Safety nets

I was reading an article this morning talking about what positive effects the left has had on America. One of the said accomplishments was the social safety net Social Security, food stamps,Medicare/medicaid, and so on. It's hard to argue that safety nets are bad my question is are they safety nets or are they crutches.What I mean by this are we using these programs to prevent a fall or to hold people up all the time. I would contend that the way they are currently administrated they are an incentive to stay on these programs. We need to find a way to make personal responsibility the first choice and safety nets the emergency plan.

I grew my supper

At least once a year I like to have dinner strictly composed of only things I have grown. Last night I had a salad comprised of chopped cucumbers and tomatoes with some chopped onion and fresh basil and rosemary. It was good but the rosemary was a little strong, outside of salt and pepper it all came from my backyard. It makes me feel self sufficient all though I would have trouble living off my land full time.

Absurdity

Sitting reading the Sunday paper The business section has a piece on bank fees. This one caught my attention Ohio Savings Bank has instituted a .50 cent fee on deposits of rolled change over 10 rolls. That's 50cents per roll so if your depositing pennies you are giving them to the bank. Makes you wonder how they keep their customers.

It's complicated

Everyone has been bemoaning the catastrophe that is the baby boomers retiring. How do we provide benefits for this huge group of people. Last week during the Tom Sullivan show on the radio I heard a different approach and fear. The caller made the point that the boomers are also the biggest consumer group. What's the problem with the boomers buying the most? I've found as I get older there is less and less stuff I need to buy. If I need something for a project odds are I have it in my garage and don't need to go spend money. Now this isn't just me , so we have this largest section of the population without the need to buy. In a consumer driven economy how do we lower unemployment while buying less.

It seems like a valid point but someone also has to fill all these jobs the boomers are vacating.