|
|
Suddenly,
like Houdini, the politicians are about to pick the
"lock box" where our Social Security
trusts are allegedly kept. Fortunately, the
Constitution of the United States has a provision
which, while seldom used, can stop the politicians
from raiding your Social Security and Medicare trust
funds. It has only been used about two dozen times
in American history. But the politicians have left
us no other choice.
What is this extraordinary constitutional remedy? It
is contained in Article V of James Madison's
handiwork (we Virginians always claim ownership,
although we do admit some technical help from a
handful of Northerners during that hot summer in
Philadelphia). This article details the
procedure for enacting an amendment to the United
States Constitution. To date, there have been 27
different amendments, the last one trying to address
the huge increases in the pay, pension and perks
members of Congress have given themselves in recent
years.
Now, we need number 28: A constitutional amendment
that takes the Social Security and Medicare Trust
Funds out of the misspending hands of Congress,
aided and abetted by
the White House. Instead, the spending of any
surplus trust fund money should be
controlled by an independent, non-partisan
commission whose directors are chosen for their
incorruptible integrity and financial expertise
irrespective of political ideology.
I have chosen
not to propose the actual language at this time.
Rather, the precise wording of an amendment is
better left to professionals trained to see through
the legal chicanery of our political elite. We need
to bring the best financial and jurisprudential
minds together to draft language that the our
politicians can't pick apart, the way they are now
going to pick what they had promised was a burglar
proof "lock box."
Many years ago, the legendary bank robber Willie
Sutton was asked a simple question: Why did he rob
banks? The answer: "Because that is where the
money is". If the "three strikes and your
out" law applied to members of Congress and the
Senate - not only to the Willie Suttons - our trust
funds would be safe and many incumbent members of
Congress would be out. But picking a "lock
box" containing Social Security and Medicare
trust funds doesn't even appear to carry a minor
political penalty these days.
We, the people, have become cynical to point of not
believing in either political party on the issue of
fiscal and budget integrity. We assume the worst and
when we get it, the result is used to reconfirm our
worst instincts. This cycle has to be broken.
Admittedly, we Democrats could try to reap considerable political gain by blaming the
Republicans in control of the Congress and the White
House for
the situation. For sure, this strategy is very
tempting and almost surely a big winner in the short
run. But instead, I believe Democrats should forsake
the blame game and put our full political power
behind a new 28th Amendment to the Constitution that
will protect these trust funds once and for all.
As expected, the Bush Commission on Social Security
issued the usual report, long on moralizing about
the lack of political guts of others and short on
any political courage of their own.
Let's
cut to the bottom fiscal line: What is missing right
now is a vehicle to legally protect Social Security
and Medicare Trust Funds from the fiscally
irresponsible clutches of the political elite in
Washington. The Bush Administration came into office
with the best of intentions, but while it could talk
the talk, it has been unable to walk the walk.
Therefore, I propose that we enact a new
"Protect The Social Security and Medicare Trust
Fund" amendment to the Constitution as our
last, best hope in this matter. The Washington
political elite have failed middle America.
This amendment will, in essence, remove the surplus
trust funds from being used to cover up the true
size of the current federal budget deficit, as such
funds are now swept into the "unified
budget" and thus available to pay for Uncle
Sam's current operating expenses. The amendment will
force the Congress and the White House to give the
public a true assessment of the actual state of the
nation's yearly revenue and expense ledger.
This will be true no matter which party controls the
legislative and executive branches, and it will
likewise be the case whether those in control want
to raise or lower taxes, or raise or lower spending
in any area.
The people and I supported President Bush on Iraq:
let's hope he changes his mind and now supports us
on this new Constitutional amendment.
-- May 12, 2003
(c) Copyright. All rights reserved. Paul Goldman.
2003.
|