Word: budgets
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...takes in, apart from Social Security? Deplorable, to be sure. But what happens? The Social Security trust fund still acquires $150 billion in government bonds. If, say, there is a $50 billion non-Social Security deficit, government borrowing from the public will be $50 billion higher than if the budget was balanced--but $100 billion less than if there weren't a $150 billion Social Security surplus. The government owes somebody an extra $50 billion, but the situation of the Social Security trust fund is exactly the same in either case...
...trust fund. Congress may amend future benefits, and the size of the trust fund might influence its decision whether to do so. But neither the trust fund's size nor what the money is invested in is affected in any way by the government's non-Social Security budget. If the government were to default on its bonds, the trust fund would suffer a loss and (though there is no necessary legal connection) payments might have to be reduced. And a larger government deficit makes a default more likely. But the chance of the government's defaulting either...
...proper way to save Social Security is a mild pruning of benefits for the better-off half of the retired population, in order to keep the trust fund growing for future retirees. If a budget surplus actually does materialize, worthwhile goals like health care for the uninsured or--yes--even a tax cut ought to come before pouring more money into the trust fund. Where is the courageous politician who will say it's time to stop Social Security from raiding the government...
Neither can millions of other women. At a time when fictional soaps are struggling and talk-show ratings are flat, TLC has created buzz--and unprecedented ratings--among the coveted demographic of women ages 18 to 34--out of a lineup of low-budget "lifestyle documentaries" that allow viewers to peer into the lives of real people as they experience key rites of passage. Last month's premiere of A Dating Story (you guessed it, real blind dates) grabbed the No. 1 cable ranking in its time slot among younger women--a coup all the more remarkable because...
...worked at Lifetime and had noticed the huge success of shows about weddings like that of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. With heightened competition for the women's market, voyeurism at a premium and a fragmented culture shorter than ever on rituals, Gingold's mid-five-figure-budget shows may be the harbinger of a trend...