Monday, November 30, 2009

Why Kevin Drum Is Right on Social Security…

Over at AEI's Enterprise Blog

2 comments:

Bruce Webb said...

CSSS had a mandate to not include a payroll tax increase no matter how modest. Given that the argument that the right is arguing in good faith and that "all options are on the table" is ridiculous. Kevin is wrong.

Andrew G. Biggs said...

I'm not sure how that's relevant. Yes, the CSSS had a mandate regarding taxes, personal accounts, benefits for near-retirees, etc. (Even then, as it turns out, Model 3 from the Commission effectively violates the tax pledge -- hard to keep folks in line.) But it's not clear why any new commission, or just a group of legislators working in regular order, would be bound by that. People have their preferences, obviously, but the idea behind any bipartisan approach is that neither side can get everything it wants and so has to compromise. Bush opened himself to many compromises regarding Social Security reform, far more than the Democrats did, so I don't see anything in recent precedents that tells me a positive outcome isn't possible.