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Something of a read, but please bear with me...
Posted on: March 25, 2017 at 09:59:19 CT
molon labe KC
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Back in September I spent a few days at a place called The Villages, a golfing retirement community north of Orlando, Florida.
As expected, I saw armies of retirees getting around with golf carts, whiling away their days golfing or hanging out at one of the community areas with dancing pavilions, ice cream joints, restaurants, etc. These areas have different themes, like Disney World. Kinda weird...
At any rate, I was driving around with a friend of mine looking at all the aging Boomers zipping around in their golf carts when he turned to me and said "I don't know if this is quite what FDR had in mind when he created Social Security..."
That observation has stayed with me ever since. My point is that issues like the debt, health care and tax reform - as big as they are - are not the main show. Entitlements are the real elephant, and we need to start talking about them if we're going to get anywhere.
I like the idea of means-based benefits for Medicare & Social Security (i.e. rich old people get less). I also believe that real progress on the other issues will not - cannot - be made until/unless we revisit entitlements and reexamine what they're really intended for.
Are they intended to make the comfortable even more comfortable?
Or are they intended to guarantee a minimum level of care and income?
Until we have this conversation, I believe we're merely moving deck chairs on the Titanic.
Thoughts?
As expected, I saw armies of retirees getting around with golf carts, whiling away their days golfing or hanging out at one of the community areas with dancing pavilions, ice cream joints, restaurants, etc. These areas have different themes, like Disney World. Kinda weird...
At any rate, I was driving around with a friend of mine looking at all the aging Boomers zipping around in their golf carts when he turned to me and said "I don't know if this is quite what FDR had in mind when he created Social Security..."
That observation has stayed with me ever since. My point is that issues like the debt, health care and tax reform - as big as they are - are not the main show. Entitlements are the real elephant, and we need to start talking about them if we're going to get anywhere.
I like the idea of means-based benefits for Medicare & Social Security (i.e. rich old people get less). I also believe that real progress on the other issues will not - cannot - be made until/unless we revisit entitlements and reexamine what they're really intended for.
Are they intended to make the comfortable even more comfortable?
Or are they intended to guarantee a minimum level of care and income?
Until we have this conversation, I believe we're merely moving deck chairs on the Titanic.
Thoughts?
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Something of a read, but please bear with me... - molon labe KC - 3/25 09:59:19
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