I was happy as a clam until I learned about the capital gains tax rate of 15%. This is obscene: pure, stripped naked, obscene. This tax rate applies to the profit on an asset, such as a block of stock, when said asset is sold after being held a suitable period of time. Of course, not a dime is levied on said profit for social security. Contrast this to a working stiff making $500 a week. Such people also pay about 15% income tax and it applies even to the money already taken for social security - 7.65% - a little known fact. Another luckier soul makes a million bucks on a stock deal and pays the same rate as the working stiff and contributes notta dime to social security. Given we have the best government money can buy, which taxpayer is more likely to have the juice to get such a deal.

Consider my Plan B. Instead of assessing the first dollar of wages for social security, begin at $20,001 for the employee contribution. The employer contribution continues to begin at $1. Raise the limit from present level to whatever it would take to achieve revenue nuetrality - perhaps $150,000. Increase the capital gains rate to 20%: immediately, retroactive to  1 Jan 2005 and, for good measure, add a surcharge of 1% on all capital gains for social security.

How in Hell can people sleep having such a cushy, unfair advantage in taxes? How can the elected representatives sleep having engineered such a rotten deal? All this and plus a 100% write off on a gas guzzling SUV.