.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Economics: How to Fix Social Security

Asked how the nation might address the projected $17.5 trillion in unfunded Social Security liabilities, [Florida Senate candidate] Rubio said we should consider two changes for people 10 or more years from retirement. One would raise the retirement age. The other would alter the calculation of benefits: Indexing them to inflation rather than wage increases would substantially reduce the system's unfunded liabilities.
By the time the baby boomers have retired in 2030, the median age of the American population will be close to that of today's population of Florida, the retirees' haven that is Heaven's antechamber. The 38-year-old Rubio's responsible answer to a serious question gives the nation a glimpse of a rarity -- a brave approach to the welfare state's inevitable politics of gerontocracy.

See Facing Up to a Pension Crisis by George Will, April 11, 2010.

No comments: