To the Illustrious Mr. Pot,

I thoroughly enjoyed your hand-wringing addendum to our Dollarocracy missives. I am thrilled beyond description to know that a former co-worker like yourself has garnered such an incredible knowledge of the finer points of juris prudence. It makes me sad to think that Chief Justice John Roberts and his associates failed to seek advice and consent with you before rendering their well thought out and constitutionally sound decree regarding corporate “personhood”. I think a more precise understanding of their ruling considers corporations as having the same free speech rights as individuals or “persons”.

To be quite honest, I am awe-struck to learn that you have chosen an evil capitalistic tool like a 401(k) plan to supplement that wonderful, sound, and financially healthy Ponzi scheme commonly known as Social Security. I thought by this time you would have procured a sizable piece of pristine property near the redwoods of California to establish your “retirement commune”. You and your liberal co-horts could live the life of shared and re-distributed wealth at such a place where, I am sure, Kumbaya would be heard frequently around the communal campfire.

Knowing that you currently reside in the great state of Texas, I am sure you are familiar with what has come to be known as “the Galveston Plan”. In short, in 1981, county employees opted out of Social Security for a private retirement plan. Shortly after, the federal government realized that this could start a trend of financial independence for future retirees and the honorables in Washington abruptly put an end to that nonsense. Now tax payments of FICA are involuntary. In any event, those long term employees in Galveston have now retired and are, of course, receiving a much higher pension thanks to investments in guaranteed return annuity contracts. (Not stocks). I am sure you will bring up the decades old reports from both the General Accounting Office and the Social Security Administration documenting that some employees did not fare as well under the Galveston Plan. After wading through the statistics and misleading conclusions, the results of these reports should surprise no one considering the source. In simple layman's language (or should I say layperson's language) those who contributed more to their individual retirement plans in Galveston made more money. I know this is a concept that leftists find abhorrent since there is no such thing as a level playing field in the world of economics, unless of course Marx and Engels are your mentors.

I for one do not bemoan the fact that investment portfolios are in the hands of competent investment professionals. In fact, I think the more cutthroat these individuals are, the better the returns since their individual compensation is determined, in most cases, by the performance of their investments. I am sure, Mr. Pot, that should you suffer the sad fate of needing open heart surgery, you would not want to micro-manage the operation.

But, like most liberals, if you insist on bringing democracy and the federal government into the world of Wall Street, be my guest. After all, the Feds have done a remarkable job with Social Security, Medicare, and now, the Affordable Care Act.

Respectfully submitted,
Mr. Kettle