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As the Baby Boomer Generation continue to get older, one of the hot topics will continue to be Social Security. Critics claim that Social Security is going bankrupt, and that it needs to be privatized as soon as possible, or people will lose their benefits. This rant examines if Social Security needs to be privatized, and if it is actually going broke.

Thanks to various search engines, and thanks to the Information Superhighway, there is much data to suggest that Social Securityeven at the going ratewill be able to pay full benefits at least until 2032, and some research indicates it could survive as long as 2042. Also, seventy-five percent of Social Security funding comes from the payroll tax, which guarantees that Social Security will never go broke. The trick isin about thirty or forty years, to come up with a system to make up the other twenty-five percent. Those who like to crunch numbers, and those who are familiar with the mathematical formula claim that a raise in the payroll tax by two percentone percent by the employer, and one percent by the employee, will guarantee the survival of Social Security until the Second Coming. Analysts like to stress the fact that a tax increaseno matter how meager it may or may not be, is not the only solution. With the advancement of technology and medical science, people are living longer than they ever have before. Also, various amounts of disease have been quelled. About ninety years ago, the number one killer in the world was Spanish Influenza. Today, the flu is no longer a serious threat. Also, polio used to be a scourge on society, but these days, that disease has been virtually eradicated off the face of the planet. Thus, it makes sense that the retirement age willand shouldbe raised to about 70. Actually, seventy years of age is not old. In fact, it is about the average age, in this country, and well below the average in many industrialized nations in the world.

Of course claiming that Social Security is under-funded is not telling the whole story. Let us look at the facts. So far, on this war on terror, the United States has spent over 300 billion dollars. If that amount is divided by the present population, that equals to about a thousand dollars for every man, woman, and child in the country. Also, do not forget about the hundreds of millions of dollars that “loaned” to other countries in the world. Instead of saying, “Social Security is going broke because of the population”, the correct statement should be, “the president believes that there are more important things to spend money on rather than insuring that benefits will be around for years to come.”

Whenever Social Security Reform is mentioned, there are always a select few that love to clamor that the system should be privatized. Statistically we know that people spend more than they save. If Social Security should be privatized, what about the millions of people that do not have a bank account? Should those people automatically receive an account? And who is going to make sure that these people get an account–the federal government? That would defeat the purpose of privatizing Social Security in the first place. It’s kind of like saying, “let’s fix our brakes so we can take the car to the mechanic so he can fix the brakes.”

I could do a lot of research and list a lot of data and list a lot of references, or I could use history and common sense to prove that Social Security should never be put in the hands of a private institution. It is certainly true that there have been many government scandals that have cost the taxpayer billions throughout the history of this country. The failure of the Savings and Loans is one example, and the list is quite lengthy. Also, there have been many scandals in the private realm that has wiped out the life savings of countless people. Enron is just one example in a list that I am sure is exhaustive. Thus, the conclusion is that history shows that it government bureaucracy is safer than the private realm, thus leave Social Security alone.

About the Author

I like to discuss politics and history. I have two college degrees in those disciplines. Please stop by my site sometime at (www.xtraxtrzxtra(dot)com.)

Government bodies at any level, local, state, and Federal, can implement Six Sigma to improve customer service and increase the effectiveness of government. Although Six Sigma has its roots in private-sector manufacturing, it works just as effectively in governmental organizations and government will reap the same benefits as corporations.

Many top companies have produced outstanding results with Six Sigma, dramatically cutting costs, increasing profits, and improving customer service. Governments aren’t looking for profits, but they still have motivation to reduce their costs and reduce the inefficiency and waste that causes cost overruns. The reduction of variation and defects within processes is the goal of Six Sigma and that goal is just as valid in government as in any other industry.

Any government institution is a service organization and its customers are the citizens it serves. Like a private sector service business, a government benefits when it learns how to serve their customers better by increasing quality and efficiency. In any service organization, the critical factors in quality and efficiency are the flow of information and interaction between people, especially interactions with customers. Transforming the process of these flows will yield quality results. At the heart of every service business are the opinions, behaviors and decisions made by people. Analyzing and modifying human performance in service environments is as complex as any manufacturing situation. Six Sigma achieves documented bottom-line strategic business results by initiating an organization-wide culture shift.

The governmental institution must understand that it needs to redesign its processes from the ground up to be as efficient as Six Sigma enables. No more “business as usual.” Until a process focus-rather than a task focus-is developed, the scope and endurance of improvements will be limited. Analyzing and modifying human performance in these environments is complex, but Six Sigma provides the tools and methodology required to achieve significant long-term improvements.

Six Sigma will help government operations groups, such as public works, law enforcement, and sanitation improve their processes to deliver services more efficiently. It will help departments that handle transactions, such as finance, libraries, and human resources, improve their processes to reduce waste and save money. It will help relationships with contractors and assure that contractors apply best practices to their own programs. Six Sigma will also instill a new attitude of efficiency and responsibility from governmental employees. The organization-wide culture shift comes from Six Sigma’s recognition of meeting the needs of customers and the value of lower-defect business processes.

Six Sigma is still new to government. Fort Wayne, Indiana may be the first City in the country to implement Six Sigma. The City of Fort Wayne is using Six Sigma to initiate improvements in a number of different departments, including fire, community development, water pollution control, right of way, human resources, street, transportation engineering services and solid waste. Six Sigma has decreased costs, improved customer service and increased productivity throughout city government. Projects have resulted in over $3 million of savings or cost avoidance for the City.

The use of Six Sigma demonstrates a government’s commitment to innovation and continuous improvement. Leaders in government will find many benefits to adopting Six Sigma methodologies and training their employees in Six Sigma.

About the Author

Peter Peterka is President of Six Sigma.us and has over 15 years experience including implementation of Six Sigma in Government with a variety of organizations. For additional information please contact Peter Peterka at 6Sigma.us

Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2005 19:46:21 +0200
To: “David Ben-Ariel”
From: Istituto Culturale della Comunita’ Islamica Italiana
Subject: Re: Update on visa for Israel

Dear David,

I am simply shocked by what I read. I knew the Israeli government is becoming hard, cruel and dictatorial toward opposition groups (the wife of an activists protesting against disengagement was recently sent to jail together with her month years old daughter) but I never suspected this kind of attitude was extended not only to Israeli citizens, but to Zionist American citizens visiting Israel, too. Plenty of U.S. leftists regularly visit Israel in order to campaign against Israel and to support PLO, and they are not treated in the way you were treated.

Please, accept my solidarity.

All the best,

Sheikh Abdul Hadi Palazzi
http://www.amislam.com

At 16.44 Saturday 08/13/2005, you wrote:
Shabbat shalom Sheik Palazzi,

Here is the information you kindly requested:

http://www.pushhamburger.com/plot.gif

IF the Israeli authorities truly suspected me of being involved in such a
dangerous activity, they would have NEVER RELEASED ME with only my
passport in their hands. As for those others allegedly involved in some
plot, that were “still at large” - THEY’RE STILL AT LARGE to this day,
NINE YEARS LATER, because they don’t exist! And, just like NINE YEARS AGO
I protested my innocence, I continue to this day doing the same,
consistent, honest and true, as God knows, and as they very well know.

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=53805
Israel’s Unjust Deportation of David Ben-Ariel

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=55903
From Toledo to Jerusalem

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=54218
American Detained in Russian Compound

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=54039
Edward Abington: political prostitute

http://www.benariel.com

Most sincerely yours,
David Ben-Ariel

About the Author

David Ben-Ariel, an American author who has travelled widely and who has lived throughout Israel, shares a special focus on the Middle East and great interest in Jerusalem, reflected in hard-hitting articles that help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out www.benariel.com