by Bruce Webb In comments there were requests for a clear unitary narrative summing up my view of Social Security. This is more difficult than it sounds because of the competing narrative is so simple and compelling: Boomer retirement hits Social Security, the latter itself goes ‘Boom’, lets do something now to mitigate the blow. […]

by Bruce Webb People in comments on some of the previous threads have what are on the surface reasonable questions. These questions fall in part into two categories. Some long time followers of the Angry Bear Social Security series ask ‘Why are you still talking about this, we get it already’. While newcomers ask (and […]

by Bruce Webb In a variety of comments posts I have argued that the 1983 Social Security compromise was not intended specifically to prefund Boomer retirement using several pieces of evidence including this interview with the Executive Director of the Commission Robert Myers and Prefunding Social Security. Now as it turns out current projections indeed […]

by Bruce Webb A couple of commenters here have inquired about how Social Security would fare in a time of extended recession. And the really short answer is ‘not too badly, mostly it self-adjusts’. But the questions reveal a profound misunderstanding of the real nature of the Trust Funds and their relation to Social Security […]

Mark Thoma at Economist’s View links us to the following article from William Grieder at The Nation.Looting Social Security Governing elites in Washington and Wall Street have devised a fiendishly clever “grand bargain” they want President Obama to embrace in the name of “fiscal responsibility.” The government, they argue, having spent billions on bailing out […]

After the first round, I was convinced that Microsoft’s songsmith was at best, a way to produce mash-ups for the tonally impaired. Kieran Healy has convinced me otherwise, with this piece: capitalism in action, set to music: I believe this is what we meant when we talked about “creative destruction,” back in the days when […]

A reader in comments asked why the Bears had not posted on Obama’s stimulus plan. Well, speaking for myself, that was mostly because we didn’t have a plan and still don’t. What we have is the shifting outline of a plan subject to negotiation between the Admin and the Congress, leaving no solid starting point […]

In recent days there has been a lot of gnashing of teeth among Social Security supporters at the prospect of even having Social Security on the table during next month’s economic summit. I gave a few reasons a couple days ago why we don’t need to let ‘fear itself’ rule us Obama and Social Security: […]

Or maybe I did. Given that Peter Orszag is incoming head of OMB and I am, well, me, odds are I am the one in error. But I can’t find it. Maybe someone here can help. This started as an exchange in comments on Is Obama Echoing Bush Andrew Biggs claims the following As for […]

Andrew Biggs thinks the answer is ‘Yes’ Obama Echoes Bush on Social Security and Barkley Rosser suspects he may be right Obama Drinks Social Security Kool-Aid. Each drawing his particular hope and fear from this WaPo article Obama Pledges Entitlement Reform: President-Elect Says He’ll Reshape Social Security, Medicare Programs Well I am STILL not worried […]