ENTITLEMENTS: Key questions

As the Republican majority in Congress starts their work, the people need to consider what is important to us. Social Security and Medicare will come up early in budget discussions. What do we want these areas to look like? That may cause some debate.

There are two directions being talked about over “entitlements”: 1) cutting benefits and 2) privatization. In Social Security, cost of living and inflation rates will decrease or disappear. Retirement age will increase. What about increasing payments into Social Security for those making more than $118,000 a year? (Right now a person making $300,000 pays the same into Social Security as a person making $118,000.) What about reducing corporate welfare which currently costs the U.S. more than the “entitlement” programs Congress tells us we can’t afford?

Privatization is a direction being considered for Medicare. Privatization makes corporations rich, but does it save Americans money? Did we save money by hiring Halliburton to get into the war business?

Privatizing air traffic controllers cost the U.K. and Canada millions more than government controllers. People say smaller government is better. Is it better than the huge corporate phone, cable or health insurance companies? Are you happy with those services? Will huge newly created corporations designed to address Medicare fix the problem or just make it more confusing and costly to regular Americans and benefit huge corporations? I wonder.

BARBARA SCHMICH

Coeur d’Alene