With the Iowa caucuses right around the corner, opinions on key issues have flooded the Iowa State University campus.

Abortion vs. pro-life, education, the environment and human rights are all highlighted during almost any student-driven discussion.

Unarguably, these are admirable and necessary issues when faltering on the support line for one official or another.

But one issue that will greatly effect nearly every student on this campus is being placed on the back-burner simply because it is seen as too far off and inconceivable to many.

That’s right, folks; I am talking about Social Security.

Just the very mention of the system conjures up feelings of uncertainty in most readers.

But don’t stop reading because you feel you are too busy or too far from retirement to be concerned.

It is Americans in their 20’s and 30’s that need to be particularly aware of each candidate’s stance on the Social Security platform.

Those of us that are now termed Generation X are lucky enough to follow the substantial stream of baby boomers who will soon start reaping the benefits of Social Security.

Each week that I am issued a paycheck, I cannot help but shudder at the small, but noticeable amount of money I have generously donated to the Social Security system.

It’s a retirement fund that may end up just being my own little gift to the government and my parents’ generation.

While economists reading right now may be up in arms and flagging me ignorant, this is a real concern and an issue that needs to be addressed and remedied now.

According to last Sunday’s Des Moines Register, 15 percent of Iowa residents are already 65 years of age or older, making Iowa one of the oldest populations in the country.

Those people born generally from 1946 to 1964, referred to as the baby boom generation, are still working and paying into Social Security through payroll taxes.

Fortunately, the boomers are currently paying more in taxes than funds needed by today’s retirees.

But there are fewer Americans working in Generation X and following generations to support the demands of more retirees — retirees who will need more benefits because life expectancy is rising.

The government predicts that it will need to start cashing in its investments in 2014 because younger generations will no longer be able to foot the bill for the retiring boomers.

If the trend continues as predicted, the U.S. work force will not be paying enough in taxes to support all the retirees.

So what is the solution? Well, many candidates, such as Republican Tennessee governor Lamar Alexander, feel that Americans should have individual retirement accounts and be allowed to make their own decisions when it comes to their retirement security. And why not? This is a free country established on personal liberties.

I’ll tell you why. I love my fellow man, but we all know there are people who would not take the incentive to invest in their own future.

There are many who will reap the full benefits of work right up until the day that personal psychic labels them unable to perform their jobs. Then what? Welfare? Either way, somebody else ends up paying!

Clinton’s answer has been to cover the problem with money. He wants to set aside 62 percent of the anticipated budget surplus over the next 15 years to prop up Social Security. But there is at least one noticeable problem with his proposal. It ties the future of the program to a surplus that could evaporate. Who knows if the economy will be as strong 10 years from now as it is today?

My proposed answer is simple: Extend the retirement age. People are living longer and enjoying retirement for decades.

We have extended our life expectancy and many Americans are working past the proposed retirement age already. It will be a difficult change to make, but as a country we must adapt to the times.

If you find my solution unacceptable, so be it. The government calculated that the Social Security system will reach insolvency in 2034.

I don’t know about all of you, but that puts me right at 58. Whatever your proposed solution may be, I beg you just to think of one.

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Ellyn Peterson is a senior in journalism and international studies from Algona.