Social Insecurity - An Article By LPQC Member Ed Konecnik

Ed Konecnik, a member of the Libertarian Party of Queens County, submitted the following article for publication:

Social Insecurity
by Ed Konecnik
Flushing, New York
May 25, 2012

The appearance of ads imploring us to "vote for change", "make a difference" means election time is here. Most elections do not effectuate change but rather legitimize and reinforce the status quo since 85% of incumbents are returned to office. We have become an acquiescent dependent flock of sheep denying the gravity of the challenges we face. With no federal budget for three years, a 16 trillion dollar debt, impending bankruptcies of Social Security and Medicare, uncontrolled entitlement spending, is anyone minding the store? More importantly, does anybody care?

Few in the media and even fewer politicians call attention to our perilous predicament. Our sad state of affairs goes unnoticed and unexamined because we have been duped into apathy by a false sense of security. Among the most blatant and egregious examples of deception and violation of individual rights is the Social Security System. Consider the following: if after a lifetime of mandatory contributions to Social Security you die before you can collect, who gets that money? In 1981, employees of Galveston County Texas opted out of Social Security for a private alternative retirement plan. Workers who earned $51,000 per year receive $3,100 a month compared to SS benefits of $1,368. Workers who earned $75,000 receive $4,540 compared to SS benefits of $1,645. Most importantly, employees own their retirement account and it can be passed on to their heirs. Social Security is a Ponzi scheme but sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed.

Since we have been nurtured to believe the government knows best and is solely responsible for our welfare, most will take the path of least resistance, follow along with the crowd to gain a sense of false safety and shirk personal responsibility. There is no doubt we have met the enemy; it is us.