Rahall slams Bush on Social Security

Posted: Thursday, Aug 04, 2005 - 08:21:10 pm EDT

I think the president has the same problem with social security that he has with Iraq - no exit strategy

-U.S. Rep. Nick Jo Rahall II

It's so convenient to play to the heartstrings of war protestors across the country that I'd imagine it's almost impossible for some politicians to resist. Rahall's assessment of the Social Security "crisis" clearly indicates that without said heartstrings, he would have nothing more than his own name to say about Social Security. The nature of the threat facing our Social Security system is purely mathematical. It's imminently clear that we cannot sustain the payout as technology increases quality of living and life expectancy in the United States (along with the rest of the world). The Baby Boomers are a prominent example of a major population "push", which many statisticians and economists question the current system's ability to overcome, but whether the terminal point is immediately present or several years off seems of little consequence. I present you some statistics published by the Social Security Administration to consider. It's important to realize that Rahall's argument is that the danger isn't immediate. Change the years in the following statistics.... Add 10 to them if you want. How about 50? (Word of caution: we aren't going to make it 50 years with what we've got.... add it anyway if you want)

€ In 1950, there were 16 workers to support every one beneficiary of Social Security.

€ Today, there are only 3.3 workers supporting every Social Security beneficiary.

€ In 2008, baby boomers are expected to retire, beginning a span of ever-increasing retirees. According to the website, "By the time today's youngest workers turn 65, there will only be two workers supporting each beneficiary."

€ In 2018, the president said the government will begin to pay out more in Social Security benefits than it collects in payroll taxes, creating mounting program deficits.

Privatizing Social Security implies that the money that you pay into the system comes out only for you. It creates a one-to-one ratio coverage, independent and necessarily insensitive to population change of any degree. The argument about the risk of private investment applies only in the transition period, and it is the prominent argument used to scare old people into avoiding any kind of change to the current SS system, which, as I thought we'd already established, is unsustainable. If you've ever studied Computer Science (along with numerous other engineering-related fields), I'm sure you could confirm that when trying to apply a solution to a problem, you want to fix it for all cases, not patch the bugs that you see today only to run into more next week. The one-to-one ratio payout ensures that your money will be there when you need it, no matter how many of you their are. Any questions?

Oh, and here's my favorite part. Rahall, asked to offer alternatives to President Bush's suggested solution, said that House Democrats feel "alternatives should not be put on the table until privatization is taken off the table."

Pshhhhwhat!?!?!?!?!? Damnit, Nick Jo, I want answers. If nobody puts any more suggestions on the table until we take ours off, I'm going to be one pissed off senior citizen before anything gets fixed.

Butterflies and Hurricanes

I have a busy day ahead of me... I should be sleeping, but I just don't feel it. Invaluable wisdom has been imparted upon me tonight, and I know I need to heed that wisdom. Maybe after I get some sleep it'll have set in. Until then, I'm going to keep running it through my head. CPR.... CPR.... CPR........

God bless the people of New Orleans and anyone else threatened by Katrina. Believe me, I know how you all feel...

The moon wanes through the tropical haze as rain clouds scatter across the midnight sky.....

Wingardium Leviosa!

During my last two days at the 'Due, I decided to start reading the 6th Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.



I probably should've known that I wasn't actually going to start the book without finishing it, too. So I did. I read the last two chapters in Cafe Hookah to the enjoyment of our waitress, who kept prodding me with "Are you done yet?", and "Isn't it good?"... you know, things like that. That didn't bother me, because the book really was incredible. It's gripping.... it runs the gamut of human emotion, and it appeals to my life in particular right now as I seem to have engaged myself in a solitary journey of epic importance (at least to me). I highly recommend the entire chronicles of Harry Potter and his gang, and if you just haven't made it out to get the latest installment, you're doing yourself a disservice if you don't go get it today.
I'm in Huntington for a few days. It should be an interesting visit, but I haven't slept in my bed in over a week already, and I've been having these dreams..... with much greater frequency than before...... what a pain.... I need a vacation from my vacation.
On an unrelated note, one day I want to do this. The environment was unparalleled by anything I've ever seen at a bar. Good times.

You're More American Than I'll Ever Be

Was Che a prolific, enlightened advocate of freedom of the people or a blood-stained, martyrous student of Soviet communist ideals? Maybe a little of both? Two things I do know: I need to read everything this man ever wrote, and I need to brush up on my Soviet communist ideals, because I'm inclined to believe that there's something about this man's collective experiences in the impoverished, identity-torn Southern hemisphere that bridged a gap between revolutionary socialism and individual freedom (and I'm referring to the very heart of individuality here...) It's almost as if the "live by the land" doctrine of the Western tribal cultures could be blended with the capitalist progression of industrialized society to generate a truly liberated population. Through this lens, if I'm applying it correctly, Che Guevara was truly a noble, morally-driven human being. I think his death, and the failed revolutionary attempts leading to it, contributed to his attaining the most complete understanding of the human condition anyone has ever seen.

The modern mantra applied to socialism is right, I guess. It really does look good on paper. And in the movies.

You can lead a horse to water, or in some cases an entire civilization, but you can't make them drink....

P.S. - I finally watched The Motorcycle Diaries.... You were right...

What is (4,102 x (12e^2-6tan45)+39.758)*0*(5+6sin70)?

I'm back in the midwest. Decidedly in the heart of the Bible Belt. I went to the Newburgh Library yesterday and discovered that the biggest section (by far, and in a relatively small library) was the Christian Fiction section. This should certainly be interesting. My apartment is coming together nicely, and pictures will be forthcoming, but I don't think you want to see all my boxes and other various unpackedness. I'll get a round tuit ;-).

Let's see.... this is a big week in the news as well. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I advise heading on over to Google News. I'll bet the word 'Gaza' appears in one of the top 2 headlines at all times. Read up. I didn't think we'd be alive when this happened, and yet here it is. More on that later, too, I guess, because I have to go to my big brother's house and drive him to pick up his van or something to that effect. Sorry for the inconsequentiality of this post; I felt like I should say something, but I don't really have time to say anything.

Peace and Blessin's Be Wit' You

Hail, Hail to Old Purdue

A lot of people seem intent on questioning my motives in life. The most likely reason for this (that I can think of) is the relative eccentricity with which I've lived my life. I can see where it would be difficult to apply standard logic to some of my decisions, but guess what... I don't have standard logic. I have Adam logic, and that's worked pretty well for me, so I'm going to stick with it.

On that note, I am moving to Evansville, Indiana this weekend, as I said in my last post. I have my last final at Marshall on Friday morning, then I'm headed to Wheeling for my favorite cousin's wedding reception (she got married in Colorado earlier this summer, but I couldn't make it out there because of school). Then Saturday or Sunday I'm back in Huntington to finish loading up my car, and I'm heading down I-64 until I get to my new apartment. Why, you ask? (You ALWAYS ask why, so learn to love it.) I'll tell you why.

I. I never had any intention of graduating from Marshall University.

A. I went to school for two years at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. For more than half of that time, I was drunk and stoned out of my mind. It was not cost effective for me to stay at Purdue when I didn't even know if I could tie my own shoes.

B. Marshall does not even have the academic program I'm interested in (Computer Science), although they're phasing in a B.S. over the next 3 years. The thing is, that's going to take too long, and I still can't get a Ph.D. Not gonna do it.... wouldn't be prudent...



C. As anyone who's traversed those fine corridors will surely tell you, Old Main is about as user friendly as a large room full of pit vipers with razor blades for door handles. Our professors are severely underpaid here in West Virginia; the bargain status of Marshall provides for a sorely pathetic academic environment with regards to the degree of student interest in academic research. Marshall just isn't cutting it for me, and I'm sorry if that offends you. Wait. No I'm not.



II. I am in love with the academic quality of another school.

This one is easy. Purdue has the world's first Computer Science program. It has the best technology research park in the United States. The only thing it doesn't have is a good location, but short of picking it up and moving it to Southern Cali, there's nothing I can do about that. I'm a Boilermaker at heart. Here's an example of why.

Stunning. The thing is, I can't afford to go to school here for $25,000 a year. So what am I going to do? I'm going to live in Indiana for a year to qualify for in-state tuition and pay $5,000 a year, which I can afford. Good thinking, huh?

III. None of this has anything to do with running away from anything.

I don't have anything from which to run. I've made some incredible friends in Huntington, certainly better than most you'll find in the mid-west, the apparent birthplace of the cold shoulder. (Where I come from, we have this thing called ' southern hospitality'. That's a rap song in Indiana, and they'll glare at you whether you play it or not.) As for running away from Lorin, if I wanted to take the easy way out, I'd stay here. It's much more of a challenge to dive into the unknown to give myself a better opportunity.... I owe it to myself to leave, and it's been the most difficult decision I've ever made to do it anyway. I'd appreciate it if the vast majority of you would either shut the hell up and let me do my own thing or try to think things through before deciding that I'm running scared for leaving the place that ALL of you wish you could leave too. (Don't deny it, you know it's true.) This is the best decision I've made in my life. Let's do it.

Oh, and the midnight sky is nowhere to be seen.......

You're Wasting Your Talent, Randy

My life is forever changed. I don't think I'll ever be able to look at this world in the same light again. Every moment seems like a scene from a movie. I walk to a brand new beat; my heart feels a brand new rhythm. Why, you ask?

I'm in love <3. Even a 60 GB iPod Photo can't replace someone as cool as LJ, but the little bastard comes devilishly close. Lorin will be missed greatly, but it's time to go on to bigger and better things.... or something like that. Regardless, she's a good girl, so be good to her, world.

In other news, I am moving to Evansville, IN in less than a week. More on that later though, because STOP! It's dinner time!

SOTD Archive

[Recent Archives]

7/27/06
Artist: Nelly Furtado
Album: Loose [2006]
Track: (03) Promiscuous

7/17/06
Artist: Ying Yang Twins
Album: United States of Atlanta [2005]
Track: (12) Pull My Hair

5/08/06
Artist: The Flaming Lips
Album: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots [2002]
Track: (03) Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1

4/09/06
Artist: Cat Stevens
Album: Tea for the Tillerman [1970]
Track: (02) Hard-Headed Woman

4/08/06
Artist: The Killers
Album: Hot Fuss [2004]
Track: (11) Everything Will Be Alright

4/06/06
Artist: Band of Horses
Album: Everything All the Time [2006]
Track: (06) The Great Salt Lake

4/03/06
Artist: The Killers
Album: Hot Fuss [2004]
Track: (08) Change Your Mind

3/27/06
Artist: The Streets
Album: The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living [2006]
Track: (04) All Goes Out the Window

3/08/06
Artist: The String Quartet
Album: Tribute to Coheed and Cambria: IKSSE3 [2005]
Track: (04) Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow)

3/07/06
Artist: Ying Yang Twins (featuring Anthony Hamilton)
Album: United States of Atlanta [2005]
Track: (03) Long Time

3/06/06
Artist: Avalon
Album: A Maze of Grace [1997]
Track: (05) Adonai

3/02/06
Artist: Panic! At The Disco
Album: A Fever You Can't Sweat Out [2005]
Track: (03) London Beckoned Songs about Money Written by Machines

2/28/06
Artist: Phil Vassar
Album: Shaken Not Stirred [2004]
Track: (12) Black and Whites

2/27/06
Artist: Simon and Garfunkel
Album: Collected Works Volume II [1990]
Track: (15) America

2/26/06
Artist: Yellowcard
Album: Lights and Sounds [2006]
Track: (02) Lights and Sounds

2/25/06
Artist: Muse
Album: Showbiz [1999]
Track: (07) Unintended

2/20/06
Artist: Muse
Album: Origin of Symmetry [2001]
Track: (02) Bliss

2/17/06
Artist: Coldplay
Album: A Rush of B-Sides to Your Head [2003]
Track: (04) Don't Panic

2/16/06
Artist: Sufjan Stevens
Album: Greetings from Michigan, the Great Lakes State [2003]
Track: (01) Flint (For the Unemployed and Underpaid)

2/15/06
Artist: Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical
Album: Original Cast [1997]
Track: (25) Dangerous Game

2/14/06
Artist: Dr. Dre (featuring Korrupt and Hittman)
Album: Chronic 2001 [2001]
Track: (18) House Wife

2/13/06
Artist: David Banner (featuring Sky and Marcus)
Album: MTA2: Baptized in Dirty Water [2003]
Track: (07) My Lord

2/12/06
Artist: Sarah McLachlan (featuring Will.i.M of Black Eyed Peas)
Album: Remix Album [2005]
Track: (07) Just Like Me (Cat's in the Cradle)

2/10/06
Artist: Muse
Album: Absolution [2003]
Track: (13) Thoughts of a Dying Atheist

1/30/06
Artist: Sufjan Stevens
Album: Illinois [2005]
Track: (22) Out of Egypt, Into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I Shake the Dirt from My Sandals As I Run

12/29/05
Artist: Johnny Cash (with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Waylon Jennings)
Album: The Essential Johnny Cash [2002]
Track: (Disc 2: 16) Highwayman

12/19/05
Artist: Coheed and Cambria
Album: Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One - From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness [2005]
Track: (04) Ten Speed (of God's Blood and Burial)

12/17/05
Artist: Brian Wilson (of The Beach Boys)
Album: Smile (2004)
Track: (09) Good Vibrations

12/16/05
Artist: Ludacris and Field Mob
Album: Ludacris Presents Disturbin' Tha Peace (2005)
Track: (02) Georgia

12/10/05
Artist: Tom Waits
Album: Bone Machine (1992)
Track: (05) Who Are You

12/09/05
Artist: Tom Waits
Album: Mule Variations (1999)
Track: (05) House Where Nobody Lives

12/06/05
Artist: Winterpills
Album: Winterpills (2005)
Track: (01) A Benediction

12/04/05
Artist: Cat Stevens
Album: Tea for the Tillerman (1970)
Track: (03) Wild World

12/01/05
Artist: Ray Charles
Album: Billboard Top 100 (1961)
Track: (#19) Hit the Road Jack

11/23/05
Artist: Will Smith (featuring Snoop Dogg)
Album: Lost and Found (2005)
Track: (09) Pump Ya Brrakes

11/22/05
Artist: The Shins
Album: Chutes Too Narrow (2003)
Track: (05) Saint Simon

11/21/05
Artist: John Legend
Album: Get Lifted (2004)
Track: (08) Ordinary People

11/20/05
Artist: Linkin Park
Album: Meteora (2003)
Track: (09) Breaking the Habit

11/19/05
Artist: Dntel (Postal Service dude)
Album: The Dream of Evan and Chan (Single 2002)
Track: (01) Evan and Chan

11/18/05
Artist: The White Stripes
Album: White Blood Cells (2002)
Track: (11) I Think I Smell A Rat

11/17/05
Artist: Frankie Vallie
Album: Billboard Top 100 (1976)
Track: (#4) December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)

[Old Archives]
9/17/04 [miles davis and ella fitzgerald] - prelude to a kiss
9/16/04 [jeff buckley] - i never asked to be your mountain
9/13/04 [queen] - bohemian rhapsody
9/02/04 [the searchers] - love potion no 9
8/30/04 [sublime] - garden grove
8/29/04 [elliot smith] - the white lady loves you more
8/24/04 [miles davis and thelonious monk] - blue monk
8/18/04 [jamiroquai] - little l
6/30/04 [jamie cullum] - all at sea
6/29/04 [rush] - spirit of radio
6/28/04 [the postal service] - such great heights
6/27/04 [wilco] - hell is chrome
6/26/04 [elliott smith] - i didn't understand
6/25/04 [stevie ray vaughn and double trouble] - blues at sunrise
6/24/04 [icp and twiztid] - homiez
6/23/04 [coheed and cambria] - delirium trigger
6/22/04 [jackson 5] - i'll be there
6/21/04 [basement jaxx feat dizzee rascal] - lucky star
6/17/04 [dream theater] - through my words
6/10/04 [stevie ray vaughn] - texas flood
6/09/04 [red house painters] - katy song
6/08/04 [bob dylan] - maggie's farm
6/07/04 [matt nathanson] - little victories
6/05/04 [the streets] - has it come to this
6/04/04 [jeff buckley] - yard of blond girls
6/03/04 [mr magic] - puff puff pass
6/02/04 [piebald] - fear and loathing in cape cod
2/24/04 [dayton family] - philly blunt
2/22/04 [beethoven] - moonlight sonata
2/20/04 [dmx] - slippin'
2/14/04 [john coltrane] - equinox
2/13/04 [eric johnson] - cliffs of dover (live)
2/9/04 [paul oakenfold] - southern sun
2/8/04 [elliott smith] - bottle up and explode
2/7/04 [phil vassar] - i'll be the one
2/6/04 [dmb] - all along the watchtower (live at red rocks)
2/5/04 [enya] - from where i am
2/4/04 [coheed and cambria] - the light and the glass
2/3/04 [dizzee rascal] - i luv u
2/2/04 [elliott smith] - waltz #2

In Profile

[Vital Signs]

Celebration: December, 22, 1983
Origination: Huntington, WV
Location: West Lafayette, IN
Occupation: Student, Server, and Social Observer
Affiliation: GOP, Purdue University
Communication: AdamNationX at Gmail dot Com (Email)
xAdamNationX (AIM)

[Where My Passions Lie]
La Musica, politics, computer science, high-tech gadgetry, xbox, Super Smash Bros Melee, SNES, theatre, college life, tennis, baseball, football, cliff diving, tennis, mountains, lakes, rivers, forests, midnight, good wine, Italian, The West Wing, My iPod, philosophy of religion, running, piano, guitar, drummin', Siberian Huskies, cards, Texas Hold'em, Euchre, Wiki, curvaceous women, philosophy of dead people, road trippin', camaraderie

[Music is Soul Food]
Coheed and Cambria, Elliott Smith, Tom Waits, Coldplay, Muse, Miles Davis, Jamie Cullum, Yellowcard, Sublime, Eminem, 50 Cent, Outkast, Dave Matthews, Phil Vassar, Rascal Flatts, Jeff Buckley, The Postal Service, Adem

[Lights, Camera, Action!]
Adaptation, Amelie, American History X, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Lilo and Stitch, The Boondock Saints, A Clear and Present Danger, Dead Poets Society, Donnie Darko, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Four Rooms, The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, High Fidelity, Labyrinth, The Motorcycle Diaries, Moulin Rouge, Newsies, Pirates of the Caribbean, School of Rock, Sideways, Forrest Gump, Ray, Scream 1, Shrek 1/2, Stigmata, Super Troopers, Top Gun, Van Wilder, Waking Life, Wimbledon

[Read a Good Book Lately?]
The Bible, The Qur'an, For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Sun Also Rises, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, The Catcher in the Rye, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, The Black Cauldron, Ordinary People, The Island of the Blue Dolphin, The Red Badge of Courage, Harry Potter, Cannibals and Kings, Republican Party Reptile, A Farewell to Arms, Something Wicked This Way Comes,(More coming very soon)

[Now What?]
Well, when in doubt, the beginning is always a good place to start. But then again, the end is often more exciting than the beginning.

In Portrait

[Self Portrait]

[Love Big]