President Obama wants to address long term solvency of Social Security but his own party is seeking delays [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/us/politics/23social.html?hp].
The implication is that there are only enough resources to deal with one war at a time. This is probably an accurate description of the two houses of government currently in power. However, this is a new age. The Internet offers unforeseen opportunities for collaboration to design a proposal that will address solvency in the Social Security program. In the same fashion as standards are created in the computer/Internet world, working committees of people can focus on the "PROBLEMS" of Social security. In the past proposals seem to embrace current solutions and mechanisms and only adjust this or that option. An example is raising the maximum income limit for FICA tax. That solution only hides the problem for some years.
What it does not do is put Social Security on a firm foundation. I suggest a "Social Security Standards" committee whose mission is to define Social Security goals and to recommend solutions yielding permanent solvency. Like other standards committee's, all discussions would be visible in forums and anyone could join to listen and contribute to the forums. Such open government would proceed outside the purview of the politicians and lobbyists. Each, however, could contribute.
Would anyone in the White House consider such a course of events? What is needed is
a succinct statement of the Social Security problem. I suggest going back to FDR's original mission and starting with that as a problem statement. If it needs to be updated, then that also should be done. Without a succinct statement of the problem, all kinds of irrelevant solutions will be injected into the discussion.
Solve the Social Security funding problem using 21-st century techniques. Try it. It costs nothing and if congress does not want to waste time and political capital on this subject now, the people do. I, for one, would gladly participate.
Ed Bradford
