Walter Williams, professor of economics at George Mason University and frequent fill-in host for Rush Limbaugh, has come up with an interesting way to save Social Security from bankruptcy.
Let’s let the ol’ Perfesser explain it in his own words:
“By the way, before I leave the subject of what government should be doing, I have an idea for the Congress to deal with, let’s say the insolvency of Social Security. The government owns a whole lot of wasting assets. Namely, they own most of the land in Nevada, Utah, I believe California and Alaska.
I’ll tell you what I would do – I will make a deal with the United States Congress. I will exchange all of my Social Security payments in the future for a hundred acres of land in Alaska anywhere — and they can keep the mule they promised my ancestors. Just give me 100 acres of land and I will give up all of my rights to Social Security. How do you like that, Congress?”
The mule reference of course, refers to the United States government’s pledge to give each freed slave 40 acres and a mule. Because, yes, Walter Williams is black.
Of course, this is radio so that racist Rush Limbaugh probably didn’t know that when he gave Williams the fill-in gig.
By the way, we’re also take the same deal, but we’re slightly more selective than Williams. If the government would be so kind, we would like our 100 acres to be on a nice bluff overlooking the Pacific somewhere in Hawaii. And in return for being less selective we’ll settle for less land. Maybe even just ten acres.
Sound fair?
H/T: DailyCaller.com
View Comments (25)
100 acres isn't much in New Mexico, too dry, the vegetation is too sparce and 100 acres in most parts of the state would go for $60, maybe $70 thousand. 20 square miles, 12,800 acres, that would be enough to make a living on and be a good savings account for the future too!
Unless, of course, my 100 acres were in the northern mountains where I was raised. Up around the ski resorts at Angel Fire, Taos or Red River, that is land that would be a good investment for anyones future. And huge chunks of it is controled by the federal gooberment.
True, but wonder what kind of mineral/riparian rights there are.
The funny thing about New Mexico law is you can own the surface acreage, but not what lies under the surface and that includes the water. It all depends on how the previous land sales were handled.
For instance, I own one section of land, which is one square mile or 640 acres, in the central part of the state. But, I only own 300 acre-feet of water rights with the property. When you figure in average rainfall per year and what crop I decide to grow, I can legally farm 60 to 100 acres of the land using the ground water I have rights to to compensate for the dry conditions we have here. And, if I sell the property to you I do not have to sell the water rights with it. You are allowed, by law, to have enough water for domestic use, your home, to water your livestock like cattle or sheep or llamas. Whatever you decide to raise, even chickens.
The same holds true for mineral rights. I also own property I inherited in northern New Mexico that has proven natural gas deposits under it. I can sell you the land but only the right to use the surface while I retain ownership of any gas that lies beneath it. If I decide to drill for the natural gas I would have to pay you for my gas well that occupies your little part of the surface of the land but anything that comes out of the ground belongs to me.
It's a very complicated process when buying "open" land and what you are allowed to do with it. And I can't see any gooberment program "trading" federal lands to anyone instead of making them pay for social security would be any different. You might get what "you can see" but not be able to use the property as you see fit.
Government will never willingly let go of control. You can have this, you can have that, but never control. And if you think you own the land, just try not paying your "rent" to the appropriate government agency. You don't own anything.
Walter IS the Man!!! I would trade ANY and ALL "benefits from the Gubbmint for a few hundred acres of land anywhere in the Northwest or Alaska.
We could create a new generation of "wildcatters" and land barons.
Whenever somebody calls me a racist because I don't want Obama in the White House, I always tell them that I would have no problem with Walter Williams as President, and he's a REAL black man, not a half-cracker. Case closed.
I listened to Walter Williams when he said this on the Rush Limbaugh Show while he was filling in for the Golfster. He makes more sense in 5 minutes than most others make in 5 days. Walter in the White House!
I'll tell you what is funny & sad. El Rushbo has Williams on as his fill in, usually on Friday's, & the 2nd hour Williams has Thomas Sowell on the phone for the whole hour. Those 2 have more intellectual firepower then the entire Obama economic team. They would be high on my list, like 1 & 2, to be my economic team if I were President, & anyone running for the GOP nomination should be seeking their advise.
Between the two of them, they would make an all-black ticket that I would vote for in a heartbeat. The difference between me voting for them, and liberals voting for Obama, is that I wouldn't be doing it because they're black. I'd be doing it because they are intelligent, and love freedom.
The world government that Obummer is on the fast track to finish before impeachment is almost finished. He has the agreement from Canada, Mexico can't wait to be asked to join the North American Union and getting all there free Amero's so they won't have to cross that nasty non-exsistant border.
George Soros seen smiling in pleasure like he's gettin an Ole Fashion!
Sounds like a plan...but the Chinese probably have dibs already on all that land for when they call in all the debt owed to them.
Chinese probably not but the United Nations sure does, go to utube and type in UN agenda 21, over 1/2 of the land in the states is to be taken the residents forcibly moved to preordained populations centers, all signed off by our very own government. Some scary stuff
Blue helmets stand out from a distance...
just sayin'
180 grains apiece should take care of the issue.
250 grains if you want to stand off a little farther...just a suggestion.
Sounds like something that I would feel recoil over.
Yeah. So?
Oh, I would totally take 100 acres in Alaska! Most beautiful land I ever saw.
Be careful for what you ask for, once they GIVE you the land, another bean pusher will than arrange for your lifelong partnership to begin with the land gift in the form of property tax that will be assessed based on what the local government needs as income and will continually rise, once you place a structure on it prepare to be appraised, again based upon the local need for funding a bigger and better government, so your free land, which is never free and is never owned, will be added to your estate when you die, the estate tax, inheritance tax, death tax and the slue of other blood sucking fees charged by the parasites of government, who slowly but surly drain their host of life.
Amen Brother! Think you own your home once the mortgage is paid off? Just stop paying your RE taxes and see how long you get to stay there. Perhaps it's time to disqualify those that receive government funds from voting. Welfare, EIC folks, unemployment, farm subsidies, government employees, all of it.
Yes, I think a precondition of any government aid should be surrendering voting/lobbying rights, whether that be an individual or a corporation.
That, and if a person gets cash to support their children, after the first 6 months, if they want more, they need to get the ol' tubes tied/snip snip.
Why wait 6 months? That's plenty of time for them to get knocked up again. I say that the NorPlant goes in during the first interview for welfare.
Probably the best option. Easier to sell the other, though. As long as the number of additional mouths on the public dole gets limited, I'm ok with it. After all, 15 minutes is enough to knock up your average skank, but they can't get knocked up twice in the same 6 months.
I figure the cost of reversing the procedure should *never* be covered by government/insurance, though. If you surrender your right to reproduce, you should demonstrate financial stability before taking it up again.
The Libertarian platform was been here for quiet a while. Sell off all government property not specifically required to perform it's basic functions and use the money to pay off all social security obligations as well as refund with interest those of us still being extorted.
Being somewhat of an isolationist, I'd want some legislation to keep the sales limited to US citizens though.
I abbreviated your message after the great idea that came to me as I read. Simplified it reads "The Libertarian platform was been here for quiet a while. Sell off all government." I like it.