August 06, 2010
The Post wants cuts so badly that they just can’t resist using its news section to push its agenda. In an article on the release of the new trustees reports for Medicare and Social Security, the article notes the projected shortfall in these programs and then tells readers: “but Democrats and Republicans have disagreed about the best approach and shied away from the political pain of paring benefits for older Americans in the highly popular entitlements.”
A serious newspaper would point out that both Democrats and Republicans have shied away from any changes that would substantially improve the financial health of Social Security. This would include measures like raising the wage cap on the Social Security payroll tax. It would also include raising the tax rate itself, which poll after poll has shown is more popular than cutting benefits. A serious newspaper would also point out that the projected shortfall is far in the future and that there is no obvious reason that Congress should take steps to address it any time soon. A fix comparable to the 1983 fix could be put in place in 2030 and leave the program fully solvent until close to the end of the century.
The piece should also have noted that the Medicare Trustees projections show that Congress just eliminated 80 percent of the projected shortfall in the Medicare program. If this proves accurate, then this would be an enormous accomplishment.
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