Ok, so here's my thinking on social security, after half-heartedly watching (and meticulously reading about) the State of the Union last night. There is definitely a problem coming up, and the system, as it is now, is unsustainable. Bush's idea of giving people the option of diverting some of their social security money into private accounts seems reasonable to me - no one is forcing a change, and I feel comfortable assuming that the market will continue to rise overall for the next many decades. (I say this without understanding the fine print - Paul Krugman, please wipe the flecks of spittle from the corners of your mouth and explain this to me.)
The problem is, there's no real debate on the issue because the Democrats don't seem to acknowledge that there's a problem. All of this sniping over when the crisis will actually occur (2018! 2042! Hike!) just begs the question. I want the Dems to be a real opposition party, not this sniveling posse of haters I currently see. Like those two dudes on In Living Color: Iraq War? HATED IT. Social Security Reform? HATED IT. Well, give me some alternatives then - we all see the problem, and Bush is proposing one solution which many people think is idiotic. So what’s your idea?
It was very shrewd of Bush to mention social security reform ideas from prominent Democrats through the decades. It only highlights the current (dare I say it? OK, I will) impotence of the Democratic party. They need to acknowledge that, for now, Bush is setting the agenda, and they need to start being constructive. I saw Harry Reid giving the rebuttal last night and it was depressing, seeing him try to chuckle about Bush's foolishness when, in fact, ho ho ho, there's no problem at all, heh heh heh.
Maybe there's a parallel here to Chicken Little, but I can't quite see it. Maybe Bush is running around saying the sky is falling, and the Dems are standing calmly, noting that the sky isn't scheduled to fall for another ten minutes, so everything is fine. What the hell happens then?
There's only one thing to do: I'm running for Congress.
1 comment:
"There is definitely a problem coming up, and the system, as it is now, is unsustainable." -MM
Yeah, coming up in 2052, according to the Congressional Budget Office. We're running out of time!
There is a reason why its called social SECURITY. It's because it's a win-win policy. Nobody gets fucked over by sudden downturns in the market, or because they no know how best to manage hedgehogs or whatever it is Bush wants our money to go.
Newsflash: Americans who can afford to have personal ss accounts already have them under the current system and enjoy the windfalls of infallible capitalism (hows that stock market doing lately, btw?). Why take away guaranteed post-retirement/disability income in some crazy privatization scheme that is estimated to cost more than 4 trillion in the next twenty years? Didn't w. just propose budget cuts to curb our enormous national debt? I don't get it.
Soory if that sounded bitter. oh and soory if I rained on your love affair parade with friedman. hmpfh. i didnt mean to be so vitriolic. he just pisses me off oftentimes.
Post a Comment