How Nifty. Conservatives Tell Progressive We Should Support Social Security Cuts

[jtown1123]

Campaign for America's Future Blog
Conservatives Tell Liberals Why They Should Support Cuts to Social Security
By Dean Baker

March 23, 2011 - 11:21am ET


Showing the sort of balanced journalism that we have come to expect from the Washington Post, its oped page featured a column by Robert Pozen, a financial industry executive and proponent of Social Security privatization, telling liberals why they should support cuts to Social Security. The gist of Mr. Pozen's argument is that Social Security is becoming less progressive over time because the gap in life expectancies between higher paid workers and lower paid workers is growing.

Furthermore, because of growing wage inequality, a larger share of wage income is escaping the Social Security tax. In addition, Pozen tells us that the structure of retirement income subsidies is highly regressive since the bulk of the tax benefits go to high income earners.

So, how do we fix the situation? Maybe improve health care for the bottom half of wage earners (other countries don't have the same gap as the United States)? Nope, Mr. Pozen doesn't want that to be on the agenda of liberals.

Maybe we should try to restructure the economy to reverse the policies that have led to the upward redistribution of wage income over the last three decades. Nope, Mr. Pozen doesn't want that to be on the agenda of liberals.

THE REST: http://ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2011031223/conservatives-tell-liberals-why-they-should-support-cuts-social-security

[xchrom]

1. recommend

[lumberjack_jeff]

2. So his solution?

Raise the retirement age and don't increase the cap.

I hate, really hate, people who have this little shame. His real goal is to make it even less progressive and useful for workers.

[jtown1123]

4. Pozen is a snake oil salesman. I don't expect anything from Washington Post anymore.

[rurallib]

3. I don't know how the Onion stays in business

when the corporatists are satires in themselves

[Lasher]

5. Their arguments are getting sillier as they grow more desperate.

The day is coming when the general fund will have to start redeeming the 'worthless' Treasury Bonds, as planned for the past three decades. This is required by law and the only way to change that is to change the law. But Harry Reid has noted that Social Security will be just fine for the next 20 years, and he's willing to discuss 'reform' two decades from now but not before. If he sticks to his guns, Social Security will be safe from marauders while Democrats retain majority control of the Senate.

Related OP here.

[JoeyT]

6. So the solution to the wage inequality that conservatives are creating is to

give the people more money now and let them starve later?

Their "solution" to the problem is as stupid as their creation of it. These people have no useful ideas at all.