Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

Soc Sec XIII: ‘Crisis’ at Shortfall; or Show me the Money

Social Security ‘crisis’ is normally discussed in terms of Trust Fund Depletion. But given that this event has been pushed back to at least 2041 and boils down to a benefit in real terms 25% better than the one my Mom gets today (78% of 160% = 125%), and that some awareness of this leaked […]

Reader FS and the farm bill

Lifted from comments cactus style, Reader FS fills in some of the info on the farm bill: Here are CBO figures on the new farm bill. Total expenditures, 2008 through 2012: $301.382 Billion (B), or about $60 billion per year. CBO computes changes in expenditures relative to its March 2008 budget baseline. The total changes […]

First telecoms collect, now credit card companies for government use

Because we can? In an effort to track down unreported small business income, the U.S. Treasury is calling on Congress to create a sweeping new program that would require all credit card companies to report the income of all merchants to the Internal Revenue Service. The proposal, raised in President Bush’s FY2009 budget, would require […]

Memory and memorials

Celebrated in a variety of ways, as a day to acknowledge sacrifice by soldiers who went to war, I have always felt conflicted about what to do on this day. It is a day to honor the dead and a day to count your blessings. It is a day to mourn remembered family and a […]

BW on Soc Sec Index: the Baker’s Dozen

By semi-popular demand (or maybe to satisfy my monomania) I created a links list to my thirteen recent posts at my site under the title (BW’s) Social Security Posts on Angry Bear. This is more or less a convenience for me, allowing me to see at a glance what I have covered, but it might […]

The Food Chain…research.

The NYT reports: LOS BAÑOS, Philippines — The brown plant hopper, an insect no bigger than a gnat, is multiplying by the billions and chewing through rice paddies in East Asia, threatening the diets of many poor people. Luis Liwanag for The New York TimesBecause subsidized rice is limited, people must take numbers when they […]

Andrew Biggs answers Bruce Webb

Andrew Biggs responds to Bruce Webb regarding Arne’s seven questions on social security. The site is worth visiting. Thanks Andrew. Over at Angry Bear, Bruce Webb posts a number of questions on Social Security financing and reform put together by Arne. These raise a number of important and interesting issues which deserve treatment at some length, […]

Soc Sec XII: LMS, Solvency and ‘Crisis’

LMS is shorthand for the Liebman-MacGuineas-Samwick Non-Partisan Social Security Reform Plan one of any number of Social Security plans out there but noteable because of its authorship. Maya MacGuineas currently head of CRFB was previously ‘Social Security advisor to the McCain presidential campaign’, Jeffrey Liebman served on Bill Clinton’s Social Security team and is now […]