"The future ain't what it used to be." Yogi Berra
Social Security and Medicare were not supported by most
conservatives when the programs were first introduced as
congressional legislation, but they are now popular
among citizens and no conservative in Congress today
would advocate for their outright elimination. Reform is
now the goal.
Much of the federal budget dollar is devoted to Social
Security and Medicare and the cost associated with each
program is rising at an unsustainable rate due to the
aging of our population.
Difficult choices have to be made, but members of
Congress are hesitant to make them because of their
political implications. The rate of growth of the
Medicare program must be restrained if it is to remain
solvent. In addition, more must be done to reduce
Medicare fraud and abuse, which is rampant and
costly. As for the Social Security program, Congress
should consider raising the age of retirement and making
the FICA tax more progressive by eradicating the current
$76,000 ceiling. Means-testing both programs should also
be considered, as it should for all entitlement
spending.
When Social Security was instituted by the Roosevelt
administration, 41 workers supported each Social
Security recipient. Today, three workers support each
recipient.
As inheritors of Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society," many
Americans today are dependent entirely upon some form of
government spending. With entitlement expenditures
comprising more than half of the federal budget,
millions of people believe they are incapable of
supporting themselves.
Although noble in their intention, welfare and other
federal expenditures often do more harm than good by
fostering economic and spiritual degradation and
rewarding irresponsibility and illegitimacy. Despite the
billions of tax-payer dollars spent on anti-poverty
programs in the last three decades, the poverty rate
today remains at the same level as 1965.
We need to care for the elderly, for the infirm, for the
underprivileged, for uneducated children, and for one
another; but we need to rethink our manner and method of
doing so. If we learn to solve public problems
privately, we will strengthen our families as well as
our nation. And if we can relearn how to unleash and
harness the power of the individual, the next century
will once again be known as the American century.
When citizens are encouraged to rely on themselves,
turning to the government only as a last resort, the
economic horizon will be expanded for everyone.
For 65 years, Social Security has provided retirement
security for tens of millions of Americans. Four
generations of Americans have relied on the Government
to keep the promises it made to them during their
working years. As demographics change and costs
increase, the challenge we face is ensuring that the
Social Security system is strengthened for tomorrow's
retirees.
