Letter: Private sector not trustworthy for Social Security

Friday, Feb. 11, 2005 | 9:19 a.m.

I enjoyed Brian Greenspun's Feb. 6 Where I Stand column headlined, "Preserve the safety net." My father, a chemistry professor and accomplished violinist, was 10 years old when he got his first job in Canada with Dominion Glass Foundaries. For a brief period he was the sole income earner in his family. Times were definitely difficult 60 years ago and I have learned to be deeply appreciative and respectful for the sacrifices of the earlier generations to make life for us today much more bearable and peaceful.

However, sadly, it appears that the lessons from the past have been forgotten and America, with its $6 trillion debt, ever-diminishing value of the dollar, U.S.-led illegal destruction of nations like Yugoslavia and Iraq, and subservience to globalist corporations, is running the real risk of collapsing economically.

With the recent and numerous scandals that have exposed the illegal, insider and self-serving management schemes that pilfered company monies -- particularly retirement pension funds -- in such corporate black holes as Enron and WorldCom, who honestly would trust any of these white-collar elitist folk to successfully manage the pension funds accrued from one ordinary citizen's lifetime of hard work?

At least government officials are, in theory, more accountable to the electorate -- corporate swindlers/leaders are much less so. The Bush administration's efforts to privatize Social Security represent a relinquishing of responsiblity for the welfare of our citizens and the transferance of this responsibility to individuals whose primary goals in life are the maximization of profit.

MICHAEL PRAVICA