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February 13, 2012
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Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
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Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
March 10, 2005
/ 29 Adar I, 5765
Going to ‘war’ over Social Security
By
Ruben Navarrette Jr.
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
It's about time. As members of the Bush administration continue their 60-city tour to sell Americans on the need to reform Social Security, the administration has set up a "war room" to fight back against those who feel the need to bad-mouth the president and his plan every chance they get.
Correction: There isn't a plan per se — only a call for reform. And that makes the manner in which some Democrats are behaving even more distasteful. It is one thing for politicians to take potshots at their opponents and pooh-pooh proposals that might pay dividends with voters. But in the absence of a specific plan of their own, what the Democrats are really doing is trying to discredit the very idea that Social Security needs any reform whatsoever.
That tells me a couple of things. First, some people really do go into politics to avoid math. Democrats are having a lot of difficulty grasping some pretty basic mathematical concepts, not the least of which is that with the impending retirement of more than 76 million baby boomers, it follows that the economic strain on younger workers to support those retirees will be crippling.
Democrats aren't the only ones in the dark. A lot of the people don't get this. I've had boomers tell me that the system is working fine, and that my generation will just have to support them as their generation supported the World War II generation. Easy for them to say.
However, Democrats do seem to understand the concept of political pragmatism. Their attacks on Social Security reform show that they have no compunction about shafting young people. No doubt, that's because young voters have a tendency not to turn out at the polls in the same percentages as other voters, particularly senior citizens. Since they're not proposing any alternative to reform, Democrats are essentially defending the status quo and preserving a situation that, if not rectified, will result in confiscatory tax rates for anyone who has yet to celebrate their 40th birthday.
As a 37-year-old worker and taxpayer, I know when I'm being "dissed." And I don't appreciate my economic well-being, and that of my children, being sacrificed so Democrats can score points with senior citizens, most of whom oppose tinkering with Social Security. And what sense does that make anyway? Under the system of private accounts that the president is talking about, as with most of the proposals being circulated in Washington, Americans 55 and older aren't going to be affected one way or another. They'll be grandfathered into the current system. This whole debate is only about how we handle younger workers.
This week, Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska said this outright in proposing his own Social Security reform bill. Hagel's plan would allow workers to set up a voluntary program of personal savings accounts — but it would grant this option only to workers 45 and younger. Hagel also wants to raise the retirement age to 68 because Americans are living longer these days.
The senator from the Nebraska deserves credit for having the guts to put something specific on the table. If only others in Congress would do the same, we might get somewhere in this discussion. Ditto for the White House, which also needs to get specific.
Bush should stop describing the current situation as a "crisis" — unless he makes clear what's so critical. It's not the eventual insolvency of the program — which some critics are all too happy to dispute — but rather what young workers have to pay to keep the program solvent. He should also start making the case for other kinds of reforms, instead of sounding like a broken record in promoting private accounts: raising the retirement age, means-testing the program so that millionaires are purged from the rolls, and wage-indexing benefits so that they increase over time at a reasonable rate.
The stakes being what they are, I'm glad there's a war room. I hope this means that the administration is ready to go to battle. And prepared to do it right. If it does it wrong, and keeps making the kind of mistakes it has been making so far in the debate, it could actually harm the larger cause behind reforming Social Security: ensuring even a semblance of generational fairness.
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03/07/05: Weaving Spanish into the fabric of America
02/25/05: Clint Eastwood Made My Day
02/22/05: A school lesson for parents
02/17/05: Bad faith on Social Security
02/15/05: Kids who have everything lack for something
02/10/05: Gonzales' other position
02/08/05: Getting serious About Illegal Immigration
01/21/05: Where does the money go?
01/18/05: Latinos are own worst enemy
01/13/05: Keeping the score on Gonzales
01/10/05: Parents on Strike
© 2005 WPWG
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