Monday, October 08, 2007

Plumbing the depths of hypocrisy, Democrats to propose personal retirement accounts


Harvard professor Martin Feldstein writes in the Wall Street Journal that a "Social Security Compromise" may be in the works with the possibility of personal accounts:
A recent proposal by Rep. Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, may point the way to a bipartisan compromise on Social Security. The essence of Mr. Emmanuel's proposal, unveiled on these pages last month, is to create universal personal retirement accounts funded by equal 1%-of-earnings contributions from employers and employees. Although enrollment would be automatic, participation would be voluntary since each individual could choose to opt out in any year.
This is almost exactly what President Bush proposed two years ago and here's where Professor Feldstein loses me. On the one hand, he claims that Democrats are not honest brokers on the Social Security issue, and will abandon reform if they can use it as a political cudgel:
The record strongly suggests that President Clinton was on his way to proposing a Social Security reform with personal retirement accounts. This didn't happen because the Democratic leadership in Congress wanted to use the Republicans' investment-based approach to Social Security as an issue in the 1998 election and persuaded President Clinton to drop his proposal.
But then he suggests that Republicans play Charlie Brown to the Democrats' Lucy one more time:
Reforming the tax-financed Social Security benefits to avoid a future fiscal shortfall is a bridge that need not be crossed now. The important point is to start the personal retirement accounts as soon as possible. The rapid aging of the population and the imminent start of the baby-boom generation's retirement make it important to avoid delay. The White House and congressional Republicans should reach out to Mr. Emanuel to see if the compromise needed to save Social Security and increase savings can now be achieved.
No thanks. Rahm Emanuel and his Congressional buddies can take the heat this time around.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a weird mishmosh of contradictory resentment. If the Dems do just what you say, they're the worst kind of hypocrites! If they don't do what you say, they're criminally irresponsible! The Republicans? They're just kind of there, loitering in purity and wisdom.

Bipartisan reform is 100% necessary... but it's a trick! Look out, Republicans, look out! Demonstrate that you're the serious statesmen about changing SS, by refusing to get suckered into changing it! Kick the can, instead of Lucy's football! Take preemptive inaction!

Anonymous said...

How about we just stop taxing savings and get rid of Social Security altogether?

Sorry - too simple.

Anonymous said...

Hah!what heat!? All the Dems have to do is wait until 2008 when they'll control the White House, almost 60 seats in the senate, and an even larger share of seats in the house. They can then pass whatever measure they want reap all of the glory.

Anonymous said...

Sorry - too simple.

Yeah. You kind of are.

She Rose Up said...

I just KNOW SS NEEDS re-doing. Personal Funds are part of the answer. It is NOT TOO late for Bush to roll out an ambitious program and get support for it from the business/banking community and independent thinkers on The Hill.