`virginia Woolf' More Than Just Misery

Agnes Gorski 
January 27, 1998 
Agnes Gorski, Formerly Of Espy Street, Hanover Section Of Nanticoke, Died 
Tuesday At The Birchwood Nursing Home, Middle Road, Nanticoke.

By P. DOUGLAS FILAROSKI; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Thursday, January 29, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





WILKES-BARRE- Area residents and retirement experts seemed unimpressed by
President Clinton's proposal to mend Social Security and slightly cynical
about anything coming out of Washington these days. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Politicians are not going to make any hard decisions on things that won't
matter until they are dead," said Bill Iacono, of W.D. Iacono in Scranton,
which administers pension plans. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; During Tuesday's State of the Union speech, the president suggested shoring
up the nation's safety net for retirees with an infusion from anticipated
budget surpluses. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Experts say Social Security will run in the red by 2012 and be bankrupt by
2029, if no changes occur. The program provides benefits to retired workers 65
and over as well as to some disabled and low-income families. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Clinton urged Republicans to forgo tax cuts and agree not to spend any of
the $200 billion expected to come from budget surpluses during the next five
years until a long-term fix is found. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Retirement benefits are of particular interest in Luzerne County, where
nearly 20 percent of residents are over 65, U.S. Census figures show. While
the county lost residents in every other age group between 1980 and 1990, the
number of people over 65 increased from 56,119 to 64,717. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 One area resident, Linda Gronski, 37, a secretary at Leadership
Wilkes-Barre, said she has started planning for a retirement without Social
Security. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "No matter what they say, I don't think it's going to be there when I get
there," Gronski said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The bookkeeper/secretary began making other investments a few years ago
when Congress considered increasing the program's eligibility age to 70, she
said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "That really scared me." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 She's hopeful the president will lead an effort to buoy the system. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Clinton's a baby boomer. So maybe he's in our court," she said. Yet, "I'm
still skeptical." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some older people expressed more confidence in the system, although not
necessarily in Clinton. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Don Keehan, 60, who was visiting from Fredericksburg, Va., said he's not
sure the president's way is the right way. "But they'll fix it. The government
always pays its bills." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Keehan's wife, who wouldn't give her name, said she was more interested in
another issue Clinton failed to bring up in his speech. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Aren't you going to ask us about the woman?" she said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Clinton has been dogged by allegations he had a sexual relationship with a
former White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Iacono, who manages pension funds for area trade unions, said he doesn't
think his business, which offers another retirement option, will see any
declines because of the Clinton proposal. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Every time they talk about the ills of the Social Security system I get a
few more clients," Iacono said. "It doesn't work the other way. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Project Vote Smart, an Oregon-based non-profit voter advocacy group,
reports the average Social Security retirement payout is $745 per month. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Even if they make the system as strong as you can, you're still going to
need other money in your retirement," Iacono said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The bottom line, according to Iacono: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "This announcement is not going to be a turning point. What I tell my son
is

Social Security Plan Stirs Skepticism 
The Pension Program Is Vital To A 
Growing Segment Of Luzerne County 
Residents, And Experts Say It Is Headed 
For Insolvency

Social Security Plan Stirs Skepticism The Pension Program Is Vital To A Growing Segment Of Luzerne County Residents, And Experts Say It Is Headed For Insolvency