Conservatives Tell Liberals Why They Should Support Cuts to Social Security

Showing the sort of balanced journalism that we have come to expect from the Washington Post, its oped page featured a column by Robert Pozen, a financial industry executive and proponent of Social Security privatization, telling liberals why they should support cuts to Social Security. The gist of Mr. Pozen's argument is that Social Security is becoming less progressive over time because the gap in life expectancies between higher paid workers and lower paid workers is growing.

Furthermore, because of growing wage inequality, a larger share of wage income is escaping the Social Security tax. In addition, Pozen tells us that the structure of retirement income subsidies is highly regressive since the bulk of the tax benefits go to high income earners.

So, how do we fix the situation? Maybe improve health care for the bottom half of wage earners (other countries don't have the same gap as the United States)? Nope, Mr. Pozen doesn't want that to be on the agenda of liberals.

Maybe we should try to restructure the economy to reverse the policies that have led to the upward redistribution of wage income over the last three decades. Nope, Mr. Pozen doesn't want that to be on the agenda of liberals.

Maybe we should reverse the structure of retirement saving subsidies so that this is more progressive. Nope, Mr. Pozen doesn't want that to be on the agenda of liberals.

How about raising the cap for the wages subject to the Social Security tax. No, Mr. Pozen tells us that Congress won't do that.

No, the best way that Mr. Pozen can think of for making Social Security more progressive is by cutting benefits for people earning $40,000 a year and higher. Yes, this has been the big problem the country is facing. School teachers, construction workers, and office clerks are getting too much money. We better take away their Social Security benefits so we can make this a fairer society. All good liberals would agree with that.

Remember you can read this only in the Washington Post.

Originally posted at Beat The Press

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