Happy Blogiversary to US

Unsolicited Opinion entered blogtopia on this day in 2004.  No one asked, of course.  But that was--and still is--the point  I did not have to wait for anyone to ask or give me permission to publish.  All I had to do was think, write and post.  It's been that way for nine years and will keep on as long as I have something to say. 

Content may vary.

Thank you to all who have read, commented, linked and otherwise contributed to this humble blog.

Memorial Day 2013

The lyrics recall one veteran and one war.  They speak to all victims of war.

End of An American Dream

The idyllic trajectory of long-term prosperity that was emblematic of America in the 50's and 60's, a place  where you could earn a decent living, raise a family and retire with some security and dignity, has been at risk for decades.  That's no secret to anyone who pays attention to economic and public policy.  Still, the idea has persisted.  But a quote in a Washington Post article about a company ending its fixed pension plan for employees shows me how little is expected any more.

ILM employees are taking the pension fund’s demise in stride. “To be honest, I am surprised that the plan was not frozen a while back,” said Traci Barber, 42, a service center manager who has been with ILM nearly 13 years. “I was surprised when I took this job that it even offered a pension plan.”

In the end, even pensions are no absolute guarantee.  But a well-managed, properly funded pension system is more of a guarantee than millions of us managing small individual retirement savings (assuming we have any at all) in an array of financial instruments, all replete with fees to enrich the bankers.