Mathematics of the Social Security "Crisis"

ScottyB writes "Here's a good start for reading into the economics and history of the much-discussed 'crisis' in Social Security. It's from the NY Times magazine, so you know the drill...'A Question of Numbers.'"

Comments

The Social Security crisis, from the people...

[SteeldrivingJon]

who brought you the WMD crisis in Iraq.

And, even if we give Bush the benefit of the doubt and believe that he's well-informed and being honest, who believes that the Bush administration's planning for a revamp of social security would be any better than its planning for the Iraq war?

From whence springs this unmerited confidence?

Social Security Plan, by George Bush

Step 1: Redo Social Security: Concept - "Shock and Awe"
Step 2: Old people greet me with flowers and candy everywhere
Step 3: My biggest contributors profit!

Re:I've read this article before it was on /....

[dpilot]

Over a year ago, I was listening to a spot on NPR. Basically, they contended that the Conservatives were planning to push the nation to the edge of bankruptcy, deep into crisis. At that point, the ONLY solution would be to completely undo the last vestiges of the New Deal and Great Society. Social Security and Medicaire gone. The speaker felt that they were being awfully arrogant thinking that they could fine-tune the crisis point that well - that they would be able to bring us to the brink, and then bring us back as they planned. Some more of this brinksmanship is currently evident in the planned devaluation of the dollar. (from a different NPR report) Again, one must question whether or not the Conservatives really have that find hand of control on the US and worldwide economies, to be able to play with things this big, this precisely.

So keep track of the national debt, and watch for the time when it equals the size of the Social Security trust fund, and listen for the Conservative Drums to thump their loudest as it approaches.

How to control spending?
The best method we've come up with so far is gridlock. Congress from one party, and the President from the opposite. I thumped this one before the election. Elements of the Press thumped it in the runup to 2000. The nation has classically done "the best" when one party doesn't have exclusive control. Look for things to get worse, before they get better.