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« Leisureville | Main | Gribbin on McCain »

July 10, 2008 |Permalink |Comments (1)

McCain's Not So--- Social Security

McCain is against social insurance programs. He thinks that the way Social Security was designed to operate and has operated since its creation is a "disgrace."



At a town hall meeting on Monday, McCain said:

Americans have got to understand that we are paying present-day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers in America today. And that's a disgrace. It's an absolute disgrace, and it's got to be fixed.


Steven Benen writes

OK, let’s take a deep breath here. Social Security is a pay-as-you-go system. Current workers pay into the system to provide benefits for retirees, and when those workers retire, the next generation will pay their benefits. That’s what Social Security is. That’s how it works. That’s how it’s always worked.

If McCain wants to argue that privatization is a good idea, fine. He’s wrong, but we can have the debate (again). But it appears that McCain is desperately in need of some kind of remedial Government 101 education, because he literally described the Social Security system as a “total disgrace.”

At this point, John McCain is starting to make George W. Bush look like a sophisticated policy wonk.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Maybe McCain just slipped up. He was tired and said something he didn’t mean to say. This couldn’t possibly reflect his feelings on the Social Security system. He knows he’d lose Florida if it got out that he considers the system a “total disgrace.”

But it’s true. Here’s how he talked about Social Security on CNN yesterday morning:

“On the privatization of accounts, which you just mentioned, I would like to respond to that. I want young workers to be able to, if they choose, to take part of their own money which is their taxes and put it in an account which has their name on it. Now, that’s a voluntary thing, it’s for younger people, it would not affect any present-day retirees or the system as necessary. So let’s describe it for what it is. They pay their taxes and right now their taxes are going to pay the retirement of present-day retirees. That’s why it’s broken, that’s why we can fix it.” [emphasis added]

It’s literally breathtaking. As Nick Baumann put it, “McCain is saying, again, that the problem with Social Security is that Social Security is Social Security, instead of something else.”

Comments ( 1)

Having studied closely the comments made and the positions taken by both candidates for president I can say with absolute certainty that what McCain meant to say (and he fumbled it) was that it is a disgrace that young people are supporting older generations without the certainty that the program will pay them 100% of promised benefits.

I strongly disagree with Dr. Thomas' characterization of McCain's position. While I think that the positions taken by both McCain and Obama are seriously lacking in addressing issues in such a way to equiably share the pain of resolving the financial issues with the program while preserving its core principles of social adequacy and social equity, it is pattently unfair to state or imply that McCain is against Social Security. Ideology can be a dangerous and counter-productive thing when trying to heal this program.

--Dr. Joseph Gribbin
Former Associate Commissioner, Social Security Administration and currently Professor at the Erickson School of Aging Studies.

Posted by Dr. Joseph Gribbin
July 10, 2008 12:45 PM

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