The question "Who wants to be a millionaire?" pretty well answers itself.

That's because all of us want enough money to raise our families in security and to give our children the best start in life possible. We would also like to have a good solid, nest-egg for our retirement so that we can live comfortably without having to be a financial drain on our children.

Our current Social Security system falls far, far short of providing what younger Americans will need when they reach retirement age.

Fortunately, Texas Gov. George Bush and others who know how to "think outside the box" are proposing bold, innovative plans to solve this problem. These ideas will put the fantastic wealth-producing engine of the stock market to work to provide personal Social Security accounts with much enhanced income for millions of Americans who want to take part.

Some folks, including Vice President Gore, have criticized these creative reform efforts as "risky."

But, quite often, doing nothing and leaving things as they are is actually the most "risky" thing to do. If there's a leak in the roof, it is best to repair it. Waiting for a rainy day is the "risky" thing to do.

That's why I support Gov. George Bush's bold idea of allowing a small portion of each worker's Social Security tax to be placed in a personal investment retirement account specifically for that worker. I also agree with Gov. Bush's vow that there will and should be no change in existing benefits for folks who are retired or nearing retirement. Our government made a commitment to those folks who put money into Social Security all their lives, and we should honor it!!!!

It's younger workers who face the most RISK if we don't do something to change the current Social Security system. We must act now to make sure that Social Security is there for these folks when they retire.

If nothing is done to reform Social Security, there will soon be a huge gap between what is being paid into the Social Security system in taxes and the benefits that are supposed to be paid out to senior citizens.

Beginning in about the year 2014, Social Security will start paying out more each year in benefits than it collects in Social Security taxes. That deficit will rapidly grow so that by 2070 - when children born today will be in retirement - there will be a $516 BILLION annual deficit. Faced with that sea of Social Security red ink, our government could be forced to slash benefits or increase the Social Security tax to nearly 20 percent -- more than 50 percent above the current 12.4 percent. And folks would be paying that tax BEFORE they even started paying their income taxes!!!!!

So it's clear that just doing things the same old way will not get the job done for Americans who will retire in the coming decades. That's why allowing workers to invest part of their Social Security tax in the stock and bond markets makes such good sense. The main reason is that, historically, the stock market has given investors a much better rate of return than Social Security. Gov. Bush's plan would put the stock market to work to help ensure a healthy, secure retirement for millions and millions of Americans who don't have a chance to take part in this bonanza now.

The Cato Institute put together some figures that show that the stock market dramatically outperforms Social Security. The researchers figured the returns on the basis of a two-income family making $38,000 and paying $4,712 in Social Security taxes annually. Based on a 2.13 percent return generated by Social Security, that money would be worth $292,774 in 40 years. Given the five percent interest on a regular passbook savings account. those contributions would produce almost twice as much: $569,209. But here is the real shocker. The average 12.2 percent return of the common stock index known as Standard and Poor's, would yield $3,821,132 after 40 years!!!!

Allowing workers to use part of their Social Security tax to set up a personal account invested in the stock markets with the growth in value reserved for the workers is clearly the way to go. And it is simply not the "risk" that some politically motivated candidates try to make it out to be. A study by Ibbotson Associates shows that overall stock market value has increased in every 20-year period since 1926. That includes the years of the Great Depression!!!!

Oddly, some union leaders have sided with Vice President Gore in opposing this approach. That's ironic because many unions are now investing millions of dollars of their pension funds in the stock market. For instance, The Bakery and Confection Union pension fund has 57 percent of its $5.2 billion in assets invested in domestic stocks and 7 percent invested in foreign stocks.

Unfortunately, in the coming weeks we can probably expect to see some politicians engage in the shameless scare tactics about Social Security. But when Americans hear the full truth about how Gov. Bush's personal security accounts would work, they overwhelmingly support the idea. A recent USA Today/Gallup poll showed that 59 percent of Americans support the idea of using part of Social Security monies for individualized personal retirement accounts.

History, economics and a clear-eyed look at the future demonstrate that this is the way to go. Yes, this is a time when doing things the same old way is definitely the most "risky" thing to do.

Gov. Bush has an excellent idea, and its time is sure to come. It is good for families. It is good for our economy and it's good for America!!!