You don't keep real confidence in the economy when you hear that the Social Security system is going broke. Americans weren't persuaded by his solution. So we got a crisis without a solution.

Social Security is important to the economic survival of African Americans and other people of color. We have traditionally been at the low end of the earning scale over our lifetime.

The problem will be finding floor time, especially in the Senate, where Supreme Court nominations, appropriations bills, (budget) reconciliation, and post-Katrina/Rita measures leave little time for anything else, ... Steroids are likely to carry over to next year.

I don't know of any bills we have. My pension and Social Security aren't huge, but between them we do nicely. We don't require a whole lot.

So there is a bookkeeping way to say that I am not using the Social Security cash flow, but the overall effect on the taxpayer and the economy is the same. The government is borrowing additional net money.

What was this individual's middle name, and by the way, oh, I need the social security number.