Our Social Security Blind Spots

[Griff]

On the right, it is seen as a simple actuary problem. Simply raise the retirement age and freeze benefits. This ignores that working class people don't have the health to work to seventy and whatever savings are there have been devalued by deficit spending. The "answer" from the right is playing the markets, which will have losers.

On the left, people pretend that we've built up reserves in a "lock box". This is imaginary. That money was "invested" in government debt (read spent) and will have to be re-paid out of other taxes.

What other lies are we telling ourselves that prevent saving SS?