Social security and immigration
The president was again holding photo-op's last week to push his ideas on social security privatization and reform. While I think his scheme is dangerous and ill-conceived, I'm nevertheless grateful to Mr. Bush for starting a national discussion on the topic, albeit not always the most honest one (for example, the stated goal of many key neo-cons to entirely remove social security is rarely discussed). The president is right that the demographic transition, from a fast-growing young population to a slow-growing old population, is a real problem for pay-as-you-go systems like social security.
Nowhere is this more evident than in Europe, where many countries are experiencing negative population growth- there are fewer births than deaths. It's strange then, that with all the attention paid to Social Security by the media over the past several weeks, there's been little mention of the one factor making the Social Security problem in the US relatively minor: immigration. Let's be honest, the only reason that the Democrats can even argue that this problem is not a "crisis" is because there are hundred of thousands of immigrants a year, both legal and illegal. Without thes many young new workers, there'd be far fewer taxes to support current and future retirees. It's ironic then that some of the Republican leadership in Congress that is vocally anti-immigrant also champion Social Security reform. In fact, I'd go so far as to make a humble proposal: all those who care about saving social security should push for more open borders, as one tactic among several that can narrow future slight deficits. The emphasis should be on decreasing illegal immigration, which poses security threats in a post 9-11 worl and raises less tax revenue, by allowing any persons with employable skills or a familial support network into the U.S. Support immigrant rights, help save social security!
