No one seems to be writing opinion pieces quite the way I would, so I decided to do it myself.

The name? Taverns are places where one goes to discuss the interesting events and things in the world, so this is my tavern.

I will offer my views on politics, economics, and whatever else strikes my fancy.
I will occasionally publish the entire article from another journal for purposes of causing discussion.

Social Security Reform? Why not the real problem - Medicare?

Capital Hill Blue offers an article that points out that although the more pressing problem facing America is Medicare, Bush wants to spend his political capital to “solve” (read “privatize and destroy”) Social Security this year.

The question has to be “why?”

In my opinion, Medicare is off the radar because the problems can’t be solved using private market means (those have been tried since the Truman Presidency with worse results for each successive effort, most recently the creation of HMO’s and private medical accounts). Besides, Bush has already done Medicare once. Not only is there no likely solution, there is no political gain for attempting to solve Medicare.

But Social Security? Conservatives have been out to get it since it was created in 1935, and the conservative propaganda machines have been describing it’s impending doom with greater and greater volume and inaccuracy as the conservative movement has gained power in the federal government. Now for the first time since the 1920’s the Republicans have control of the Presidency, the Legislature, and there is a strong conservative bent in the Courts, and Bush does not have to run for reelection again.

So Bush has the opportunity, there is no telling when such a opportunity may recur, and the conditions for actually doing something are better than they have been since the 1930’s. The mere facts that 1. there is no real major system problem to solve and 2. the proposed solution will destroy the system are totally irrelevant.

So what do we get? A destructive “solution” to the non-problems of Social Security while the real problems in Medicare are going to be completely ignored and left for more competent people to deal with.