PRESIDENT PORTRAYS SOCIAL SECURITY SHORTFALL AS ENORMOUS,

The Bush adminitration, along with the currrent Social security Administration, have claimed that S.S. will face a shortfall by over $3 trillion within the next 75 years. And on top of that, projections for Medicare shortfall are as high as $68 trillion. Know there is no dought that we could have a S.S. and/or Medicare crises on hand in the distant future. But are the numbers that the administration released accurate. S.S.A. Claims that expenditures will overtake income in the year 2018. More plainly said in the year 2018 Social security will go bank-rupt. With the baby boomers reaching the age of retirement S.S. is faced with the situation of paying benefits to the massive retiring baby boomer generation while still keeping enough in the trust fund to account for those 20 Years old or younger. Now, I want to bring into prospective how the number 11.1 trillion came into play. You have most likely heard that S.S. expects a $11.1 trillion shortfall over the year infinity. First off, if it's over infinity years we simply have have to put back $1 every year over the next 11,100,000,000,000 years and the problem is solved. Seriously, even I can afford an extra $1 a year. So, according to what the S.S.A. and Bush administration has said we really don't have a problem at all (not to mention the $11.1 trillion deficit was derived from the fact that the average person will live to be 150 years old and spending about 80 years in retirement). Will Social security have enough money in the future? S.S. has survived WWI, WWII, The Cold War, Iraq (both times), The Great Depression, Vietnam, Korea, Watergate, and so on. My point is, social security has with-stood the test of time, in my opinion it's the most successful bill ever passed in America (singed into action by FDR on 8-14-1935). I'm not suggesting to change social security (or Medicare), I just want want to point out the fact that if we go by what we have been told I don't see any immediate threat to social security. Even thou I don't like higher tax rates, it would be an easy fix to the problem. Bush, however, fills that privatizing Social security is the answer to our problems. Lets say you work for 15 years for the same company, then all of a sudden it moves offshores; now you're stuck with a job at Burger King, how good will your retirement be if you can't even afford to pay money into a private account. Private accounts may work in some situations, but I ask what do you do if your private investment fails?