Social Security Reform

For my generation, Social Security is the catch-all of cynicism. It's our symbol of older people screwing us over, how adults are just as irresponsible as kids, and how our grandparents' whining about how hard they had it as kids isn't going to come close to the suffering we will endure when we are retired.

Or, more accurately, if we retire, right? Because that's how screwed up the Social Security is supposed to be. Common knowledge. This memory may be fabricated, but I think once a friend of mine questioned our belief that Social Security wasn't going to be around in 40 years, and we all looked at him like he was the stupidest, most naive person in the entire world.

"Of course Social Security isn't going to be around. The baby boomers are going to take all the money. It's either going to collapse or we're going to have to work 80 hours a week paying for our parents."

It wasn't until President Bush started claiming Social Security is in dire danger and saying the only way to fix it was to change the system from "pay for the future generation" to "put the money in the stock market for yourself" that I began doubting the conventional wisdom about the health of Social Security. It's kind of like the tricky friend who always disagrees with you and then, when he finally agrees with you on one issue, you realize he was twirling his handlebar mustache at the time and it instinctively raises your suspicions.

So this is the point where I post a few links showing that Social Security is essentially solvent and not in crisis, right? Not quite. While it's my opinion, it's a opinion based on the reasoning on others and not my own. I don't feel comfortable propagating an opinion I'm currently leaning towards solely based on heresy (albeit from people I respect). Fuck that shit. Visit the link, bitches!

Rather, I ask you to just to keep an open mind that the idea of a Social Security crisis that many of us have had drummed into our heads over the past years may be untrue. Social Security, as it exists now, may not even be a serious problem that requires anything beyond a few simple adjustments.

In other words, if at a later date I argue there is nothing wrong with Social Security, please hold off for a few minutes from looking at me like I'm a complete dumb-ass.

Postscript (12/19): After re-reading my post, it has a huge inconsistency, namely the last two paragraphs where I write Social Security "may not even be a serious problem that requires anything beyond a few simple adjustments" and, the next sentence later, when I write "if at a later date I argue there is nothing wrong with Social Security..."

Oops.

The former is my current position. Social Security needs to be adjusted, but as far as I can tell, it doesn't need huge changes and isn't in crisis. But that's markedly different from suggesting there is nothing wrong with the system, an argument that would make me, well, a complete dumb-ass.

Andrew, my guess is that you were mostly responding to this part of my argument, the idea that Social Security is fine the way it is. I wrote my response to you in the comments before I realized this.

In short, this whole post is another shining example why I should stay out of the serious stuff and stick to the monkey jokes.