Going to see the President

I just found out that I'm getting a ticket to go see President Bush on Thursday. He's in Louisville Thursday morning on his Social Security tour and my company was allotted some tickets to go see him. I'm excited about the opportunity to hear firsthand what he has to say about the Social Security mess. Up to this point I've only heard the sound bites from the news, and it's pretty difficult to be sure that your getting the real picture that way.

As for my own thoughts on Social Security, the jury is still out. As a younger worker (I'm 31), I'm particularly interested in the private accounts issue. I don't know that Social Security is the right place to do that. Call me cynical if you'd like, but I'm well aware that by the time I retire I won't see the level of benefits from SS commensurate with what I will have paid in over the years. Don't misunderstand, I'm very much in favor of individuals owning their own retirement accounts - that's why I'm funding a 401(k) and two Roth IRA's (for my wife and I). I don't know whether the government security blanket (I use that term loosely) has any room in it for designating funds for a specific individual. To me that seems somewhat contrary to the program's stated goal of being a "safety net" for those that need it.

I'll take the President's speech under advisement, and like always, I'll draw my own conclusions on the matter.