Sometimes I get e-mail from folks reading my Oregon Herald column, thinking that it’s a newspaper and not an online news aggregator. Here’s one from a parent submitting a letter from his teenager:

Hello,

I helped my 16 year old son by sending off copies of a letter to the editor he wrote (see below). He gets extra credit in his history class if the letter is published. Would you mind letting me know if the letter has been (or will be) published.

Thanks much,

Michael ——

Listen to Teens on Social Security

Dear Editor:

There’s been talk from President Bush and senior citizen leaders about changing Social Security. But Social Security benefits will be there for those older people no matter what happens. It’s teens like me who stand to lose if Social Security isn’t fixed. I’m not going to retire for fifty years, but I want my benefits to be there when the time comes.

I think people should have a choice of investing for their retirement themselves or having the government do it for them. Isn’t it the American way to have this freedom of choice? It’s true there are risks to investing in private accounts, but there will be limits to protect investors, and government can provide a safety net.

I trust in my ability to invest for my retirement wisely. I hope policy makers listen to young people since we’re the ones who have the most to gain or lose.

David ——

Michael, I’m glad your son is learning about participating in the political discourse and exercising his freedom of speech. Unfortunately, I completely disagree with him on this topic (see my column: Neo-Conning You on Social Security). I do trust him to invest his own money for retirement wisely. I do not trust him to invest wisely the diverted money that would be contributed to the Social Security Trust Fund that supports my retirement. Social Security needs to be just that — security for the society. Wall Street investments are anything but secure.

Another point that few people make in the Social Security privatization argument: we’re not just talking about retirement money, we’re also talking about survivor benefits money and disability benefits money. Survivor benefits may be paid to children and widows who have never contributed to Social Security. If a privatization scheme forces reduction in benefits, we’re punishing people who never had a chance to “invest wisely” in the very trust fund that pays their benefits.

Leave Social Security alone. Nothing is stopping any worker from privately investing their own money, tax free, into 401k, IRA, Roth, or other methods of retirement savings. Maybe your private investments will do well and you can enjoy the wealth of your wisdom plus your Social Security. But if the stock market hits another Great Depression or you made your 401k investments in Enrons, Tycos, Global Crossings, or Adelphias of the future, you’ll at least have your full Social Security.

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