Loquitur
Friday, April 15, 2005
The
A&E Stang siblings serenade page 7
Cabrini College’s Student Newspaper
Radnor, Pa.
www.theLoquitur.com
Sports Intramurals page 14
Vol XLVI, Issue 22
Social Security shortage to affect generation Y CHRISTINA WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER CMW722@CABRINI.EDU President George W. Bush is trying to sell the idea of privatized accounts for Social Security to nonbaby boomers as a means of income in order to be prepared for the inevitable Social Security shortage. There has been a huge debate as to where Social Security will be in the next five to 10 years. Presently, the president says that the Social Security trust fund will go bankrupt and there will not be enough money to support those who come after the baby-boomer generation. Bush has come up with what he feels is the answer to the Social Security shortage. Bush suggests that younger generations should start private accounts in order to save money that they can have access to when they are ready to retire. All employed citizens pay into Social Security,
COURTESY OF LORI IANELLA
The Bouncing Souls will rock out at Spring Fling. See page 8.
Another employee gone: Ruth Scott leaves Cabrini after 30 years of employment MELISSA STEVEN PERSPECTIVES EDITOR MS727@CABRINI.EDU A warm welcome used to greet the employees early in the morning in the Grace Hall Atrium, but that warm welcome has now left Cabrini unexpectedly. After 30 years, Ruth Scott, the telephone operator and receptionist in Grace Hall, resigned from her position. Since August of 1974, Scott has dedicated herself to the Cabrini College community. She has made friends with the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus over the years, and has made many new students feel at home by welcoming them to Cabrini.
I N S I D E
Steve Colfer, the associate director of Admissions, said, “Ruth was like the grandma of Cabrini, everyone would stop to see her.” “I really loved the place and the students there, I mean I worked there for 30 years. There are so many good people at the school,” Scott said. “She would be very friendly and always happy,” Narmina Azizova, a senior student ambassador, said. “I do miss walking by her in the hallway because I’ll forget that she is gone and expect to see her. “She’s greatly missed,” Karen Lash, admissions counselor, said. “A lot of students walk into the office and ask where Ruth is. It is weird going out into the hallway
and not seeing her— she was definitely a presence. She was a sweet woman who always had good intentions.” Linda Ross, financial aid office, said, “I am going to miss her. She had the best intentions for the students and was a great asset to Cabrini. I think she did a great job here, and a lot of the students miss her greatly.” Scott always greeted student ambassadors as they walked in to start their shifts in admissions. “She was always a friendly face to see in Grace Hall,” Jacquelyn Flick, a junior student ambassador, said. Maureen Plummer, admissions receptionist, summed Scott up into five words, “She is quite a lady.”
however, there is no bank account for each individual that contributes Social Security funds. Instead, the money goes into one Social Security pot. The problem stems from the trust fund, which has forced Social Security to run into a surplus. The money from the surplus is helping the government fund the military, education programs and tax cuts. In a few years, there will be major changes that could potentially affect the trust fund. In about 2018, more money will be taken out than is brought in and the government will have to look towards outside sources to cover the money they used from the trust fund. The dwindling status of the trust fund is the key point to Bush’s plan for private accounts. The idea of there not being Social Security is incentive for today’s generation to open private accounts. In the end, those who choose to start private accounts will be able to keep that money for themselves after they retire. But by diverting money into private accounts, America will further deflate the Social Security fund.
These seemingly effective accounts have a downside as well. The only way private accounts will benefit those who decide to have them will be if the economy greatly improves. With the economy still struggling, if private accounts were in effect, most people would be losing money. A person with a private account in today’s economy would be taking in less money than a person who did not have a private account and was collecting money from Social Security. What Bush is not telling Americans is that these privatized accounts will only work if the economy improves. Bush is using the idea of “private accounts” to appeal to young people since many think Social Security, the way it is now, will not be around for them. However, as long as the war continues and the deficit grows, these private accounts may not be the answer. On SECURITY, page 3
KRISTEN CATALANOTTO/STAFF WRITER
Ruth Scott’s desk in Grace Hall is empty after 30 years of employment.
Features
Perspectives
The Best Fling Ever Pages 8 & 9
Living Together Before Marriage Page 11