Ernst’s suggestion worth discussion

Senate candidate Joni Ernst has proposed that consideration be given to allow workers to direct and to privately invest their Social Security contributions. But some people are all atwitter that this would be risky and would jeopardize one's retirement resources and workers would be victimized by evil Wall Street types. These people believe that entrusting our Social Security contributions are safe and best invested by the federal government. Oh, really?

These individuals have a short memory. They all could recall the White House - Congress standoff in July 2011 over raising the government's borrowing authority. The president wanted to raise the debt cap; Congress did not. At a July 18 press interview that year, President Barack Obama said that he could not 'guarantee” that August Social Security checks would go out because 'there may simply not be enough money in the coffers to do it” if the debt cap was not raised.

American workers - especially our youngest workers - should be asking themselves if they want Washington to be managing their retirement resources. This makes Ernst's suggestion worth discussing.

Rich Zeis

Walker