An excellent method for Social Security reform

In the US, we will have to induce tax breaks and tax penalties to implement this reform. Also, the legal system will need to clarify issues dealing with parental abuse et al. Either way, if taxes could be earmarked for elderly parents instead of the military industrial complex then perhaps the social security reform will become a reality!

CHINA: NYT 1/12/06 PENALTIES FOR NEGLECTING ELDERLY PARENTS The Nanjing East Road Neighborhood Committee in Shanghai has taken to publicly shaming people who neglect their elderly parents, The Shanghai Daily reported. The council gives two warnings to children who fail to visit their parents at least once every two weeks. After that, their names are posted on a public bulletin board. In another part of the city, a government home for the elderly is fining children for missing weekend visits, the paper said. "Although paying respects to parents is essential in the Chinese culture, the tradition is fading as more people who live apart from the parents are too busy to visit regularly," the newspaper said. (AP)