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

Social Security and the current fad of being balanced and comprehensive

Salon writer  Natasha Lennard reports that a sticking point around Social Security stalled ‘fiscal cliff’ back and forth rejoinders between the two parties, but also points out that the topic continues to be on the table (and has been offered by President Obama before these talks a couple years ago).   Notice both parties using the […]

Recommended reading on Social Security

Eric Larson is interviewed about Social Security and his new book The People’s Pension: The War Against Social Security from Reagan to Obama (AK Press, Spring 2012): Eric Laursen is an independent journalist who’s been covering political and financial news for more than a quarter-century. He’s been studying Social Security for the past 15 years, […]

The Cut Social Security Gang

Barkley Rosser at Econospeak opines on: Bill Keller Joins The Cut Social Security Gang In today’s New York Times, former editor Bill Keller has an especially obnoxious column about baby boomer entitlement. I am not going to dispute at all his listing of various selfishnesses that we baby boomers have indulged in from Gordon Gekko type […]

What IS the Social Security Crisis?

Well the answer is in the above figure, or actually answers because the post title actually hides multiple questions depending on your view of Social Security generally. This is going to get kind of long so I will take it below the fold right away. There are actually three lines represented in the figure: scheduled […]

Seven steps to Social Security cuts prophecy

Seven steps to Social Security cuts by Bruce Webb was posted January 2010 this year at Angry Bear and has proven to be prophetic: ‘…is that the strategy to get major slashes to Social Security and Medicare takes an Seven Step and that this technique is not new and in fact mirrors the original plan […]

Dean Baker on the Urgency of ‘Nothing’ for Social Security

by Bruce Webb A year and a half ago I put up a post here called The Fierce Urgency of ‘Nothing’ whose conclusion was: “Nothing”. The numerically proven plan for Social Security since 1997. So you can imagine my gratification at running across the following by the co-author of the must read book from 1999 […]

No Social Security Increase Next Year

NYT reports No Social Security Increase Next Year: One feeling reported was this: “I just hope there is some way to reconsider that decision (on the COLA) because it is going to affect so many people,” Edelman said. “I can’t understand why the Congress hasn’t seen that there’s been an increase in everything.” The explanation […]

Social Security Trust Funds: Why Solvency = Discounted Interest Only Loan

by Bruce Webb Are the Special Treasuries that make up the Social Security Trust Funds real? Absolutely, quite apart from legal and historical arguments the DI Trust Fund will be cashing in some $23 billion of them in 2010 along with taking some $9 billion [edit] in interest, their reality is affirmed every time a […]