[extropy-chat] Extropian Scorecard

[J. Andrew Rogers]

On Nov 5, 2004, at 8:00 PM, David wrote:
> I understood that the social security system can be considered
> a huge obligation on the part of the USA government towards those
> citizens who have paid into it over the years.


There are a couple problems:

1)  The government and politicians like to promise things they have no 
means of delivering.  And they are reticent to take something off the 
table once they've promised it.  It is an odd "obligation" when one 
promises something one cannot possibly deliver.

2)  The citizens want far more out of the system than they ever paid 
into it.  TANSTAAFL.  That the government is not exactly an efficient 
manager of such things means that the money runs out that much faster.


So the problem with social security is really one of attitude and 
unrealistic expectations.  People are demanding that the government 
make promises that can never be delivered on, and many politicians are 
willing to make such promises.  And then there is the problem that it 
is completely broken in economic sense as currently implemented, and no 
one who has ever tried to cheat economics has won.

Doing nothing guarantees failure and the longer nothing is done the 
more painful the change will be, but it takes a lot of political will 
to go against popular attitude and unrealistic expectations.  Kerry was 
dead wrong on this issue, though it is unlikely Bush will do enough to 
really save the system.


j. andrew rogers