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

Dems Slam Social Security Board Nominee Over History of Supporting Benefit Cuts

Andrew Biggs knows small incremental increases in SS withholding would resolve any shortfall. The plan presented by Dale Coberly is such and it was agreed up by the Social Security administration as workable. This has been a long running back and forth with Andrew Biggs whose only plan is cuts in Social Security and its […]

Housing Expenditures Impact on Social Security Beneficiaries, 2005 – 2018

I was looking for a report through 2022 on housing. This was the best I could do. Maybe later? The report is about households with or without SS beneficiaries who are renting, homeowners with mortgages, and homeowners without mortgages. The study is looking at the cost impact in each category for those households with SS […]

Introduction to the Social Security Northwest Plan

Bruce Webb introduced the Social Security Northwest Plan in 2009.  He credited Arne and Dale as co-authors.  The NW Plan only increases payroll taxes if increases are needed.  For years before 2009 Bruce had confidence that forecasts were too pessimistic, but he was convinced by Arne to consider a plan that included triggers.  Arne’s solution […]

Social Security The Wall Street Journal And The Art of Lying

Dale Coberly discusses an article written by Andrew Biggs “No, Social Security Isn’t ‘Earned’,” WSJ [Dear reader: this is very long. It had to be to refute all the claims made by the author of the WSJ op ed.  You don’t have to read it if you don’t want to, or all of it, or […]

Special Prosecutor Jack Smith files with SCOTUS

To get to SCOTUS first and decide whether trump has immunity from any and all criminal prosecution. This has been the heart of trump’s attorney filings and to delay. In the Southern Florida Federal District, we can see this emerging with a judge who appears to be promoting delays. The manner of which is similar […]

You keep using that word . . .

In the film, “The Princess Bride,” Wally Shawn repeatedly exclaims “inconceivable.” Finally, Mandy Patinkin (as Inigo Montoya) replies: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” Whenever GOP politicians announce their belief that the age for Social Security and Medicare Benefits should be raised, the mainstream media […]

Social Security and Medicare: Fun with Numbers Time

I have added little to this commentary. Economist Dean Baker has taken a position on various aspects of the economy. A positive position which you will see many other commentaries trashing. We avoided one hell of a recession to date which would have been the equal to the 2008 collapse due to Wall Street’s addiction […]

Changing Social Security Sooner Rather Than Later, Avoiding a Shortfall

I was following the links in Dale’s latest commentary on Social Security and clicked in to see what Dale was discussing in his commentary. I was able to web capture the chart (below) which I believe accurately depicts what Dale is writing about in his commentary. The chart is a depiction of a one tenth […]

SOCIAL SECURITY, A BREAK THROUGH?

Dale Coberly discussing the latest news on Social Security. SOCIAL SECURITY, A BREAKTHROUGH? Dale Coberly For years I have been trying to inform people that the great big, huge horrible “Looming Trillion Dollar Unfunded Deficit” in Social Security could be fixed forever with a one tenth of one percent increase in the Social Security tax […]

Illegal immigration and Social Security/Medicare

In a previous post, I mentioned an effective way to curtail illegal immigration—require all employees to be screened through E-Verify—and some reasons why it won’t be adopted. Another disincentive to deterring illegal immigration is that it subsidizes Social Security and Medicare: “ . . . illegal immigrants as a group are net contributors who partially […]