What

Gore calls 'risky' pension plan already used by

government workers

Why does Al Gore say

that a plan to invest part of our Social Security payment

in the stock market is "risky" when the federal

government does exactly that for its employees? The

arrangement is called the "Thrift Savings Plan"

and allows federal employees to select government

securities (G Fund), fixed income index (F Fund), or

common stocks (C Fund), and how much money will be

invested.

One can choose the least

risky plan, government securities, for their entire

investment if they wish. The plan is similar to an IRA,

but could easily be converted to serve the same purposes

for social security.

Instead of income

redistribution from worker to nonworker - or from

one generation to another - with a return of about

2.5 percent, over time, to the retired member, one could

be earning about 6 percent in U.S. treasury bonds.

Does Al Gore really have

our best interests in mind? For 44 years the Democrats

controlled the Congress and could have written

legislation to solve the Social Security mess. They

preferred to raid the the accounts and use our

contributions for "rat hole" social programs

that habitually failed, and still do (just look at the

millions wasted by HUD), and for foreign aid to tyrants

that ended up in Swiss bank accounts.

Just visualize

"President Al Gore." Now that's

"risky," if not downright terrifying.

William Fielder

Peachtree City