Bush will deliver

S.J.Morrison
Columnist

Medicare and Social Security.are two complex issues with some very simple facts. Let's get into Medicare.

In 10 years, when 78 million baby boomers start to retire, Medicare will begin slipping into bankruptcy and will completely hit rock bottom by the year 2025. That means that we, the younger generation, will not only be deprived of Medicare benefits, we'll have to pay for these politicians' mistakes.

With that in mind, doesn't it stand to reason that our presidential candidates come up with a plan to improve the Medicare program?

Vice President Gore doesn't seem to think so. But the program is sliding into ruin, and we'll pay for it, unless something is done. Gore wants to spend $253 billion over the next 10 years. That's $100 billion more than Republican Texas Gov. George W. Bush will spend. Gore's plan is scheduled to begin in 2002 and will take about six years to be fully implemented. So if Grandma's got health problems now; sorry, she'll have to wait another eight years before she'll receive any benefits under Gore's plan.

Bush's plan, however, will take effect immediately. He'll give $48 billion, to the states for immediate Medicare relief to low- and moderate-income seniors. He will then spend $110 billion on updating and improving the current Medicare system. Under Bush, Medicare has a fighting chance.

Gore, on the other hand, wants to take $253 billion and spend it on handouts. According to his plan, anyone 65 and older will get free prescription drugs, regardless of how rich they are. So when the time comes, Bill Gates could go out and get free drugs, and we'll pick up the tab. I don't think so.

Bush's program encourages competition and gives us the right to choose our doctor, our health insurance provider and which plan best suits us. I like those options.

In a nutshell,Social Security is running out of money. Why? Well, when we started Social Security, there were more young people than old people, meaning that there were more people paying in than there were receiving checks. Now the opposite is the case. In 1945, when Social Security started, there were 42 people paying in for each recipient; today there's 3.4 people paying in for each recipient. In 15 years that number will have dropped even more so.

Gore wants to spend more money. He has this idea he calls "Retirement Savings Plus." Here's how it works: If a person making less than $30,000 a year invests $500 a year in a government-regulated savings account, Gore says he'll reimburse that person up to $1,500 each year. What's wrong with this picture?

First, since when does the government have that kind of money? Second, he's not really sure where he's going to get the money. But he is sure about one thing: It'll cost somewhere between $200 billion and $1.2 trillion. Yikes. Even on the low end, it will require a tax hike.

Bush, on the other hand, has a very simple plan. About 12.4 percent of our paycheck goes to Social Security. Bush wants to give people the option of investing 2 percent of that in a mutual stock market account. That's perfect.

The government isn't spending any more money. An increase in the stock market will help the economy, and our generation will have the opportunity to set aside some money for later in life.Folks, these are the facts. Bush's plans make more sense. Vote Bush. For more information go to www.georgewbush.com.