"After all, it isn't really a crisis. I mean, when you are 30 or 40 or even 50 you still have some years left to save for retirement.

"So why get all agitated?

"(Kinda)like Social Security, we're told there's no crisis. Why, it's solvent until 2042!

"Of course, that really means it is NOT solvent (which is easy to see if you plan to retire in '43).

"Trouble is, the money we pay into Social Security isn't working for us like retirement funds would in the private sector. Instead, for decades, the money paid into Social Security not spent immediately on retirees has been spent by the members of Congress on pet projects that insure their re-elections. Congress has borrowed trillions from the misnamed Trust Fund. The "trust" fund is full of IOUs.

"If you had been borrowing from your own pension for years, what would you do? Get three jobs to pay all the money back? IOUs are one thing; IOMEs, another.

"What will our government do? Make us all get three jobs? Or, slash spending (and pay the IOUs from a surplus)? Don't hold your breath or you'll never make it to retirement.

"We can act now, to prevent the looming crisis, or else adopt a "don't worry, be happy" attitude and let the crisis break later (on someone else's watch) at a far greater price, with deeper pain and suffering for both retirees and workers.

"What is your choice? What will the politicians choose?

"This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob."