Blumenauer’s Social Security Math Doesn’t Add Up

http://news.firedoglake.com/2010/09/03/blumenauers-social-security-math-doesnt-add-up/

Earl Blumenauer, the Portland-area Democrat who raised eyebrows with his story in the New York Times suggesting potential benefit changes to Social Security, again reiterated to Tim Fernholz that he never intended to call the Social Security Trust Fund a “Ponzi scheme,” as Bai interpreted. He also talked about his ideas for the budget in general and Social Security in particular.

Blumenauer is correct that Democrats have generally been far more responsible with the federal budget, though this responsibility has gotten them nowhere in opinion polls. And he’s right that Republicans increasingly favor “no government” whatsoever rather than limited government, which has narrowed the debate considerably. Then the conversation moves to Blumenauer’s budget solutions:

We as Democrats have not spent as much time comprehensively dealing with the big picture, and that was most of what Matt and I were talking about. We are going to have to look at how we spend money differently, in defense and agriculture and infrastructure. I support putting more money in the highway trust fund for roads and transit. I really do think that we can do things to get a lot more value out of federal spending. We ought to avoid lots of little piecemeal decisions on the tax side of the equation. I’m a voice that hopes that as we move forward, we can take a deep breath and look at the range of federal policies that deal with taxation and not have a lot of little rifle shots.

I don’t have much to argue with that in theory, though coming at a time of mass demonization of federal spending, it may be too subtle an argument. But I have no problem with efficient, responsible government that doesn’t hand money to bankers or defense contractors or Ag subsidies or fossil fuel prodicers or any of the other mindless giveaways that are a feature of our budgets (I will hold out there the fact that efficiency is less a priority at a time of insufficient demand than spending to increase that demand).

It’s when Blumenauer gets into Social Security that he ends up on shakier ground.

More at the link ---