This was brought up at the presidential Q&A with House Republicans. Ezra explains here. I like the solutions and am in favor of it.
But you have to figure Republicans will be killed at the polls if they seriously coalesced around cutting Medicare this way. Though a serious proposal on the merits (as Obama acknowledged in the Q&A), being politically nonviable it will only serve to keep tea partiers happy and assist Republicans in painting Democrats as not serious about Medicare's insolvency.
Really it's the public that's not serious. Medicare future deficits are unsustainable, but we still aren't willing to tolerate service cuts or tax increases to close the gap.
1 hour ago
Really, it's the public that's not serious. Medicares future deficits are unstainable but we still aren't willing to tolerate service cuts or tax increases to close the gap.
ReplyDeleteBah, fine...*fixes grammar/typos*
ReplyDeleteyes, let's privatize social security entirely. that'll work greaaat. gotta give him credit for putting such political and practical poison in print.
ReplyDeleteThe solution is simple: make it optional.
ReplyDeleteI have no need nor desire to put a penny into the Social Security system, expect nothing in return, and have far more confidence in private stock indexes. Let people partially opt-out, as Republicans proposed years ago.
Democrats who like Social Security can keep buying into the system.