It's been a long sojourn since my last letter, but rest assured I've been working hard on my citizenry.
I thought I would write a letter to anyone who would like to read it about George Bush's proposed "ownership society." I have some personal experience with "ownership" as I'm sure many people do.
Knowing that I will receive no social security when I retire, I put my savings account in the hands of a big financial broker. Big mistake! Turns out that these firms are in the business of selling mutual funds, NOT helping me to cultivate my nest egg. So I got sold a lot of expensive mutual funds with not very good track records, and of course, lost a good 50% during the 1999 crash. It's a long story, but the point is:
Sure! It's great that I'm in charge of saving for my future--but how about all the people out there in our entrepreneurial society who are out to make a quick buck off of my nest egg? Who is going to regulate the ownership society to make sure people don't get scammed? When all of our retirement money is put into the hands of people looking to make money off of our money, how are we ever going to retire?
Big question: So, I've got this nice little egg...but the nest is made up of flammable materials. Who's going to protect my egg from the flames?
(Meaning...there are some social and cultural problems in America that need to be fixed before the government can just decide that it wants to stop taking care of its people.)
Sincerely,
Citizen Kay
PS-- Fundamental questions about nest eggs:
1. What about the nest?
2. How will the nest brave the elements?
3. Who is the mother bird?
4. What about the robbers?
5. What happens when the tree falls?
