The people who are in the forefront of pushing Social Security “reform” by cutting benefits have gotten pretty good at hiding their intentions behind plausible-sounding jargon and economists’ gibberish.
The latest “reform” package offered by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, for example, calls on lawmakers to “promote stronger economic growth and productive aging” by removing “work and savings disincentives in the current program.”
“Productive aging” — that’s a good one. Sounds reasonable while being utterly vacuous. Monique Morrissey of the Economic Policy Institute provides a concise translation: “Raise the retirement age.”
Raising the retirement age is best described as a zombie reform plan. Despite being debunked repeatedly as a benefit cut that falls disproportionately on low-income and Black workers, it still walks among us.
Indeed, the idea has been getting a renewed airing.