No one seems to be writing opinion pieces quite the way I would, so I decided to do it myself.

The name? Taverns are places where one goes to discuss the interesting events and things in the world, so this is my tavern.

I will offer my views on politics, economics, and whatever else strikes my fancy.
I will occasionally publish the entire article from another journal for purposes of causing discussion.

Proposals that Social Security be replaced by private (non-government) pensions are all sold by promising higher pension payments. They ignore the much greater risk that such private pensions carry. The New York Times has an article that demonstrates the problem.

From the article:

“Mr. Paulsen, 61, is just one of more than 500,000 Americans whose pension plans have failed in the last three years and been taken over by the federal government, leaving many without health insurance and some, like Mr. Paulsen - high earners who retire early - with pensions much lower than those they had counted on. “

Half-a-million retirees depending on private pensions in the last three years have found that non-government pensions have failed them. They now have only what the government will pay. This is a significant percentage of all retirees. Is this a satisfactory replacement for Social Security?