Speaking to seniors
at the American Association of Retired Persons last week,
President Obama described Social Security as a “bedrock commitment
that America makes to its seniors” — a commitment he considers
“unshakable.”
What would his administration do to make good on that commitment? Right now, according to senior administration adviser David Axelrod, the answer is: nothing.
Asked twice by Time’s Mark Halperin what the president’s plan for fixing Social Security’s finances was, Axelrod was baldly evasive, insisting that “this is not the time.” Here’s the full exchange:
MARK HALPERIN: “In a second term, what is the president proposing to do to reform Social Security, save it for future generations, and will it involve lower benefits for anyone or higher taxes for anyone?”OBAMA ADVISER
DAVID AXELROD: “Well I think that there, too, Mark, the approach has to be a balanced one. We’ve had discussions in the past. And the question is, can you raise the cap some? Right now Social Security cuts off at a lower point. Can you raise the cap so people in the upper incomes are paying a little more into the program? And do you adjust the growth of the program. That’s a discussion worth having. But again we have to approach it in a balanced way. We’re not going to cut our way to prosperity. We’re not going to cut our way to more secure entitlement programs – Social Security and Medicare. We have to have a balance.”
Read more: http://reason.com/blog/2012/09/24/social-securitys-a-wreck-but-lets-not-ru
What would his administration do to make good on that commitment? Right now, according to senior administration adviser David Axelrod, the answer is: nothing.
Asked twice by Time’s Mark Halperin what the president’s plan for fixing Social Security’s finances was, Axelrod was baldly evasive, insisting that “this is not the time.” Here’s the full exchange:
MARK HALPERIN: “In a second term, what is the president proposing to do to reform Social Security, save it for future generations, and will it involve lower benefits for anyone or higher taxes for anyone?”OBAMA ADVISER
DAVID AXELROD: “Well I think that there, too, Mark, the approach has to be a balanced one. We’ve had discussions in the past. And the question is, can you raise the cap some? Right now Social Security cuts off at a lower point. Can you raise the cap so people in the upper incomes are paying a little more into the program? And do you adjust the growth of the program. That’s a discussion worth having. But again we have to approach it in a balanced way. We’re not going to cut our way to prosperity. We’re not going to cut our way to more secure entitlement programs – Social Security and Medicare. We have to have a balance.”
Read more: http://reason.com/blog/2012/09/24/social-securitys-a-wreck-but-lets-not-ru
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