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May 20, 2013

Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?

Hannan Adely: Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall

Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Morgan Housel: When smart investors do stupid things

Sharon Saloman, M.S., R.D.: Hunger games: Eat more, weigh less, without starving

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting
May 13, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Why the giving of the document that would permanently change the world could only be done in desolation

David G. Savage: Church-state, literally? Supreme Court weighing public school graduation in a church

Emily Alpert: Recession dragged down birth rates for less-educated women
Morgan Housel: The deep downside of home ownership

Peter Teffer: Will Dutch police soon be stalking cybercriminals on your computer?

Heidi McIndoo, M.S., R.D.: Meatless 'meat' can have its own set of problems

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Celebrate! This must-try appetizer is delicate yet has depth of flavor: Corn-Leek Cakes with Caviar, Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche

May 10, 2013

Rabbi Berel Wein: Be all that you should be

Caroline B. Glick: The dirty little secret about Israel's Arabs

Mona Charen: Hawking's Moral Calculus: The man and the movement he embraces
Morgan Housel: The biggest retirement myth ever told

Sandi Doughton: Eyes may provide new insight into brain problems

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : The Great Gatsby's Jewish Ties; Jews in the "Time 100 list" List; People's Most Beautiful Women

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: A sweet-hot meal: Pear salsa spices up salmon

May 8, 2013

Peter Ford: Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas

Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate

Fred Weir: At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw --- a tad
Amanda Paulson: Study reveals sad truths about community colleges

Harvard Health Letters: Evidence weak that zinc, echinacea are beneficial

The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility

May 6, 2013

Edmund Sanders and Patrick J. McDonnell: Think Israel's objective in Syria is to weaken Assad or embolden the rebels? Think again

Brian Bennett: Israeli airstrikes may show weakness in Syrian defense

Michael Ollove: Millions of ex-felons, parolees and those on probation are about to be entitled to tax-payer paid health coverage
Karen Kaplan: Most men can skip PSA test for prostate cancer, urologists say

Kimberly Lankford: How to track down a lost life insurance policy

Dream of Mars exploration achievable, experts say

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan M. Selasky: EGGPLANT WRAPS are an easy, sumptuous and scrumptious meal

May 3, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Human Courage and the Unavoidable, Disturbing Text

Steven Emerson: Attorney General Fights CAIR in Court, Lauds it in Public

Mediterranean diet helps beat dementia: study
Harvard Health Letters: When to be screened for a hearing problem

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Iron Man's Jewish Connections; Marc Maron's New TV Show; Martin Landau Grows Up with Israel; Shalom, Allan Arbus

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: A sweet surprise for Mother's Day dessert

May 1, 2013

Jonathan Rosenblum: An Improbable Journey to Orthodoxy

Jonathan Tobin: Blame Obama, Not Israel for Syria Push

Kids, kittens the Same? With employee perks at struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo! it's hard to tell
Halena M. Gazelka, M.D.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: What you need to know about implanted pain relief devices

Sandy Kleffman: Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine

Jessica Shugart: When it comes to math, MRIs may be better than IQs

The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: The celebrated chef on how high-maintenance ASPARAGUS RISOTTO need not be

April 29, 2013

Roy Gutman: Poland's new Jewish museum celebrates life, doesn't revisit Holocaust

Mark Clayton: Terrorism in America: Is US missing a chance to learn from failed plots?

Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
Morgan Housel: He's rich, smart and old: Listen to him

Thomas Salinas, D.D.S.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: The safety of amalgam fillings

Harvard Health Letters: Tomatoes and stroke protection

Pete Spotts: Tiny satellites + cellphones = cheaper 'eyes in the sky' for NASA

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Swing into spring with lemon cream pie

April 26, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The world is a mirror

Caroline B. Glick: Time to confront Obama

Clifford D. May: Defense in the Age of Jihadist Terrorism
Kimberly Lankford: New strategies ease pain of paying for long-term care insurance

Howard LeWine, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Too much ibuprofen?

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Major Leaguers, 2013; New Movies and Comedy Show; Shalom, 'Lumpy' (Leave it to Beaver)

The Kosher Gourmet by Emily Ho : A bright and cheerful salad to herald the warmer months ahead

April 24, 2013

Steven Emerson: Boston Bomber Exposes Islamist Secret

Morgan Housel Admit it: No one has any idea what's going on
Harvard Health Letters: Can you get headaches from headache medication?

Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.: How to easily get more Omega-3s in your diet

Melissa Healy: Pot in a pill: All the pain relief without the smoke

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan Russo: Chipotle Chili Butternut Squash Soup is bold, zesty, hot

April 22, 2013

Ken Dilanian: Counterterrorism's future is unclear

US man departing country arrested on terror charges
Barbara Williams: An unorthodox but growing treatment in a 9-year-old's battle against cancer

P.J. Skerrett, M.D.: How to recognize a good whole grain product

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Teen actor Jonah Bobo in New Flick: Hunky James Wolk on Mad Men; Erich Segal's Daughter Writes Prize-Winning Jewish Novel


Jewish World Review May 27, 2005 / 18 Iyar, 5765

Retirement revolution

By Dick Morris


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | The most recent poll by Scott Rasmussen shows how attracted Americans are to the idea of choice in Social Security reform — and offers a clue to the Bush administration on how to rescue its major legislative initiative.

Retirement is a tremendously personal decision, reflecting an individual's priorities, physical condition and goals in life — "one size" can't begin to "fit all." But, as grownups, we understand that we must pay more if we want to retire earlier and less if we want to postpone it.

So Rasmussen asked voters if they wanted "to determine their own retirement age. Those who want to retire earlier could pay extra taxes into the system and begin collecting benefits sooner. Those who would rather defer the time when they begin collecting benefits could pay less in taxes today." The results showed that 52 percent of Americans supported the idea; only 31 percent were opposed. Rasmussen noted that almost 60 percent of those now employed favored the idea.

Bush's proposed reform of Social Security is in mortal danger because of the opposition of those over the age of 50. But those over 65 (13 percent of the electorate) are opposed to any reform and well beyond the reach of any proposal, voters in the critical 50-64 age group back the idea of voluntarily selecting one's retirement age. By 49 percent to 33 percent, they support the idea even though they oppose Bush's overall Social Security plan by 55-30.

What would workers choose? Higher taxes and earlier retirement or lower taxes and later retirement? Would most voters just cop out and back lower taxes? Not at all: 52 percent said that they'd pay more into the system now and seek to retire earlier, just 30 percent said they'd like to pay less and retire later.

Nineteen percent are workaholics who said they would like to pay even less and defer their retirement to the age of 75.

The younger workers were, the more they want to pay more and retire earlier. Sixty percent of those under the age of 30 wanted this option.

So a voluntary choice of retirement age could be a very, very good way to impose, in effect, a voluntary tax increase. By giving people a benefit — earlier retirement — and asking them to pay for it, we can do a lot to fortify the tottering Social Security system. On the other hand, we can also voluntarily cut the benefits of those who would like a later retirement, offering in return a reduced tax burden.

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Obviously, the administration would have to set these tax/retirement exchanges in such a way as to add substantial funding to the system. People understand the need to pay more to support Social Security — or to accept cuts in benefits. But the plan voters endorsed in the Rasmussen poll leaves the matter up to the individual rather than empowering bureaucrats and lawmakers to make this highly personal decision.

Ultimately, this proposal is likely to draw less opposition from those now over 65. People in this group — who oppose doing anything to Social Security, even if it doesn't affect them — are really fearful that any changes would weaken their lifeline and leave them bereft. So they view with suspicion any idea that would permit younger workers to divert some of their taxes to private investment accounts.

But they'd probably come around to support a plan that resulted in a net increase of revenues to the system, as the poll shows self-determination of one's retirement age would bring about.

Bush's Social Security plan is going nowhere. His inability to come up with a way to restore the system's fiscal stability undermines public acceptance of his privatization proposal. By adopting the pro-choice approach to retirement, he can get the process rolling again.

(Rasmussen's survey was conducted on May 18-22 with a national sample of 2,500 adults. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus two percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.)

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JWR contributor Dick Morris is author, most recently, of "Because He Could". (ClickHERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR.) Comment by clicking here.



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