Be sure and show it to your kids. They need a little history lesson on what's what. And it doesn't matter whether you are Democrat of Republican. Facts are facts!!! Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social Security (FICA) Program. He promised: 1.) That participation in the Program would be completely voluntary. 2.) That the participants would only have to pay 1% of the first $1,400 of their annual incomes into the Program. 3.) That the money the participants elected to put into the Program would be deductible from their income for tax purposes each year. 4.) That the money the participants put into the Independent 'Trust Fund' rather than into the General Operating Fund, and therefore, would only be used to fund the Social Security Retirement Program, and no other government program. 5.) That the annuity payments to the retirees would never be taxed as income. Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are now receiving a Social Security check every month -- and then finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of the money we paid to the federal government to 'put away', you may be interested in the following: Q: Which political party took Social Security from the Independent 'Trust Fund' and put it in to the General Fund so that Congress could spend it? A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the Democratic- controlled House and Senate. Q: Which political party eliminated the income tax deduction for Social Security (FICA) withholding? A: The Democrat Party. Q: Which political party started taxing Social Security annuities? A: The Democrat Party, with Al Gore casting the 'tie-breaking' deciding vote as President of the Senate, while he was Vice President of the U.S. Q: Which political party decided to start giving annuity payments to immigrants? AND MY FAVORITE: A: That's right! Jimmy Carter and the Democrat Party. Immigrants moved into this country, and at age 65, they began to receive Social Security pay- ments! The Democrat Party gave these payments to them even though they never paid a dime into it! Then, after violating the original contract (FICA), the Democrats turn around and tell you that the Republicans want to take your Social Security away! And the worst part about it is, uninformed citizens believe it! If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe changes will evolve. Maybe not, some Democrats are awfully sure of what isn't so. NOW WHAT'S EVEN WORSE IS THAT "TODAY" BOTH PARTIES ARE AS GULTY AS THE NEXT.

Most certainly. One historian (the name now escapes me) pointed out a fairly standard cycle followed by most democratic governments. As soon as the people realize that they can vote themselves gifts out of the public treasury, they will inevitably become enslaved; first to their greed, then to the government itself. Sound a little like what we are seeing today?

edited

Indeed

Very true. It happens with greater frequency everyday.

100% something both the dems and reps need to heed. they both keep increasing government at alarming rates.

I disagree. I believe the quote was by President Gerald Ford, not President Jefferson. But then, just as we have seen with Obama several times in this presidential election campaign, sleazy politicians are often known to quote others without attribution, so maybe Ford didn't say it first. I'm dilligras and I have approved this message.

The grammar and diction are certainly non-Jeffersonian, though the attitude is certainly his. But I'm not interested in the original author, but in the logic of the statement. It rings true, whoever first said it. So does this: no government can give to the people anything that it has not first taken away from them.

agree