From James Taranto's "Best of the Web" column over at NRO a couple of days ago comes this affecting item:Obama Clears the Table
Back in May, we noted that Barack Obama had told George Stephanopoulos that when it comes to Social Security, "everything should be on the table." Stephanopoulos asked if that included privatization, and Obama said no, come to think of it, not everything should be on the table.
Now Obama, in a statement from his campaign, is taking more options off the table:
Obama said he would strengthen Social Security by opposing any effort to create private accounts, raise the retirement age and cut benefits. He said the "best option" is to ask America's wealthiest workers to pay their fair share and force Congress to stop irresponsibly borrowing from the Social Security trust fund.
"There are a number of ways we can make Social Security solvent that do not involve forcing seniors to bear a heavier burden," Obama said. "The best option, in my view, is to ask the highest income Americans to contribute a little more by raising the ceiling that's currently put on the amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax."
"There are a number of ways we can make Social Security solvent that do not involve forcing seniors to bear a heavier burden," Obama said. "The best option, in my view, is to ask the highest income Americans to contribute a little more by raising the ceiling that's currently put on the amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax."
Obama's table is now so clear that the only thing left on it is a big tax increase on the most productive Americans--one that would, by the way, make Social Security more like a welfare program, since presumably those hit with the tax hike would not get commensurate increases in benefits.
As we said back then, in your heart you know he's trite.
