In 2005, Pres. Bush put a Social Security idea on the table. It wasn't perfect. What is? Yet, it forced the nation to think about the issue.
The Democrats responded with the usual "demagoguery" that Republicans want to hurt old folks.
The bottom line is that nothing happened. We are now two years closer to the point when baby boomers retire and start collecting their checks.
Nobody wants to face reality: The 65-and-over population will double by 2030 to almost 72 million, or 20 percent of the total population. For more numbers, see
Entitlement reform, and the war on terror, must be the issues of 2008. As Michael Barone just wrote:
“Here is his sobering conclusion:
To summarize, because of demographic changes and rising medical costs, federal expenditures for entitlement programs are projected to rise sharply over the next few decades. Dealing with the resulting fiscal strains will pose difficult choices for the Congress, the administration, and the American people. However, if early and meaningful action is not taken, the U.S. economy could be seriously weakened, with future generations bearing much of the cost. The decisions the Congress will face will not be easy or simple, but the benefits of placing the budget on a path that is both sustainable and meets the nation's long-run needs would be substantial.”
Let’s get started. Let’s ask our presidential candidates to tell us what we do not want to hear!
The American people are ahead of the politicians on this one. They understand that the system is broken. We need leadership on entitlement reform.
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