It’s the welfare state, stupid
First, it squeezes other government programs. This is already happening. President Obama’s budget assumes that defense spending, as a share of the economy, falls 39 percent from 2011 to 2022. The Army is to drop by 80,000 soldiers, the Marines, 20,000. Domestic “discretionary” spending is cut even more, 45 percent. Research, education, transportation, law enforcement and other programs face pressures.
Second, it undermines work incentives. This, too, is occurring. Social Security’s eligibility ages influence retirement. If eligibility were higher, people would work longer. Eberstadt thinks that relaxed disability requirements have lowered work effort. In 2011, about 4.5 percent of working-age adults (20-64) received Social Security disability benefits, up from 1.3 percent in 1970.
Finally, there’s a moral cost. It encourages “gaming” the system to maximize benefits. It devalues the ethic of “earned success.” There’s tension between helping the truly needy and fostering dependence on government and helplessness.
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Good Lt on November 12, 2012 at 11:47 AM
Ho Ho Ho
brewcrew67 on November 12, 2012 at 11:47 AM
From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage.
We are almost there kiddies! Not much longer now.
VegasRick on November 12, 2012 at 11:55 AM
Embrace liberty and this might actually change.
MoreLiberty on November 12, 2012 at 11:59 AM
It was confirmed on 11/6/12 that 51% of the folks in this country no longer embrace anything but their free sh!t. L.I.B.
VegasRick on November 12, 2012 at 12:05 PM
It is over…bring on the ruin.
trs on November 12, 2012 at 12:06 PM
It’s the 50 years of INDOCTRINATION, stupid.
Rixon on November 12, 2012 at 12:09 PM
The people of this nation would not have allowed the indoctrination if they were not promised social security, completely severing old age security from family.
astonerii on November 12, 2012 at 12:15 PM
Comrade Samuelson is moving backwards. Capitalism oppresses the masses, welfare is the antidote to capitalism.
Comrade Samuelson must reconsider his position and move Forward!
darwin on November 12, 2012 at 12:19 PM
The only way to even compete is to embrace liberty.
MoreLiberty on November 12, 2012 at 12:21 PM
The country we’re leaving to our children is nothing like the country we inherited.
antipc on November 12, 2012 at 12:23 PM
Catch 22. With a welfare state you cannot allow for everything to be permissible. As those permissible actions lead to reduced productivity for those that partake, and those that are forced to care for them after those actions lead them to supposed infirmity. Thus the cost of the welfare state MUST RISE with your solution. It will never be gotten rid of, well, until the crash.
I would be willing to allow a large amount of the liberty you say is available if the federal government was forbidden with prejudice from providing so much as a single penny to anyone to alleviate their poor life conditions.
astonerii on November 12, 2012 at 12:34 PM
Dear Seniors:
They lied to you. Get over it.
Sincerely,
cptacek
cptacek on November 12, 2012 at 12:48 PM
Dear Juniors:
They lied to you to. Good luck!
Sincerely,
Seniors
darwin on November 12, 2012 at 12:52 PM
Forget it. I am going to take an easy job and collect the government goodies. Heck to think I can do that and live as well as a family making 60 k doesn’t sound that bad.
-/ semi-sarc
CW on November 12, 2012 at 12:54 PM
cptacek on November 12, 2012 at 1:00 PM
I have less a problem with the seniors in this story than I do with retired state employees making 100K+ pensions on the backs of the people in that state, likely to be soon bailed out by the rest of us.
slickwillie2001 on November 12, 2012 at 1:03 PM
Unfortunately, many seniors are ignorant on the matter. Many, such as my step-mom believe there’s actually a medicare and social security fund with actual money in it. They don’t understand (as with the majority of people) that the federal government is living paycheck to paycheck and borrowing money when it’s short.
Many young kids are clueless as well. They have no idea their taxes are paying for current beneficiaries and the pool of people paying in is shrinking.
darwin on November 12, 2012 at 1:04 PM
Juan Williams to the rescue! http://thehill.com/opinion/columnists/juan-williams/267227-opinion-california-leading-the-way-to-a-more-functional-congress
davidk on November 12, 2012 at 1:06 PM
That’s cool. Juan seems to be AOK with Republican state legislatures redistricting democrats out completely. Alright Juan!
darwin on November 12, 2012 at 1:12 PM
Juan’s article is the kind of lunacy that I embrace. I look forward to the left bragging about California in November of 2013. It won;t happen and they will scrub the net of all these stupid articles.
California plans on raising taxes on everyone- more so the rich… yet most the rich have the finances and intelligence to just leave the state- reducing the taxable base- which leads to less revenues. It’s the liberal endless taxing cycle that is destined for irreversible doom. Hooray. And now that they have a super-majority they can race their economic policy to success or failure faster. I look forward to Krugman’s column blaming the republican for the sunshine state’s demise.
Bensonofben on November 12, 2012 at 1:36 PM
When is the last time you heard any elected official talk about liberty?
It’s like liberty has become the “L”-word.
Axion on November 12, 2012 at 1:38 PM
So, safety nets do become hammocks.
Odysseus on November 12, 2012 at 1:45 PM
Seems we are in agreement. A local radio host that says he is conservative also spouts this nonsense that he has an account with his Social Security money in it. He says he gets a letter every year telling him how much is in there. I called in to tell him he was wrong, and he didn’t believe me! He kept saying “I paid in!” and I kept saying “They lied to you!”
cptacek on November 12, 2012 at 2:15 PM
We already resolved this argument and I can prove it easily enough.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20078789-503544/obama-says-he-cannot-guarantee-social-security-checks-will-go-out-on-august-3/
When we had the debt ceiling standoff Obama said he couldn’t guarantee that Social Security checks would go out without more borrowing.
If they had 2.6 TRILLION free and clear as they claim, they could write 24 BILLION worth of checks without requiring the Federal Government to borrow more money.
The fact that they couldn’t proves they don’t have money outside of Federal borrowing.
If I tell you I have $20,000 in my pocket, but I need a loan to cover my $20 dinner, do you buy that I have the money?
If you disagree, explain to me why Obama lied and claimed Social Security would require Federal borrowing to send out checks. When Rush Limbaugh and President Obama both claim Social Security doesn’t have it’s own money; I think that might be true.
gekkobear on November 12, 2012 at 2:31 PM
Very true, it’s kinda like saying the “s” word here at HA – se(c)ede
MoreLiberty on November 12, 2012 at 3:41 PM