Social Security blueprint
The president's declaration should signify to everyone that Social Security is no longer the third rail of American politics. And that's a good thing.
Social Security Truths
As the 2004 presidential campaign enters the final stretch, Democratic nominee John Kerry rolled out the tired election-year charge that his Republican opponent plans to cut Social Security benefits.
The Ownership Society
The principle of ownership can take many forms and solve many problems. From healthcare to retirement, the goal appears to be to move people from being dependent on the state to owners of their own security.
Social Security, Medicare Annual Report: Reform is Needed
The annual report on the financial health of Social Security and Medicare was published this week. Contrary to some accounts that it pronounced Social Security in better health than last year, the report concluded that Social Security's long-term prospects are deteriorating rapidly.
Social Security Reform: The Risk Factor
Is the stock market too risky for retirement savings? Only if you believe the opponents of President Bush's proposal to reform Social Security with personal retirement accounts. Fortunately, history is not on their side.
A Referendum on Social Security?
This year's Republican victories in U.S. House and Senate races have been largely attributed to the popularity of President Bush. But beneath the surface, something else was going on, as many races across the country also became referendums on Social Security reform.
Stock Market Slip Shouldn’t Stop Social Security Reform
Today's questionable business environment; however, does not weaken the case for reforming Social Security with personal retirement accounts.
Where's the Debate on Social Security?
A debate, by definition, is a discussion between two sides. The current exchange over Social Security reform is not a debate. Instead, one side is ignoring the true issue at hand, while the other is arguing over semantics.
Uncle Sam Doesn't Make Family Life Easy
For many, tax time is an excruciating process of pouring over receipts and attempting to decipher confusing tax forms. The process makes one wonder why anyone would have devised such as system on purpose.
"Supplemental Services": Setting the Stage for School Choice
There is a little-known provision in the education bill Congress will soon pass that could have big effects at a school near you: "Supplemental Services." This limited, but significant, measure could actually pave the way for school choice that includes private schools.
India and Us
Far from being a reluctant partner, India is a committed U.S. ally. Within a week of the September 11 attacks, India provided the U.S. with intelligence on the locations of more than 120 terrorist training camps in Afghanistan.
Congress Take Note: Local Control Vital to Good Education
As the House and Senate conferees finalize their work on education, they should respect the American tradition of local control of our schools.
Government Spending on the Elderly: The Other War
For all the attention paid to Social Security, it is not the elderly entitlement program in most trouble; health care is. Government health care spending for the elderly will actually surpass spending on Social Security by 2060.
Anti-free-traders Have Globalization All Wrong
The protesters actually have it right; there is a problem with global capitalism that leads to poverty and anti-capitalist sentiment in the Third World. But the problem is too little globalization, not too much.
Surplus Rancor Much Ado About Nothing
If there was ever any question why so many younger Americans tune out politics, one need not look any further than the current debate over the Social Security surplus.
Globalization Protesters Also 'Neo-Colonialists'
I respect the devotion of the protesters and their desire to raise living standards in poor countries. But their main lines of argument rely on a condescending, paternalistic view of individuals in poor countries and the choices these individuals make.
This Cut's For You
Even as the first round in this year's tax debate draws to a close with the signing of the $1.35 trillion tax cut, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are already toasting the arrival of the next round of tax relief legislation – literally.
Don't Need A Bill Of Rights, But A Menu Of Choices Tailored To Their Needs
Yet we should be wary before embracing the Europeans' concept of ideal healthcare. The word "right" implies something absolute, something that trumps other claims in order to fulfill a kind of moral obligation.
Eco-Activists Rely On Precautionary Principle To Thwart Hunger-Ending Biofood Technology
Because it's impossible to prove that any product will not, at some point, cause harms to humans and the environment, the Precautionary Principle was a handy weapon for fringe groups that were forced out of desperation to rely on scare tactics to combat reason.
Talking Down Vouchers
Ask any six-year-old and he will tell you – Bill Clinton's shining example aside – that it is wrong to tell a lie. But this simplest of schoolboy lessons has been lost on the critics of school choice.
School Choice Grows Despite Congressional Setback
Congress is moving forward with President Bush's education reform package. But with each new step the plan gets pieces shaved off and other pieces tacked on. The once comprehensive proposal now looks more like a patchwork quilt.
Pro-Con: "Should states have to establish testing standards in order to spend federal grants?"
If you go on a trip without a map, it is quite likely you will not arrive at your destination, and wherever you do end up will be of little consequence. Our education system is on just such a journey. We don't really know what works, what doesn't, what the children are learning or where the problems are; but at the same time we demand that our schools improve.
Bush's Social Security Commission Needs To Find Answers, Not Just Debate Problems
President Bush's promise to form a Presidential Social Security Commission next spring indicates that he is ready to reform Social Security.
Social Security Made Simple
Social Security reform has become the number one issue of the final days of the 2000 presidential campaign. With all the talk about lockboxes, trust fund solvency and trillion dollar promises, it is very easy to get bogged down by what is unarguably a complex issue. But it doesn't have to be. When you break it down, Social Security is not really all that complicated.
Bush Outpoints Gore As Candidates Rattle Sabers Over Social Security
In the closing minutes of the 2000 presidential debate, George W. Bush and Al Gore finally rattled sabers over Social Security reform, the most important issue at stake in this campaign, and the one that best demonstrates the differences between the two candidates.