I have recently been doing some "exploratory" reading on the subject of "privatization of Social Security ".I would appreciate it if you would share your opinion on these proposals and your thoughts regarding the possible impact on the economy if this could be accomplished. Any suggestions for further reading sources would also be appreciated. Thank you for your efforts on my behalf.

-- Christos G. Papadopoulos (papadocg@bp.com), May 08, 2000

Answers

I'm not the expert to ask. My view is that many people are relatively poor at managing their own money, that Social Security is supposed to be social *insurance* against everything else involved in one's retirement planning going wrong, and that as a result it should stay more or less as it is: raise taxes a little, cut benefits a little, and so restore the system to anticipated fiscal solvency.

Others disagree vociferously...

One thing on my list of things to recommend is Martin Feldstein (2000), _Privatizing Social Security_ (Chicago: University of Chicago Press). A second thing is Dean Baker and Mark Weisbrot (1999), _Social Security: The Phony Crisis_ (Chicago: University of Chicago Press).

But if you've already read these, I can recommend more...

-- Bradford DeLong (delong@econ.berkeley.edu), May 08, 2000.

i think i should know everybody's social security number!

-- joe (allround_playa29@yahoo.com), November 24, 2003.

i love llamas!

-- fag (goose44_2001@hotmail.com), November 24, 2003.