Alarmist statements that Social Security’s disability program is about to fail are simplistic and counterproductive because they incorrectly suggest that the program can’t be fixed.
As an attorney who has practiced Social Security disability law for nearly 30 years, I recognize that the program has serious problems that demand our attention. The fact is that aging baby boomers and laid-off workers with medical problems are flooding Social Security’s disability program, taxing an already financially challenged system, and threatening the future benefits of millions of Americans.
It is imperative that we as a nation address this problem now, and as past experience has demonstrated, we are fully capable of fixing Social Security as long as level heads prevail.
In 1982 Social Security faced a similar financial crisis and hotheads were calling to slash Social Security benefits in order to fix it. But President Ronald Reagan knew better. He refused to go along with radical doomsday proposals and instead showed the good sense to appoint an objective technical expert, economist Alan Greenspan, to chair a commission to fix Social Security. And fix it they did, using a combination of tax hikes and benefit cuts. No drastic immediate changes were made. The pain was spread out over time and in a way that no one was hit too hard all at once. The public trusted Reagan and went along with the fix even though they knew little about many of the details. That fix has held us in good stead for almost 30 years, and would have been good for another 20, but when the economy tanked, the Reagan/Greenspan fix went down too.
So now we’re in need of another fix, and once again it should involve a series of technical changes that would be phased in over time, not hitting anyone too hard or all at once. As before, the most sensible solutions would not be easily explainable to the general public in a simple sound bite.
Is it possible in the toxic political environment of today to pull this off again? Let’s hope so. In order to do it we need to send proven, competent, and practical people to Washington.
We don’t need leaders from any one political party, just those who are intelligent and level-headed enough to work through the complex issues and who are more concerned with the welfare of our nation than their own re-election.
Founded over 75 years ago, the Social Security system has been a remarkable government achievement, improving the lives of millions of American workers and their families.
We owe it to all Americans to ensure that Social Security will be there to help them and their families when they need it the most.
Robertson H. Wendt Jr., is a board certified attorney who specializes in Social Security disability law in Charleston, SC. Find out more about him at www.robertsonwendt.com.
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