Saving Social Security

Obama has tons of political capital right now AND the country needs to save money, so why not tackle Social Security with the increase in age longevity in mind. Since SS was introduced more than 60 years ago no change to the starting age has occurred, which makes absolutely no sense since the average person lives 10 years longer than they did then.

1) As of February 1, 2009, if you are 60 or over your Social Security benefits remain the same (start at age 65, etc.)

2) As of February 1, 2009, if you are 50-59, your benefits will begin at age 68.

3) As of February 1, 2009, if you are 40-49, your benefits will begin at age 71.

4) As of February 1, 2009 if you are 30-39, your benefits will begin at age 74.

5) As of February 1, 2009 if you are 20-29, your benefits will begin at age 77.

Once this is done, the same thing can be done for all pensions at Federal and State levels. Run the numbers and you'll see this will effectively and signicantly reduce national and state debt.

Sports teams contract

My first prediction for 2009 is that by the end of 2010, at least 4 professional sports franchises in the NHL, NBA, MLB and NFL will shut their doors and have to be absorbed by the league or terminated altogether. Ultimately, this will make the overall product better as expansion over the last 25 years has diluted play and ultimately, the value of the product.

I believe this will happen primarily as fans pull back on paying for ridiculous ticket prices, concessions and parking. Sadly, this could be a boon for teams like the Yankees who picked up 3 marquee players and over the next 5-6 years should have a huge financial advantage over most of MLB.