Posts Tagged ‘retirement age’  Proposal: A National Commission
on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform  Thursday, March 31st, 2011
Most prominent economists and the sensible political middle
ground in Washington agree that the federal government must
eventually address its long run fiscal problem; but they also
know that it is not possible to begin to eliminate the budget
deficit if tax increases and entitlements cuts are ruled out.
The Bowles-Simpson Commission in December made specific
proposals, many of which are the sort that we are going to need
— all of them highly unpopular….proposals like raising
the retirement age, limiting tax expenditures, and raising the
gas tax. Many reasonable-sounding editorialists and commentators
have said recently that President Obama ought to be brave enough
to lead, by coming out in favor of unpopular measures such as
those in the Commission’s report.  Supposedly the American
public is mature enough to rally around such a candid position.
I think not.  (Whenever a candidate