We Have Met The Problem, And It Ain't Social Security

Ignoring for the moment that because of continuing budget deficits, our Government is clearly and presently insolvent, a couple of Trustees quit playing along. Washington Post (03.24.05):

"The two independent trustees overseeing Social Security and Medicare broke with the Bush administration's trustees yesterday, saying Medicare's financial problems far exceed Social Security's and are in urgent need of attention. Republican Thomas R. Saving and Democrat John L. Palmer said Social Security's condition has changed little since they joined the Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees in 2000. But in the trustees' report released yesterday, they wrote that Medicare's prospects have 'deteriorated dramatically' with rising medical costs and the addition in 2003 of a prescription drug benefit. 'The financial outlook for Social Security has improved marginally since 2000,' wrote Saving and Palmer. 'In sharp contrast, Medicare's financial outlook has deteriorated dramatically over the past five years and is now much worse that Social Security's.'" Report Emphasizes Shortfall in Medicare

"The question in my mind is why are we talking about saving Social Security?" said Bruce Bartlett, a conservative commentator with the National Center for Policy Analysis. Shades of the Politburo!! You're welcome, but you're not welcome. "The three trustees from the Bush Cabinet -- Treasury Secretary John W. Snow, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt and Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao -- chose to emphasize Social Security's problems almost exclusively at the report's release." The article notes that "(u)nlike past years...neither Saving nor Palmer attended yesterday's report release." In an interview, Mr. Saving said, "'They didn't particularly invite us,' he said. 'They're doing it differently, I guess. It's not our call.'"