Overview for social-security

$1.2 Trillion in Cuts is Not Enough

Everyone has an opinion on what the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (JSC) will produce by its Nov. 23rd deadline. Except the members and staff of the JSC itself. Rumors abound that the Republicans on the committee have already made a comprehensive offer to the Democrats. The …

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Written by Steve Bell on Monday November 7, 2011

The Math on Social Security Doesn't Add Up

Social Security politics is like malaria—it never really leaves the body politic and it flares up without warning. Thus, the absolutely unsurprising “ revelation ” in the Washington Post that demographics and economics have combined to begin the inevitable drain of the “surpluses” in the …

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Written by Steve Bell on Monday October 31, 2011

NY-09 Winner Ran From Ryan Plan

The victory of Bob Turner in heavily Democratic NY-09 is clearly not good news for Democrats. When the media hasn't picked up is that Turner benefited by not embracing the Paul Ryan budget. Mickey Kaus has some good points about the inability for Democrats to win on entitlements: It’s the …

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Written by Fred Bauer on Wednesday September 14, 2011

Perry Has it Both Ways on Every Issue

Last night’s debate showed that, in 2012, Rick Perry may be what Phil Gramm was in 1996: an overrated, negative candidate with a lot of money who goes nowhere very fast. It gives me no pleasure to say that. I am not committed to any one of the GOP presidential candidates. But no one could watch …

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Written by John Guardiano on Tuesday September 13, 2011

Romney's Task: Show Perry isn't Electable

Republicans watched Rick Perry's stumbling, unprepared performance in last week's debate - and decided they were watching a president in action. The latest CNN/Opinion Research poll has Perry at 32% among Republicans nationwide, Romney tumbled deep into second place at 21%. (If Palin entered …

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Written by David Frum on Monday September 12, 2011

The Mother of all Unforced Errors

During the September 7th Republican Presidential debate, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas repeated an earlier assertion of his that Social Security is a Ponzi Scheme. Read that again: in the age of Bernie Madoff, Rick Perry called Social Security a Ponzi Scheme. When the GOP nominating season was …

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Written by Jamie McFadden on Thursday September 8, 2011

Perry's Goldwater Gambit

Over at Contentions , John Podhoretz says that “Perry’s handling of the [Social Security] question was crude last night.” However, he adds, Perry’s critics are foolish -- including Mitt Romney’s team -- to imagine that a candidate who says Social Security is unsustainable in its current …

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Written by John Guardiano on Thursday September 8, 2011

Res Judicata: Perry's Faux Federalism

Is Rick Perry a real supporter of federalism? I have my doubts. As I wrote last week, the concept of federalism is based upon the allocation of powers between the federal government and the states. Article I §8 enumerates the specific subjects reserved for Congress. The Tenth Amendment …

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Written by Howard Foster on Tuesday September 6, 2011

Memo to GOP: Don't Run on What Voters Don't Want

With the national debt skyrocketing, a faction on the right is hoping to turn the 2012 election into a debate on entitlement reform. No doubt, many Democrats are hoping the very same thing. Democrats would view that development as a chance to gain politically, while some Republicans would see it …

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Written by Fred Bauer on Thursday September 1, 2011

Social Security Checks Are Not Guaranteed

Conservatives blast Obama when he suggests that Social Security payments will not be secure in after hitting the debt ceiling, but the law will back him up. Back when conservatives were fighting the good fight for private accounts in Social Security, we often pointed to the Supreme Court ruling …

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Written by David Frum on Tuesday July 12, 2011

What to Watch in the Debt Negotiations

Here are the things to watch as the news about the debt negotiations comes out today. While we await the news from today’s debt ceiling negotiations between Republicans and Democratic leaders, news outlets are already leaking and reporting on the possible contours of a deal. But which …

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Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Thursday July 7, 2011

Can Seniors Really Handle a Medicare Cut?

Social Security provides more than 60% of the income for Americans over age 65. Can we really count on seniors to pay a rising share of their Medicare costs? Jared Bernstein makes the point that Social Security provides more than 60% of the income for Americans over age 65. (h/t "Debs") There …

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Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 17, 2011

GOP Cost-Cutting Takes Aim at Medicaid

While the GOP has taken a lot of heat for the Ryan plan’s Medicare cost-cutting proposals, switching their focus to Medicaid isn’t the right response. According to reports, the House GOP is considering plans to reduce spending on Medicaid rather than the more politically intractable Medicare or …

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Written by Stanley Goldfarb on Tuesday May 10, 2011

How Means Testing Social Security Could Backfire

Means-testing the elderly for entitlements is gaining popularity on the right. But when it comes to Social Security, it could reward bad economic choices. Yuval Levin's provocative essay on going "Beyond the Welfare State" offers the following prescription for a conservative re-thinking of …

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Written by Fred Bauer on Wednesday April 13, 2011

Ryan's Budget Gives Obama What He Wants

The Republican plan to cut taxes and slash government health care spending gives the president prime opportunities for political victory. “Whatever you do, don’t serve to his backhand.” “Don’t be nervous. I have the new Ryan serve. It’s bold!” “Trust me on this. Don’t serve to his backhand.” …

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Written by David Frum on Wednesday April 13, 2011

Ryan's 2012 Budget: Radical or Realistic?

Tuesday, Paul Ryan will formally present the Republican budget for Fiscal Year 2012. Here's a primer on the new budget proposals biggest question marks. Tuesday, Paul Ryan will formally present the Republican budget for Fiscal Year 2012 at noon. Frum Forum will liveblog the presentation of the …

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Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Tuesday April 5, 2011

Ryan Right to Punt on Social Security Reform

A new budget proposal from Paul Ryan will make Medicare and Medicaid reforms while leaving Social Security more-or-less untouched. Ryan's got the right priorities. A new budget proposal from Rep. Paul Ryan will make Medicare and Medicaid changes while leaving Social Security more-or-less …

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Written by Eli Lehrer on Thursday March 31, 2011

Cut Medicare for the Richer, Not the Younger

Paul Ryan's budget ideas make a lot of sense. But there's one problem: why load more burdens on those under 40? Paul Ryan's advance previews of his budget ideas make a lot of sense. But they are missing one important piece. Here's the Wisconsin Congressman, head of the House Budget …

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Written by David Frum on Wednesday March 16, 2011

Tea Partiers Still Hooked on Handouts

A new WSJ/NBC News poll provides a glimpse of just how dependent on big government benefits Americans have become - even amongst the Tea Party. The anti-government “throw-the-bums-out” crowds have had their chance to speak out on how to curtail the deficit and what to do with those hated entitleme…

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Written by Brad Schaeffer on Thursday March 3, 2011