Ambrose off base on Social Security
National columnist Jay Ambrose’s Saturday Free Press commentary regarding Social Security caused me some upset.
Two points: Ambrose characterizes Social Security as a “wondrous program that can’t be financially sustained minus serious adjustments.”
My sources (AARP and Brookings, among others) say that Social Security is easily sustained via a menu of relatively minor adjustments. The only sticky point is that these adjustments need to be agreed on by Congress – and the sooner the better.
Secondly, Ambrose gets to what he thinks is the heart of the matter by referring to the Social Security Trust Fund: “despite its name the Social Security Trust Fund is not a holder of assets in which surpluses from past tax revenues reside.” What is he saying? “Nice little bunch of Treasury obligations you’ve got there.
It would be a pity if something happened to them.” Hey, Ambrose! That’s my money (and my employer’s) and yours, too, for that matter! If you want to see the peasants storming the castle with pitchforks and boiling tar, try invalidating those bonds.
Byron Chapin, Hixson
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‘Slow-poke’ bill simply self-serving
Thanks to March 13 letter, “‘Slow poke’ law idiotic, unneeded.” I am emboldened to write in opposition to the Slow-Poke bill.
Based on comments of state Rep. Dan Howell and his colleagues, the bill seems self-serving. The legislators want to drive to the capitol and back in record time.
The 2015 Drivers Manual (page 46) already covers the topic of “slow drivers” – including the law against driving less than 55 mph in the left lane.
What may need to be examined is changing the speed limit to allow legally faster speeds in the left lane, or developing means of enforcing the current ones.
The real problem is the culture that has developed where each person feels they are the most important one on the highway. Primary causes of wrecks on our highways are inattention, following too close, use of mind-altering substances while driving and speeding.
The current 55 mph limit is observed by probably less than 1 percent.
Murl Jackson
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Bus route changes harmful to St. Elmo
CARTA recently proposed some devastating changes to the St. Elmo bus route. Changes include complete elimination of Saturday service and cutting out several trips in the middle of the day. These changes would be absolutely crippling for people who depend on this bus.
The St. Elmo bus is more than a means of transportation; it is a lifeline for people to get to work, school, doctor, grocery and church. CARTA tells us ridership is low and we don’t need all the service we are currently getting.
I would ask, does Hamilton Place really need a trip every 15 minutes? Are the taxes we pay in St. Elmo less important? If these changes go through, I literally lose the ability to get to the doctor, and others will lose their jobs because they work on Saturday. Is CARTA’s bottom line worth it?
I was ashamed of the representatives CARTA sent to the community meeting. They did not want to hear anything we said and seemed completely uninterested in any other solutions.
I expect better.
Robyn Garner, St. Elmo