With our current deficits, the debt to GDP ration, and the unfunded liabilities there are now no good options. There haven't been easy options for over ten and maybe 16 years, but this is something that could help.
Make all federal benefits means tested. That includes old age SS and Medicare obviously, but you could add disability and survivor payments, federal pensions for those retiring before 65, etc.. This would be somewhat painful for a lot of people and the budgets of retirees would be squeezed, but we are now out of time and options.
It seems that the current plan is non-existent. There is almost this vague idea brewing in we the people's minds that the problem is just too big to solve and thus it will be better to face the consequences down the road than to risk any more immediate political goals. When we face this problem down the road by suddenly defaulting on treasuries at the same time we eliminate most SS benefits and Medicare payments it will create a bigger shock than anything we have seen since the depression.
Republicans and Democrats both seem to lack serious solutions to this problem. Maybe in retirement Paul Ryan could become the debt bomb Al Gore. Whatever we do to solve this will be painful, but the sooner we start solving it the better.
It might just be a drop in the bucket, but if Trump went on TV and advised all Americans that they could renounce SS payments or Medicare by simply calling a number or going on a website, some patriots might do it. He could also ask people to refuse any income tax refunds (or to just pay more) with the promise that any proceeds raised in this manner would be used only to pay off principle on the debt and would never be available for the general budget, intra-government lending or any of the other tricks they do.
Make all federal benefits means tested. That includes old age SS and Medicare obviously, but you could add disability and survivor payments, federal pensions for those retiring before 65, etc.. This would be somewhat painful for a lot of people and the budgets of retirees would be squeezed, but we are now out of time and options.
It seems that the current plan is non-existent. There is almost this vague idea brewing in we the people's minds that the problem is just too big to solve and thus it will be better to face the consequences down the road than to risk any more immediate political goals. When we face this problem down the road by suddenly defaulting on treasuries at the same time we eliminate most SS benefits and Medicare payments it will create a bigger shock than anything we have seen since the depression.
Republicans and Democrats both seem to lack serious solutions to this problem. Maybe in retirement Paul Ryan could become the debt bomb Al Gore. Whatever we do to solve this will be painful, but the sooner we start solving it the better.
It might just be a drop in the bucket, but if Trump went on TV and advised all Americans that they could renounce SS payments or Medicare by simply calling a number or going on a website, some patriots might do it. He could also ask people to refuse any income tax refunds (or to just pay more) with the promise that any proceeds raised in this manner would be used only to pay off principle on the debt and would never be available for the general budget, intra-government lending or any of the other tricks they do.
