Time for Demos to offer solutions

After reading the Sunday editorial, “Leaders must step up to entitlement problem,” I had to shake my head in disbelief. Where has The Herald been these past four years? I say welcome aboard, and glad to have you!

The Herald asserts that the president’s idea to solve the entitlement problem by using voluntary personal retirement accounts was met with a swift death due to the lack of bipartisan ideas. Funny, I thought the president’s commission to strengthen Social Security, established in 2001 and containing 16 members, or which eight were Democrats, did just that. The commission put forth the personal accounts idea, as well as other ideas for saving Social Security, for which the president was roundly chided by Democrats, who offered nothing in the way of proposals of their own. The voluntary accounts idea is one even our nation’s lawmakers use themselves, yet they tell us it’s a horrible idea? That fact alone would lead me to believe it’s a great idea, knowing how Congress loves to take care of its own.

Until Democrats come up with their own ideas for solving our entitlement problems, there can be no bipartisan solutions, as there is only one party willing to work toward solving it. As a moderate independent, beholden to no party, I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Democrats’ plan, if they ever get around to offering us one.

I do give The Herald credit for getting one part of the editorial right, when it says there is much political hay to be made by opposing any partisan idea, whether it makes sense or not. That explains the Democrats’ mascot, which loves hay, especially of the political type.

Michael Wood

Marysville

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