LETTER: No need for an SOS on Social Security
Your Tuesday editorial on Social Security insufficiency was spot on. But the cause of this is somewhat more than just an aging population. The fact is that 20 percent of American males can no long reproduce, which has reduced our birthrate to 1.6 (similar stats in Europe). So the young can no longer support the old.
Our Social Security system, however, was the most comprehensively researched system in the history of our country. It passed Congress with a majority of both parties in both houses. Thus it has flexibility in how it is administered. While it was promoted as an insurance program, it can easily be changed to a tax with rates being adjusted as needed.
The functional reality is that members of Congress need to keep Social Security alive or they will be voted out of office. So no need to put an SOS out on Social Security.