And policymakers who are still driven by macroeconomic misperception could then convince themselves that "government spending" (which Social Security isn't, at least in the deficit-spending sense) is no longer "out of control" (it's not, but they think it is). That means they'd feel free to keep funneling hundreds of billions of dollars of public money to defense contractors every year.
Moral Certitude
As we've said, it's a heartless mission: sacrificing the nation's elderly and disabled for personal enrichment. And yet they've managed to convince politicians, the media -- and apparently even themselves -- that they're acting for the greater good. People who know these players intimately insist it's true: They genuinely believe that their anti-Social Security campaign is a noble venture.
That moral self-assurance has undoubtedly helped them recruit so many Democratic leaders. The list of Democratic political supporters begins with Bill Clinton, who is their tireless pitchman; Barack Obama, who has shown dogged determination in putting Social Security cuts on the table; and, most recently, outgoing Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
(Republicans don't have to be recruited. They're already waiting in line to support the wealthy and powerful.)
Even Alan Simpson, the Republican Senator turned anti-Social Security pit bull, clearly seems to believe that he's fighting on the side of the angels. Granted, Simpson doesn't appear to have a firm grasp of the policy specifics. (We're being kind here.) And he doesn't overemphasize the civility that one normally learns in the United States Senate. (Here, too.) But ya gotta give him this: Simpson clearly believes the nonsense he's dishing out.
And while the Cutters prattle about "saving Social Security" -- by destroying it, as a general once proposed for a Vietnamese village -- poverty is rampant among America's seniors.
Poor, Old America
The U.S. Census Bureau re-evaluated its poverty figures using a "supplemental" analysis which included the cost of health care and other living expenses excluded from earlier studies. It found that 15 percent of people over 65 now live in poverty.
(It should be noted that the Social Security eligibility age is already being gradually raised to 67, which will add incrementally to these numbers with each passing year.)
The Kaiser Foundation dug a little deeper into the census data and found that "the share of seniors living in poverty is higher in every state under the supplemental measure than under the official measure, and at least twice as high in 12 states."
Compare and Contrast
Expanding Social Security isn't a particularly generous idea. According to a pension database created by the Organization of Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), the U.S. pension system only replaces 42.3 percent of a person's working income. That's significantly below the European average of 63.1 percent, or the overall OECD average of 60.8 percent.
Americans want a better Social Security system, like the ones most other developed countries have. It would be good for the economy if we had one. It would also help offset the injustices created by growing wealth inequality in this country.
But to get one we'll need a vision.
Growth, Jobs, and Values
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