of Politics--the Military/ Terrorist complex. We spend twice what all of Planet Earth combined spends on national security. This is $1.2 trillion a year without any tax revenues. Almost all our significant national debt is from the national security sector. It's not from the social welfare net.

So eliminate the tax cuts for the rich and bingo--problem well on the way to solution.

Caveat Emptor. Don't buy the scaremongering. The only reason people are discussing Social Security and Medicare is for the ideological reason of eliminating them. Don't let them get away with it!