Budget Woes

Robert Samuelson has a great article over at Real Clear Politics. It asks ,Democrats in particular, to think a little harder about our budget priorities. This graph helps emaphasize the change in national priorities over the last 40 years.

In 2006, the federal government spent almost $2.7 trillion. Social Security ($544 billion), Medicare ($374 billion) and Medicaid ($181 billion) are the largest permanent, and growing, sections of that budget. Military spending was $520 billion (including Iraq). Although I believe that military spending should be about two-thirds that amount (not to mention allocated very differently), even saving $200 billion does not cover the deficit.

We need to reconsider who receives welfare payments and why; these are political landmines. When Roosevelt first signed The Social Security Act, poverty rates among senior citizens exceeded 50%. There are still destitute senior citizens, but the numbers are no longer comparable, nor are the problems that seniors face, or workers face in moving towards retirement. The average life expectancy has increased by about 10 years.

It's time that American citizens understand the finer points of this debate, so that populist politicians can't demonize realistic solutions.

Posted by Peter