The Entitlement Bubble

That's the title of an article in National Review Online. The author, Kevin D. Williamson, summarizes very succinctly why unaffordable entitlement programs are a nightmare prospect for both citizens and the US government. Here's a brief extract.

It’s easy to say: Well, we’ll just raise the retirement age, or cut benefits, or means-test them, or raise taxes on the wealthy who receive them (which amounts to means-testing, but Democrats like that version better). And, yes, that probably is what we will do, eventually. But that does not get us out of the economic pickle: People have been making decisions for years and years — decisions about saving, investing, consuming, working, and retiring — based at least in some part on what are almost certainly faulty assumptions about what sort of Social Security, Medicare, and other benefits they will receive when they retire. When those disappear, a lot of consumption is going to have to be forgone — and a lot of capital dedicated to producing those goods and services for consumption will be massively devalued. Businesses will have to retrench, probably in a way that is more disruptive and more expensive than the housing-bubble recession necessitated.

There's more at the link. Very important and highly recommended reading, particularly for all who are relying on Social Security and Medicare for their retirement. (Hint: start looking for alternatives. Now.)

Peter