A Few Words About Social Security

You hear it on the news almost every night, particularly if you happen to watch Moneyline or any show that deals with the economy, and/or provides investment advice. It's a mantra that is repeated over and over again, that Social Security is not a viable entity and will be bankrupt within 30 years (depending on the rate of inflation). The Congressional Budget Office estimates that Social Security with be just fine until 2037, based on an estimated inflation rate of 2.8%. The problem, detractors say, is that inflation will probably hover over 3% or more, creating a bankrupt Social Security system within years, not decades.

There is a big, fat hairy omission in this analysis.

The money that is deducted from your paycheck, and met by your employer, is placed ever-so-gently into the Social Security trust fund. But it's not as if your money sits there waiting for you to retire. After current beneficiaries are paid, surplus dollars are used to buy bonds from the US Treasury. While the trust has the bonds, the money is then in the Treasury, where Congress can use it for any purpose.

So the same Republicans (and some Democrats) bitching about the health of Social Security are borrowing from it to pay for whatever they like, and complaining about the cuts necessary to make good on the money owed.

This is the first year that Social Security has had to cash in one of those bonds in order to make good on it's obligations. This is going to keep happening, and Congress is going to have to pay the IOU's it never should have borrowed from the trust fund in the first place. And every time Congress has to pony up on an IOU, senators and representatives of a certain ilk are going to complain that they are "bailing out" Social Security, when all they are doing is paying money back into the trust fund that was borrowed.

It's not unlike borrowing money from a friend, and then acting as if you're giving him or her your hard-earned money out of charity when you pay back the loan. The money you owe your friend.

Social Security is a total, absolute and complete success. That doesn't mean it doesn't have problems, but none of them are fundamental. And millions of Americans are fed, provided with necessary health care, and kept off the streets solely because of this program. Those who want to chip away at Social Security, to privatize it in part or entire, don't give a flying fuck about the people it helps. And if they get their way and take us back to a time when the elderly and disabled lived on the streets, in doorways, in parks...they won't care. It's a game to them.

It's not to people like me. It's life and death.

Yay for Pills

All the wonderful little pills that cascade into my face. Each of them has a mission; replace thyroid hormone, prevent seizure, cool the dude out, etc. They are all invited into my humble flat and shown into a waiting room, which is little more than a shoe box. There they wait, until they are needed. And they will be needed.

I see you there, little pink pill. You can try to hide, but I will find you and inhale you into my liver. Schwooop! Yes, yes, there is a big white one comically hiding behind the little one. Don't even try to get away. You are mine.

People who have to take pills are stronger than most of the weaklings who could never understand how fucked up a human being can be. Embrace your pleasant fiction about strength! Enjoy the lie!

The Black Feather

Mortal thoughts and fear in a murder of crows, of
black wings that never will we seen
Deep in the forest, with no eye or camera to catch the sight
Brimming with dark tips that stab at the sky, at the trees, at each other
In a pack with young and old alike, with thoughts unknown to us
Of doubt, silent in the wood
Each with an end seen, fear and longing never known to man
Deliverance from pain
A dark feather where a comrade once perched
How will it end, for each black bird alone?
Do other beings in the world around
Think and feel as they do?
The dawn draws concern, to hunger and thirst
What to eat? What do drink? Where to go?
Who to avoid to last just one more day

Four Books All Americans Need to Read

Penn State University recently conducted a study that found something that has me annoyed and upset this morning. The majority of biology teachers stay away from teaching evolution, to avoid controversy. Another 13% teach creationism exclusively.
My university major was evolutionary biology.Some of my fondest m emories from my time at UMass Boston are of Dr. Gibbons and his Forensic Osteology class, and Dr. Summers' Human Variation class, which was hard but sort of fun. Gibbons was my major adviser, and he often took me out to lunch to talk and gossip. I remember discussing the ovarian bursae of the tree shrew and what that means for taxonomical classification. Good times! Three times he took me to Harvard University, where he worked every Thursday. They have a lot of bones over there, yes indeed. On a side note, I met world-renowned entomologist and "ant guy" E.O. White. I swooned.

Sentimental, I am.

If you'd like to learn about evolution, here's a short list of books for those of us who find themselves wondering about evolution. If you're a "creationist" you especially need to read these. Evolution is as real as gravity. If one doesn't understand natural and artificial selection, fitness, adaptation, etc., then one simply cannot stand in judgment of evolution. So very many people criticize evolution without knowing anything about it. Among scientists, there is no debate about the existence of evolution. None. Refined details about this fossil or that gene are studied and reviewed and discussed, of course. It's an exciting, very active field. But no biologist refutes evolution.

It can be seen in the in the field, where bones are found and rigorously dated by association, location, and carbon dating. I highly recommend The Complete World of Human Evolution by Peter Edwards & Chris Stringer. It's very accessible.

New antibiotics have to be developed constantly to combat evolving germs, like MRSA. And in the creation of an updated influenza vaccine every year. An outstanding book on this subject is Evolution in Health & Disease by Koella and Stearns.

One of the greatest scientists to walk the Earth was Charles Darwin. Naturally, it would be wise to read his On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection. Most people have heard of it, but not so many have actually read it. Darwin was a careful scientist, collecting data in the field for years before spelling out his theory.

Finally, there is Science on Trial: The Case for Evolution Douglas J. Futuyma. I just read this and enjoyed it quite a bit. Futuyma covers the material well, and answers some questions posed by "creationists."

Enjoy.

Snow, Curley and Flamethrowers

Boston is currently enjoying yet another major storm, with piles of snow growing higher and more numerous. This letter, written by legendary Boston mayor James Michael Curley to MIT, asks about the practicality of using flame-throwers to melt snow. If this is too small to read, you can also find the letter (and Dr. Compton's response) here. Enjoy.