Get Ready.  We’re Coming!

© Dr. Gary D. Lemmons, February 5, 2006

There is a thundering hoard at the gate.  The sound of their feet trampling toward us strikes fear into the hearts of man and beast alike.  The dreaded “baby boomers” are approaching.  No one is safe!

 In his State of the Union speech last Tuesday evening, President Bush said:

So tonight, I ask you to join me in creating a commission to examine the full impact of baby boom retirements on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.  This commission should include members of Congress of both parties, and offer bipartisan solutions.  We need to put aside partisan politics and work together and get this problem solved. 

You may recall that in the 2005 State of the Union, the President called upon Congress to enact major reforms in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.  Such reforms would have restructured the entitlement programs for a preponderance of Americans under 55 years of age.  More self-reliance would have been encouraged, especially with respect to personal medical saving accounts, etc.

The Congress did nothing.  As a consequence, the President is now calling for a “bi-partisan” commission to “study” the situation and come up with a “bi-partisan” solution.

A “commission” is sort of like a “committee,” and a “committee” has been defined as a group of people who individually can do nothing, but who, as a group, can meet and decide that nothing can be done.

The “full impact” of the imminent baby boom retirements is already known.  Within the next 15 years or so, some 78 million of us will enter the retirement population.  By all accounts, spending for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid will increase dramatically so that by 2030 (President Bush’s reckoning) around 60% of the federal budget will be eaten up by the promised entitlement benefits.

I have a suggestion for the President as to how to get a really effective “commission,” bi-partisan or otherwise, for this great task.

1. Allow each county or (in a few states) parish to elect one delegate to a state convention.  The delegate could be anyone who wanted to run…business person, factory worker, farmer, shopkeeper, professional, or trades person.  The only stipulation would be that no candidate could have ever held elective office at the city (including town councils), county, state, or national levels.
2. At the state conventions, two delegates from each state would be elected to a national convention.
3. At the national convention, staff from Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Government Accounting Office, the Congressional Budget Office, and any other federal agency would be made available to provide information to the group.  No elected official past or present would be allowed to attend the meetings or to have input in any way.
4. The national convention would be charged with coming up with a plan which would then be submitted to the people for a “Yes” or “No” vote in a national election.  The will of the people would rule.

The current Congress, indeed the past several Congresses, has demonstrated its inability to solve this difficulty.  Elected officials, at any level, are inept to fix this.  They have to be concerned about being reelected, and, however this comes down, whatever solution is finally enacted, a significant number of individuals are going to be hurt and angry with the result and are going to take it out on the elected officials (there is not a better group they could choose to punish) for their disappointment.  It is time the issue was handled by the most powerful authority in this nation…the People!

Do I think Georgie Bush will take my advice?

Sure…right after Hamas announces plans for an appreciation dinner for Ariel Sharon!