>>>>Who gives a flying hoot whether the SS debt is included or not.
Apparently Sowell did, enough to feature it in an article and lie about it. Makes one suspicious about his agenda in the SS Reform debate.
It makes a big difference in how the current system has been run. If the gov't has been lying about it or cooking the books, we would sure want them excluded from our reform plan, right? Guess why it was important to Sowell to lie about, and me to point out that he was doing so.
It is important as to whether the $700 billion value in the Trust Fund really exists. Even when we are talking about the feds, that is a lot of money. Those of you who are convinced you are going to become millionaires in the stock market probably think that is small potatoes, but the rest of us workers know who foots the bill.
In the end, in a debate forum, when somebody quotes a well known figure, implicitly relying on people trusting that well known person, it is important to point out that well known person's 'errors'. That is the point. What Sowell said is clearly wrong. That those who quoted him previously won't admit the obvious, says something about them. When they try to insult a figure (Clinton) who wasn't even involved in the dispute, that says even more. Defend Sowell with facts (which they obviously can't) or concede the point. Another gratuitous Clinton insult shows the lack of critical thinking skills.
>>>>When that happens higher income taxes will be needed to payback the debt, and higher payroll taxes will be needed to support beneficiaries; what difference does it make that the debt to ss is included in the other or not?
Well, you just answered your own question. Paying back the trust fund bonds does not mean 'higher income taxes' to payback the debt. It means converting the internal debt to public debt. Leaving the public debt where it WOULD HAVE BEEN WITHOUT SS. It is a critical issue in the debate. People who want to lie about it probably know that their reform proposal can't measure up to the current SS system on its own merits.
