“A nation that forgets its past is doomed to repeat it.”

This was originally said by pragmatic philosopher George Santayana in "Reason from Common Sense" in 1905. He wrote, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

It's a shame this isn't stressed more often in schools.

Those who wish to throw out government programs like social security should consider this and why such a system was started in the first place not only in this but virtually every society in the world.

And that is what we are letting happen now. Our children are not being taught American History much less World History.

Waffler, the government here began social insecurity for the purpose of having a cash cow so they could spend all the excess each year. Now the cow is milked dry and the well is empty.

Cal, note that waffler's comparisons are always to "every other nation in the world". Well guess what, we're Americans...unlike every other nation in the world. It's what made this a great nation in the first place. Not a social welfare nanny state like it has become.

(-; Waffler, you're an idiot ;-) Social security and other similar type activities have always been about dulling the senses, enhancing the negative aspects of human nature, power and control. SS in 1913 was also one of the steps for mandating the acceptance of foreign banker's funny money (if the funny money will pay for your retirement and you'll go to jail for not using it, umm, ok, the masses fell for it). The current economic iniquities is history, but once again repeating the results of the non-We The People's central bank.

A nation with the audacity to put an individual on the moon, should look even farther into its capabilities and put an individual on the planet Mars. Not every achievement is a failure, on the other hand of course I've never been to England.