The money's gone! Social Security doesn't have $2.7 trillion stashed away for paying benefits, as so many people believe. It cannot pay benefits for another 20 years, as is often claimed. In fact, Social Security does not have enough money to pay full benefits, even for 2014, without borrowing money from China or another of our creditors. How can this be? Wasn't Social Security fixed by the Social Security Amendments of 1983, which included a large increase in payroll taxes? That's what we were told at the time. President Reagan signed that legislation into law with great fanfare on April 20, 1983. With his comments at the signing ceremony, Reagan gave the impression that it was a proud day for America. But, instead of being a proud day for America, as Reagan implied, the day the new legislation was signed into law, turned out to be a day of shame for the United States. The Social Security Amendments of 1983 laid the foundation for 30 years of government embezzlement of Social Security funds. The money was used to pay for wars, tax cuts for the rich, and other government programs. The payroll tax hike of 1983 generated a total of $2.7 trillion in surplus Social Security revenue. This surplus revenue was supposed to be saved and invested in marketable U.S. Treasury bonds, which would be held in the trust fund until the baby boomers began to retire in about 2010. But not one dime of that money ever made its way to the Social Security trust fund. The 1983 legislation was sold to the public, and to Congress, as a long-term fix for Social Security. With the help of Alan Greenspan, Reagan was a super salesman, who could have sold almost anything to the public-even a scam. And that's exactly what he was selling. Reagan intended to use the surplus Social Security revenue to replace revenue lost because of his unaffordable income tax cuts. Instead of being set aside for the retirement of the baby boomers, as was the intent of the legislation, the extra Social Security revenue was deposited directly into the general fund just like income tax revenue. From the very beginning, Reagan and his advisors had no intention of saving and investing the new revenue for the retirement of the baby boomers. They needed additional general tax revenue, and an increase in the payroll tax would be much easier to enact than higher income taxes. Also, the potential to get vast amounts of revenue was much greater with a payroll tax increase than from an income tax increase. The baby boomers, the largest generation of Americans who ever lived, were already making large contributions to the Social Security fund. Like all previous generations, prior to 1983, the boomers were being required to pay the full cost of benefits paid to the previous generation. But, the proposed new legislation would hit the boomers with a double whammy. In addition to paying for their parents' benefits, the new law would require the baby boomers to also pay enough additional taxes to prepay the cost of their own benefits. This would generate a potential gold mine of surplus revenue that could be tapped and used for other purposes. But none of the $2.7 trillion in additional Social Security revenue was ever saved or invested in anything. The actual surplus money was replaced with nonmarketable government IOUs, which cannot be converted into cash or used to pay Social Security benefits. It would have been bad enough if only Reagan had looted Social Security money. But George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush all followed in Reagan's footsteps and spent all of the Social Security surplus revenue for non-Social Security purposes, just like Reagan. This book is a must read for all who care about the future of Social Security and the integrity of their government.

This book is about America’s greatest nemesis (the hatred and racism of racist whites), which are currently personifying themselves through President Trump and Congressional Republicans without shame nor remorsefulness in a most profound ugly, sinful, and ungodly way. Hatred and racism will always divide or separate and create wars. On the other hand, love and impartiality will always unite and create peace. This book provides information and biblical references for uniting us together and bringing about peace in our country.

She was America's first World Road Champion, yet today few know her name. She raced to victory as Russian tanks lined the streets on the toughest course ever offered to Women's World road competition. She won the coveted Rainbow Jersey against teams from 11 nations after crashing on the rain-drenched course. The closer she came to her dream of racing on an Italian team, the harder her family fought to force her home. This is the true story of Audrey Phleger McElmury Levonas, possibly the greatest female road cyclist America has ever produced.

It's here! Your guide to a financially independent life - no more money stress! This book is a complete, modern, comprehensive guide to your personal finance life. It's the key to never having to go to a job you detest, to living every day on your own terms. Why this book? Right now, you may be browsing a few personal finance books in a library, bookstore, or even online. Why this one? Is it worth a couple of dollars and hours of your time? Here’s why. I’ve read the others. Almost every book was someone telling their own personal rags to riches tale. That’s admirable, but the likelihood that it’s even close to you and your personal situation is quite remote. What worked for them will probably not work for you. Everyone is different, every situation is unique. Some assume their readers all want to be mega-rich. In my experience, most people just want to be happy, without money stress, and have a good, fun, comfortable life. That said, if you want to be rich, I’ll show you how to do that too. So (get to the point, Bill!), why this one? Because this book is based on my experience as a financial counselor, investment advisor, and financial planner. This book is a user manual for your money! No matter who you are, there is plenty for you. We cover FIRE (Financial Independence/Retire Early). This book is the way to financial peace, to relieving the number one stressor in our lives and relationships. It’s the guide to living every day on your own terms, and never having to go to a job you no longer love, of never having to miss those important life events because, work. I’ll keep it short and simple—just the way your personal finances should be! The first word of the title is no coincidence. KISS also means Keep It Simple Silly! Maybe I’ll even make you laugh once or twice. Your household is a mini-business, only you measure success in ‘happy’, not some corporate financial metric. I’m not going to guilt-trip you about buying a latte. I’m going to convince you that doing the right things now, getting over the hump in a short period, means buying all the lattes and new cars you want, with cash, not credit, for the rest of your life. Those lattes will taste so much better, and you’ll enjoy the ride more in a car you own, not the bank. You’ll watch the former car payment money grow like weeds in your investment accounts. Can you trust me? Yes, you can. I’ve helped countless people, and I want you to do well. I want you to be happy, and enjoy this one life we get (as far as we know!). This book is for you. This is generational knowledge for your kids and parents. Who am I? When I was a kid, I was a huge superhero fan. I’d sit in the corner luncheonette and read comic books on my way home from school until the owner would throw me out. I didn’t have the money to buy them, my parents didn’t have the money to give me. I’d peek out from my bedroom at night and see my mother stressing out over a kitchen table full of bills, writing out checks and stuffing them in envelopes. Kiss your money goodbye, I heard more than once (hence, my title!). I watched my father come home from work exhausted, especially as he got older. I didn’t want to be the superhero who could fly, be invisible, shoot lasers out of my eyes, or swing from building to building on spider webs. I wanted to be the kind that could help people like my parents. That’s where the title of this book came from. Instead of paying your hard earned money out to everyone under the sun, watching each paycheck or retirement distribution fly away, you’re going to welcome it back. Hello, hard earned money! Let’s have some fun together! I became that superhero, and I believe I still am. Let’s get this party started!

Ed Schultz is here to slay the "right-wing radio dragon" and revitalize the charge against Bush-era "conservative cruelty" with his own bold, irreverent truth-talk. When the self-described "gun-toting, meat-eating, drug-free liberal" from America's heartland came out swinging with his syndicated radio program, The Ed Schultz Show, listeners realized right away that this was no cookie-cutter liberal, but a tough-talking advocate for everything that's right about the left. "A free press is all that stands between you and a dictatorship," warns Schultz, in defiance of the Bush administration and ultra-conservative talking heads like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, whom he blames for quashing political debate just when America needs it most. While Big Ed has what it takes to "go bare-knuckle brawling" with his staunchest detractors, it is with a deep compassion and impeccable common sense that he describes how our "government by the rich and for the rich" is imperiling the lives of average hard-working Americans. In Straight Talk from the Heartland, Schultz rails against the havoc that our nation's leaders are wreaking on everything from international relations to homeland defense, from our skyrocketing federal deficit to the disenfranchised families of rural America who are struggling to make ends meet. With a heady mix of patriotism, outrage, humor, and hope, he makes an urgent appeal to universal virtues such as honesty and liberty, and reminds readers of what he calls the Four Pillars of a Great Nation: Defending America: "We have lost faith in our leaders. The world has lost faith in us. Our foray into Iraq, to disarm a nation of biological and nuclear weapons they did not have, has shrunk American credibility like a cheap sweater." A Sound Economy: "The Bushies are like street hustlers. While they show you a meager tax cut with one hand, they steal your wallet with the other." Feeding the Nation: "Bad farm policy and bad trade agreements are running the American farmer off the land. It's killing small towns, and small towns are the heart of this nation." Educating America: "Don't start counting your tax break just yet. Your state and local taxes are rising to support the unfunded mandate of the No Child Left Behind act." "I'm here to give it to you straight," Big Ed says. "I've got faith that, when Americans grasp what's going on around them, they'll start acting like a bear fresh out of hibernation -- famished, ill-tempered, and ready to start raising hell." Straight Talk from the Heartland is the wake-up call America has been waiting for.

The Fleecing of America tells the very sobering story of how our leaders have caused our national debt to exceed $18 trillion dollars, terribly burdening our children and grandchildren who will have to deal with this issue. The debt is causing a national security crisis as well as degrading our standard of living. As Ronald Reagan said, "The Government does not solve problems, it subsidizes them." It is long since time for people to get involved with this issue and insist we change direction now.

Asserts that Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Robert Rubin, Phil Gramm and others colluded in the fundamental corruption of the U.S. economic system that led to the financial crisis and sounds the alarm over the Obama administration consulting some of these very same men to fix the problem they created. Original.