My travel day last week was giving a little presentation at the National Press Club for the National Academy of Social Insurance. Everyone on the panel - including the conservative - agreed the the looming retirement crisis is fucked up and bullshit. Consensus was that increasing Social Security benefits was a nonstarter, so we must look elsewhere. The conservative (not sure he'd admit to wearing that hat, but he does wear a Heritage hat) had some good - if ultimately insufficient - ideas about how to improve our private savings regime. Ideas can be good yet still not very helpful. The more liberalish Serious person had some ideas for various add on schemes, though agreed with me that ultimately increasing Social Security was the best idea.
I, of course, was there to deliver the truth bomb - we need to increase Social Security benefits.
My new modest goal in life is to get this going. Liberal groups, people recruiting candidates, rich benevolent folks...it's time to turn the tide. This needs to be a key liberal position.
