GRASS IN REVIEW
GRASSROOT INSTITUTE OF HAWAII
Nurturing the rights and responsibilities of the individual in a civil society.
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WEEKLY GRASS IN REVIEW - October 31, 2007 |
The Late Great Social Security System
By Paul Jacob
 On the Ides of October, the first baby boomer applied for Social Security retirement. A Maryland teacher, born a second after midnight on Jan. 1, 1946, will become eligible to receive early retirement benefits next New Year’s Day.
And so begins the next crisis.
When Social Security was set up, its supporters pooh-poohed critics who warned that by not investing the collected funds, the government was setting up a major fiasco. The pooh-poohers were wrong, of course; the skeptics, right.
Now, all those baby boomers whose FICA withholding kept the system afloat for years will begin to drain funds. Soon, the money going to retirees will far exceed money coming in. Hence the crisis.
What to do?
Putting the whole thing on an investment basis is essential. But we still have to pay out generations expecting retirement help whose funds were not invested. Raise FICA taxes? Been there, endured that. Raise the retirement age to, say, 72? Yikes.
To postpone Social Security's inherent insolvency by either a dramatic tax increase or a setting back of the retirement age — or both — would be to admit, quite plainly, the swindle at the heart of the system, the system that politicians devised and politicians exploited and politicians still praise.
And as for a new government health care plan: Fix Social Security first!
Paul Jacob is a member of the GRIH Board of Advisors and Senior Advisor at the Sam Adams Alliance and Foundation. He will be the keynote speaker at the GRIH annual dinner held on November 3rd. Register today! |
IN THE NEWS - HIGHLIGHTED COMMENTARIES
Grassroot Institute is regularly featured in news articles and broadcasts around the state. Here is a sample of some of our recent articles, research stories, and other articles of interest.
Students and Subprimes
By Rachel Chaney
In The Two Income Trap: Why Middle-Class Mothers and Fathers Are Going Broke, Amelia Tyagi and Elizabeth Warren predict that by 2010 one in seven middle-class families will go bankrupt.
Rather than pointing to extravagant expenditures on luxury items like TV or restaurants, Tyagi and Warren blame a decline in public education. As fewer and fewer public schools offer good education options, housing prices in "good" school districts skyrocket. Middle-class parents overextend themselves financially to buy houses in these districts. These families go into debt to provide their children with a good education.
(To read more, click here.)
Twisted Science Bullies of the Beltway
By Michael R. Fox, Ph.D.
We have been told by Al Gore and others that there should be a grand debate about global warming. Yet there has been precious little debate worthy of the name. In fact, the alarmists have spent much of their time hurling insults and ad hominem attacks, suppressing speech, terminating miniscule funding, calling for Nuremburg-style trials of dissidents, treating opponents as traitors, etc. ...
This is not a debate, this is not science. It is bullying. These tactics suggests there are weaknesses in the global warming theory which can't stand scrutiny.
(To read more, click here.)
FRESH PERSPECTIVE
Opportunity for Young Adults:
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii created the Fresh Perspective column exclusively to publish the work of high school and college students. In addition to work appearing on GRIH’s website, their work is also submitted to Hawaii Reporter. Submissions are welcome from any interested young adult, and we will publish work that is clearly written and grammatically sound. For earlier Fresh Perspectives please click here.
Contact: wendy@grassrootinstitute.org for more info.
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TRY OUR BLOGS
Use these links to access various topics.
Dash of Calabash>>>Blog Archives>>>Enslave the Elderly!
The Mystery of Hawaiian History>>>Blog Archives>>>USCCR Testimony from One Nation United
Read what others have written or add your own thoughts. Click here for more blogs.
LIBERTY NETWORK
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is a member of an extensive international liberty network of organizations that promote more individual autonomy and less governmental involvement in human affairs.
- GRIH President Dick Rowland will be out of the office November 8-13,
attending the Recovering from Smart Growth Conference in San Jose. Dick
next travels to Washington, DC from December 1-5 for an SPN networking
meeting.
- Dick Rowland had an article published October 23 in the Grassroot Perspective
section of Hawaii Reporter: "Scrutinizing the Office of Hawaiian Affairs."
- Through a grant from the CHEAR Foundation, the GRIH is sponsoring free
market on-topic debate training for various high school students, starting
November 13-16. A number of high schools as well as some home schoolers
have signed up. This season's topic is, "Resolved: The United States federal
government should substantially increase its public health assistance to
Sub-Saharan Africa." If you would like to learn more, participate or
otherwise support the program, email wendy@grassrootinstitute.org or call
her at the office (808)591-9193. More information about the topic is
available at EconomicThinking.org.
Click here for the Economic Thinking debate program flyer.
UPCOMING EVENTS
All of the Institute’s events, research publication dates and speaking engagements are available on our website.
REGISTER NOW!!! LIMITED SEATING STILL AVAILABLE!!!
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii Annual Meeting and Dinner
5:00 - 9:00 PM
Hale Koa Hotel, Waikiki
You are cordially invited to join us for our 2007 Annual Awards Dinner honoring Ken Schoolland and Unsung Heroes The Pacific Legal Foundation, State Representative Colleen Meyer (47th District), and
Paul Vierling . The keynote speaker for the evening will be Paul Jacob, a member of the GRIH Board of Advisors and Senior Advisor at the Sam Adams Alliance and Foundation. An acclaimed multi-media commentator, Paul hosts an online, radio, and print opinion program, Common Sense, which reaches a growing list of over 15,000 e-mail subscribers and is aired daily by more than 150 stations in 48 states. For more information about Paul Jacob, click here.
Click here to learn more about this event, and to register for what promises to be an unforgettable evening.
November 10-12, 2007
The 2007 Preserving the American Dream Conference
"Recovering from Smart Growth"
Wyndham Hotel, San Jose, Calfornia
Does the high cost of rail transit have you down? Are heavily subsidized, high-density developments infesting your city? Is utopian urban planning making housing unaffordable in your region?
If so, you need to attend the 2007 Preserving the American Dream conference, cosponsored by the Grassroot Institute. This conference will give you the opportunity to meet dozens of expert speakers and activists from all over the world. It will be held November 10 - 12, 2007 at the Wyndham Hotel in San Jose, California. Click here to learn more. |
How fast does the state spend your money?
State spending is out of control. Watch the dollars fly out the window.....
Have an Institute speaker at your next meeting!
From taxation to education, from health care to transportation, the Institute’s staff is ready to address your group regarding the important policy issues facing all citizens of Hawaii. Call (808) 591-9193 to check availability and make arrangements, or e-mail us at roz@grassrootinstitute.org.
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Grassroot Institute is a proud member of the State Policy Network and Townhall..
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SUPPORT GOOD PUBLIC POLICY
The Institute operates only through the generous donations of friends and benefactors from around Hawaii and the United States, and even the smallest of donations can be used to accomplish great things for the future of our beloved state.
Will you consider becoming a supporter today? It is quick, easy and secure! Click here!
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CRABGRASS
Thirty-seven percent of fathers would quit their jobs to spend more time with their families if their wives made enough money. About 38 percent would take a cut in pay if it meant spending more time with their children.
(Source: Investor’s Business Daily)
U.S. charitable giving hit a record $295 billion in 2006.
(Source: Financial Times)
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
“Political competition is the lifeblood of American politics. The ability to vote out incumbents has proved to be far more effective than selectively enforced ‘ethics’ rules.”
-- Journalist and commentator John Fund
“The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all.”
-- Writer Gilbert K. Chesterton (1874-1936) |
