A Stitch in Haste

The Christian Science Monitor:

This demographic reality usually draws a simple political response: raise taxes or lower benefits, or both. In Congress, that way of thinking has led to stalemate on revising Social Security. Both political parties need to discuss a retirement age of at least 70 for both Social Security and Medicare for the next generation.

Excuse me, but raising the retirement age is "lowering benefits." If you're promised a certain stream of entitlement payments, and you don't get all of it, then that's a benefit cut.

I'm not saying raising the retirement age isn't necessarily a more logical option than raising taxes or reducing monthly checks. In the end, now that the obstructionists have won the political battle to block voluntary partial privatization, we are likely going to get all three in some combination.

But the obstructionists must not be allowed to engage in any linguistic gymnastics by pretending that raising the retirement age isn't really a "cut."

"Less than you were promised" is a cut — end of discussion.

More thoughts at Catallarchy.

UPDATE: Benefit cuts — yeah right.