Intermarkets' Privacy Policy
Support


Donate to Ace of Spades HQ!


Contact
Ace:
aceofspadeshq at gee mail.com
Buck:
buck.throckmorton at protonmail.com
CBD:
cbd at cutjibnewsletter.com
joe mannix:
mannix2024 at proton.me
MisHum:
petmorons at gee mail.com
J.J. Sefton:
sefton at cutjibnewsletter.com


Recent Entries
Absent Friends
Captain Whitebread 2026
Jon Ekdahl 2026
Jay Guevara 2025
Jim Sunk New Dawn 2025
Jewells45 2025
Bandersnatch 2024
GnuBreed 2024
Captain Hate 2023
moon_over_vermont 2023
westminsterdogshow 2023
Ann Wilson(Empire1) 2022
Dave In Texas 2022
Jesse in D.C. 2022
OregonMuse 2022
redc1c4 2021
Tami 2021
Chavez the Hugo 2020
Ibguy 2020
Rickl 2019
Joffen 2014
AoSHQ Writers Group
A site for members of the Horde to post their stories seeking beta readers, editing help, brainstorming, and story ideas. Also to share links to potential publishing outlets, writing help sites, and videos posting tips to get published. Contact OrangeEnt for info:
maildrop62 at proton dot me
Cutting The Cord And Email Security
Moron Meet-Ups

Texas MoMe 2026: 10/16/2026-10/17/2026 Corsicana,TX
Contact Ben Had for info





















« Face It: Ace is Gone (WuzzaDem AND The Unpopulist) | Main | Democrats To Vote Rice In Despite "Reservations" [Say Anything] »
January 26, 2005

What Bush Means By "Ownership" [Say Anything]

This editorial masquerading as an "article" from USA Today is interesting. Here's the first paragraph:

President Bush is selling his idea to transform Social Security with private investment accounts as part of a new "ownership society" for Americans. The accounts, Vice President Cheney says, would be "a retirement fund they control themselves and can call their own."

Here's the second paragraph, which I like to call the "But..." paragraph. Its the point at which the reporter feels his obligation to reporting "the other side of the issue" is complete and moves on to pile up the criticism.

But the reality would produce a lot less individual control than Bush and Cheney suggest.

Major proposals, including those from the president's own commission,to revamp Social Security with private investment accounts include provisions that place big limits on how much money individuals can invest, where it can be invested, what they can do with it when they retire and how much they can pass on to heirs.

Bush has not offered a specific plan to reshape Social Security, his top domestic priority, but he has said workers should be able to divert a portion of their payroll taxes into investment accounts. "By making every citizen an agent of his or her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from want and fear and make our society more prosperous and just and equal," he said in his second inaugural address last week.

The reporter is missing the point here in regard to "ownership." When the President talks about citizens "owning" their Social Security funds what he means is that the funds will no longer be available to greedy politicians looking to raid Social Security to fund other programs and legislation. The government won't have access to your private Social Security account any more then they'd have access to your savings account in the bank.

Granted there will be limits as how much you can pay in or invest but at least you'll know it will be there when you retire. Right now we have no such guarantee. And lets be honest, if Social Security is the sum total of your retirement plans you're a damn fool. In fact, unless Social Security is fixed now I'm not planning on seeing a dime when I retire.

[Cross-posted at Say Anything]


posted by Ace at 09:23 AM
Comments



Does anybody else realize that people already have control over their own retirement investments? I know I have all the controlin the world over my retirement investments. Am I the only person in the world who has heard of a 401k, or the "stock market" or "IRA's"? They are really fancy schmancy investments, so I can understand how people wouldn't be aware they are available.

Posted by: Ryan on January 26, 2005 10:57 AM

The reporter probably doesn't understand the distinction between "freedom" and "liberty." Under Bush's plan, you would own your retirement fund "free" from government claims, but would not be at "liberty" to invest them in Florida swamp land.

Posted by: Bob Hawkins on January 26, 2005 11:39 AM

Over 20 years ago I figured the well was gonna be dry when it was my time.

I would have gladly completely forfeited any possibility of ever collecting a dime from this sham, for the ability to have my "contributions" reduced by 50%.

Posted by: TonyI on January 26, 2005 01:48 PM

"The reporter is missing the point here in regard to "ownership." When the President talks about citizens "owning" their Social Security funds what he means is that the funds will no longer be available to greedy politicians looking to raid Social Security to fund other programs and legislation. The government won't have access to your private Social Security account any more then they'd have access to your savings account in the bank. "

Seems to me they've got plenty of access to that account, given that they have ultimate control over the use of its contents.

If it was your money, you'd be able to invest it, or even spend it, without asking anyone's permission.

Social Security reform should have one overriding goal - to limit or reverse the cancerous growth of the program. Adding "private" accounts to it isn't helping one bit. What are needed are limits to the promised benefits, either in their amount or in how soon you can start getting them; this can be supplemented as needed with truly private savings and investment without a new "private" account mechanism tacked on.

Posted by: Ken on January 26, 2005 05:05 PM
Post a comment
Name:


Email Address:


URL:


Comments:


Remember info?








Now Available!
The Deplorable Gourmet
A Horde-sourced Cookbook
[All profits go to charity]
Top Headlines
Chris
@chriswithans

aaahahaa.jpg


"Ahhhhh ahh I put my career on the line for Louise Lucas and Jay Jones thinking they'd vault me into presidential contention and we ended up costing Democrats 20 House seats and unleashing a Reverse Dobbs ahhhhh ahhh"
Forgotten 80s Mystery Click That Sums Up the Democrat Communist Party Today
Something is wrong as I hold you near
Somebody else holds your heart, yeah
You turn to me with your icy tears
And then it's raining, feels like it's raining
"It's f**king f**ked."
-- reportedly a genuine comment offered by a "senior Labour source"
Correction: I wrote that Labour is losing 88% (now 87%) of the seats it is "defending." I think that's wrong. The right way to say it is the seats they are contesting -- that is, they don't necessarily already hold these seats, but they have put up a candidate to run for the seat. It's still very bad but not as bad as losing 87% of the seats they already held.
Basil the Great
@BasilTheGreat

🚨ED MILIBAND [a Minister in Starmer's government] SAYS KEIR STARMER WILL RESIGN AS PRIME MINISTER

He has reportedly reassured Labour MP's that Starmer will be resigning following the disastrous results tonight

It's over
"The end of the two party system in the UK" as first the Fake Conservatives and now Labour chooses political suicide rather than simply STOPPING THE INVASION
Incidentally, the only reason this didn't already happen in the US is because of the Very Bad Orange Man (who is right on 85% of all policy calls and extremely, existentially right on 15% of them)
No political party that is NOT also a doomsday religious cult would EVER choose a cataclysmic loss -- and possible extinction as a party -- to support a toxically unpopular favoritism of NON-CITIZEN ILLEGAL MIGRANTS over actual citizen voters.

Only a cult does this.
Now they've lost 84%.
Annunziata Rees-Mogg
@zatzi
If this continues Labour loses 2,148 seats tonight.

That is much worse than the worst case predictions I’ve seen.

Cataclysmic

Update: They've now lost 88% of the seats they're defending. As I mentioned earlier, I think I heard that London will not bail them out, as many of those Labour seats will probably flip to "Muslim Independent" or Green. Detroit's 5am vote will not save them.
Yup, Labour is losing 80% of its seats...
The British Patriot
@TheBritLad

🚨 BREAKING: Labour have lost 80% of all seats contested as of 2:25 AM.<
br> If this continues, Keir Starmer will be out of office next week.

Reform has surged and projected to pick up between 1700-2100 seats.


Wow, up to 1700-2100 seats. It's not incredible that this is happening. It's incredible that the Davos crowd is so absolutely determined to privilege Muslim "migrants" over the actual native population who elects them, no matter how loudly the natives scream that they want to be prioritized, that they will gladly self-extinguish as a party rather than simply representing the interests of their own voters. Astonishing.
Remember, when they call other people "cultists" -- they are the ones so imprisoned in their social reinforcement and discipline bubbles that they will choose political death rather than dare upset the Karen Enforcement Officers of their cult.
Update: Now they've lost 83% of the seats they were defending.
(((Dan Hodges)))
@DPJHodges

Reform are basically wiping Labour out in the North. It's not a defeat. It's not even a rout. Labour are simply ceasing to exist.


Nick Lowles
@lowles_nick

Tonight’s results are calamitous for Labour. Not just for Keir Starmer's leadership, but for the very future of the party
STARMERGEDDON: In early returns, Reform gains 135 seats, Labour loses 90, the Fake Conservatives lose 36 (and I didn't even know they could fall any further), the Lib Dems lose 4, and the Greens gain 6. Note that the only other party gaining seats is the Greens and they're only gaining a handful of seats.
Update: Reform now up 145, Labour down 98.
Labour projected to lose Wales -- where they've ruled for 27 years.
Fulton County Georgia just discovered 400 boxes of ballots for Labour
Update: REF +156, LAB -107, CON -45
Brutal: In four out of five council seats where Labour is defending, they've lost. 80%.
I'm sure it's not this simple, but Reform is straight taking Labour's and the "Conservatives'" seats. They've lost almost exactly what Reform gained. If understand this right (and warning, I probably don't), all of London's council seats are up for election, and Labour might lose hugely there, as their old voters abandon them for Reform, Muslim Indenpendents, and the Greens.
REF +190, LAB -134, CON -56.
Updates on the Labour collapse in council elections -- which wags are calling #Starmergeddon -- from Beege Welborne. There are about 5000 seats up for grabs, Labour is expected to lose 1,800, Reform will probably gain 1,580, up from... zero. So this would be more than that.
People claim that while Labour has adopted the Sharia Agenda to appeal to the million Muslims it allowed to migrate to the country, those voters are ditching Labour to vote for the Muslim Independent Party or the Greens. Delicious. This shadenfreude is going straight to my thighs.
Oh, and if Starmer loses about as badly as expected, Labour will toss him out of a window Braveheart style and replace him. He will announce he is resigning to spend more time with his Gay Ukrainian Male Prostitutes.
Media bias and senationalism are as old as, well, the media:
spidermanthreatormenace.jpg

That was written by Denny O'Neill and illustrated by, get this, Frank Miller. Editor to the Stars Jim Shooter was in charge at the time.
I always thought the gag was original to the comic book, but in fact the "Threat or Menace" headline was a satirical joke about media bias and sensationalism for a long while. The Harvard Lampoon used it in a parody of Life magazine: "Flying Saucers: Threat or Menace?"
CJN podcast 1400 copy.jpg
Podcast: Starting a new season, CBD and Sefton discuss their personal journeys to conservative principles, is Nick Shirley the beginning of a trend?, Iran trying to reignite the war, the Left attacks itself, even on "Best Guitarist" lists, and more!
Recent Comments
NaCly Dog: "Oldcat That is one point to pound in on. IST ..."

gKWVE : "#Justice4Kaya ..."

garrett: ">>It messes up the flavor and texture profile. ..."

Anna Puma: "Piper is riffing off 'being a beacon to the world' ..."

ShainS [/b][/i][/s][/u]: "[Just belatedly saw this from the prior thread:] ..."

garrett: ">>My daughter mentioned to me that she has never l ..."

Turn 2: ">>> Well traditionally it was all Judy Garland mov ..."

Harry Vandenburg: "Didn't California do the same thing with gay marri ..."

"Perfessor" Squirrel: "Organically grown, smartass. No pesticides or crap ..."

Guy Mohawk: "I think a repost of Diablo girl is warranted. ..."

Auspex: " The long march through the institutions is over, ..."

Anna Puma: "Hakeem Jeffries, every time he opens his pie-hole ..."

Bloggers in Arms
Some Humorous Asides
Archives