Social Security in distress

The good ship Social Security is foundering. Gary Crooks suggested ways to save it (“Smart bombs,” July 4), thereby admitting it’s a wreck in progress. He asserted that this vessel can be saved by jettisoning passengers or by refusing new ones by raising the minimum age for beneficiaries. That sounds plausible. But Froma Harrop wrote in February 2009, “The Congressional Budget Office says it can pay all scheduled benefits into 2049.” What happened?

The program has been wonderful, providing a $2.5 trillion surplus, to give to bank and insurance company executives and to more distant satraps.

Though Congress promises to borrow a trillion dollars per year, forever, there will be lenders willing to let Uncle Sam borrow to pay for Social Security. Debts don’t matter. Even if they increase taxes on jobs, there are plenty of jobs.

It’s a good bet that writers like Crooks will pretend that all is well and taxpayers will pretend that they will get the benefits promised. OK. Let’s trust that our rulers can, with a few tweaks, fix the cash-flow problems. At least they are not pretending that they can fix the similar, larger problems with Medicare funding. The Tooth Fairy will do that.

Bodhi Densmore

Spokane