Town Square for May 2, 2018

submitted to Dorchester Banner
DO YOU CARE?: Do you care about our town? Do you care about the river? Do you care about the ducks and crabs and fish? There is a bench at slip 18 at the Cambridge Municipal Yacht Basin at Long Wharf. Someone sits there and throws their cigarette and cigar butts on the ground right there in front of the river within 10 feet of the Choptank River watershed. Who are you? Do you care? Who thinks it is ok to sit there, smoke your tobacco products and leave the butts on the ground? If you think this is ok then you don’t understand the impact that litter has on the river, the wildlife, the seafood and the earth. Pick up your butts. BUTTS ARE LITTER AND THEY KILL![/caption]   Town Square is an opinion column to which readers can submit their views. As a true community newspaper, we’re always looking for ways to include local thought and pertinent viewpoint, this forum is a way to share those thoughts. Civility and fair comment will always prevail. - Editor REJECTION: Great decision [“East New Market says ‘no’ to Dollar General,” Dorchester Banner, April 18]. No Dollar General anywhere. TYPICAL: The fact that a town government would say, “What’s in it for us” is typical and uninformed of why governments exist to begin with. SOCIAL SECURITY: Despite congress borrowing all of it, the trust fund is still there on paper, but it was never enough to pay even one generation’s retirement. Congress, decades ago, had the foresight to take advantage of the baby boom and stash away some of the extra money instead of lowering the payroll tax. Because they knew demographic trends can change and the trust fund might be a useful cushion later. Unfortunately that’s all it is, a cushion. There was never some bank account where all your social security taxes were saved, you paid for your parents’ retirement just like they paid for theirs. Now there are more old people and fewer young people and there’s a deficit in the payments-to-benefits amounts. Pretty soon that cushion - which congress will have to pay back to the trust fund by borrowing from the Chinese or whomever - is going to run out and benefits will immediately match payments, about a 25 percent drop. It’s an entitlement, always has been. My generation will probably spend far more than we receive when it’s all said and done. You’re welcome. Editor’s note: Town Square – your public forum – is moderated by Dorchester Banner Editor Dave Ryan. Email your comments to bannernews@newszap.com.