Congress treated Social Security like a cash cow

EDITOR:
To date, the Social Security Trust Fund (SSTF) has been depleted by almost $700 billion. The funds have been spent by this government for defense (wars), welfare, budget deficits, salary increases for Congress and congressional pork barrel activities.
Now Congress plans to reform the SSTF via implementation of a privatization plan designed to reduce entitlement benefits (monthly Social Security checks) from those who paid into the SS fund all of their lives. Social Security is not going broke because of our seniors, it's the years of wasteful actions of our spendthrift Congress never intending to repay any of the funds withdrawn from the trust fund.
Currently, our Social Security Advisory Committee is discussing our Social Security law with key congressional leaders. Most importantly, they plan to implement the "privatization" of individual Social Security accounts from the SSTF. However, the committee is reminded that through the years more than $638 billion has been depleted from the SSTF by our government. The SS trust fund has not eroded due to monthly checks to hard working citizens. It is predicted by 2012 the SSTF will be paying out exactly what is taken in via SS taxes.
Many questions face this joint committee: Who will comprise the brokerage staff? Will there be individual or group transactions? Who will pay the commissions on all sales/purchases? Will short selling, IPO purchases be made available? Will individuals be permitted to become involved in any transactions? Based on the Enron debacle and the K-Mart fiasco, it would be wise to appoint a capable consultant like Atty. Eliot Spitzer, New York attorney general. He is involved with the investigation of 10 large brokerage firms and a number of insurance firms. He has stated that stock dealing is very risky business.
Why doesn't Congress consider appropriating federal pensions earned by federal employees -- including our Congress and all other federal employees?
All recipients should be given the opportunity to exercise the option on whether to concede the "privatization" of their SS accounts. Hopefully, the joint committee would carefully review the many problems that are certainly quite evident with Social Security reform.
VINCENT DORIA
Liberty