If taxes & entitlements are off the table, we're screwed

Then when Linus asks Lucy why the tree has odd dents in it, Lucy will lie and say it’s the result of a rare tree virus. This is to avoid telling the truth, which is that Smith got so frustrated at the failure of leadership in America today that he took out his frustration on a poor, defenseless oak.

My latest spell of frustration came courtesy of U.S. Rep. Zack Space, D-Ohio 18th District, and the Ohio Democratic Party, who over the weekend attacked House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester, for suggesting cost-saving strategies for Social Security.

In an interview last Tuesday with the Pittsburgh Tribune- Review, Boehner suggested raising the retirement age for Social Security to 70 for people who are still 20 years away from retirement. (Supporters justify raising the retirement age by noting that Americans live longer today than in the past.) Boehner also recommended holding down cost-of-living increases to match the consumer price index, and means testing benefits so they wouldn’t go to rich people.

None of this is especially radical or extreme, and some of these ideas have been floated by Democratic leaders and administration budget officials alike.

Indeed, anyone who’s serious about carving into the nation’s $12.8 trillion debt, in order to save something for our children and grandchildren, will admit that meaningful deficit reduction can’t happen without reining in the costliest entitlements, Social Security and Medicare.

Similarly, most people conversant with the stark budget realities facing our nation will agree that tax increases also must be part of any deficit-reduction strategy.

Indeed, within the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, appointed by President Obama, there seems to be a consensus that U.S. leaders and citizens need a serious reality check about the sacrifices necessary to cut our long-term deficits.

Yet, when you go back to the political parties, it’s the same old gamesmanship on taxes and Social Security.

Rep. Space, whose 18th District includes northern Athens County, is a case in point. In a news release distributed Monday (and reprinted below), Space demagogues his ass off on the issue, declaring, “… it is unconscionable that this lifeline (Social Security) has been perennially under attack from extremist ideologues that are fundamentally out of touch with the needs of our seniors.”

Space’s target is obvious, since later he decries Rep. Boehner’s proposal to delay Social Security benefits to citizens until they reach 70.

The Ohio Democratic Party released a similar denunciation of Boehner’s common-sense proposal. In a statement issued over the weekend, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Chris Redfern stated, “At a time when Americans are losing their homes and seeing good jobs go overseas because of the Bush/Cheney/ Boehner policies, John Boehner’s proposal to make many Americans wait until they turn 70 before they get their full Social Security retirement benefits is reckless.”

Neither of the attacks mentioned the fact that the proposal wouldn’t affect anyone within 20 years of retirement; the fact that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., suggested something similar last week; or that Obama’s budget commission is also considering changing the Social Security retirement age.

Moreover, neither Space or the Democrats will admit that a lack of dynamic action on cutting entitlements will put all the pressure on the revenue side of the picture, either forcing substantial tax increases, or more likely, crippling any decent shot at deficit reduction.

So, to put it simply, when Zack Space says he won’t countenance cuts to Social Security benefits to our elderly, he must be saying that he supports one of two alternatives, substantial tax increases or continued inaction on budget deficits.

None of these options – raising the retirement age, raising taxes or deficit inaction – is popular with the public, though only choice No. 3 has the clear potential to turn America into a second-class nation buried in debt, with no money to pay for anything.

The next time Zack Space says he won’t consider any cuts to Social Security, or his opponent, Sen. Bob Gibbs, touts his pledge to never raise taxes, take them by the shoulders and shake them senseless, screaming, “What the hell about the massive, crippling debt we’re leaving our children and grandchildren!?” When they respond by saying, “We can cut the budget by eliminating inefficiencies,” just go find the nearest tree and start whacking your head into it. Maybe if enough trees get damaged, folks will start taking this issue seriously.