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From: jss@sjuvax.UUCP (Jonathan Shapiro)
Newsgroups: net.legal
Subject: Re: Driver's licenses in the USA
Message-ID: <294@sjuvax.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 13-May-84 21:40:19 EDT
Article-I.D.: sjuvax.294
Posted: Sun May 13 21:40:19 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 15-May-84 03:14:02 EDT
References: <197@homxa.UUCP> <1766@mit-eddie.UUCP>
Organization: Saint Josephs Univ. Phila., Pa.
Lines: 31

<<Eat Me...>>
On the topic of Driver's Licenses compared to Social Security.
I recently put forth the opinion in a discussion with a friend that the
Social Security cuts were not bad, merely ill administered. I presented this
argument on the grounds that I do not approve of my taxes going to pay for
some of my classmates' drug habits.  Some of my aquaintainces at school
(not Saint Joseph's University - I am using their facilities out of their
courtesy and wish to be careful about whom I disparage implicitly).

	The response I got, which after consideration I realized to be
right, was:

	The social security system was initially envisioned as a mandatory
insurance program which could be run for approximately 50% the cost of
regular insurance, because approximately 50% of your insurance money goes
to pay salesman that the Social Security people don't have to pay.  It was
never a form of welfare.  It was intended that a person reaching the age of
retirement or becoming ill should be able to take social security without
feeling that he was being given a handout.  The system worked, with no
deficit (actually about 3 weeks behind itself) for years, until the federal
government decided to dip into the SS pot rather than raise taxes (I dont
recall the year this individual cited).

	The point of this is, don't cite the social security agencies for a
problem that was created by politicians acting outside the law.  For the
same reason, don't criticize the federal government for the problems of
Social Security, but rather for not making reparations for its former
illegalities.

Jonathan Shapiro
Haverford College