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Budget Fight Devolves to a Game of Chicken
Democrats and Republicans, bracing for a game of chicken over a possible government shutdown and a debt-ceiling default, should rewatch the 1955 movie “Rebel Without a Cause,” starring the American icon James Dean. A thug challenges Dean’s character to race their…
Ryan: Shutdown not best way to repeal Obamacare
The chairman of the House Budget Committee says there’s a better way of repealing President Barack Obama’s health care law than shutting down the government this fall — a path some Republican conservatives are backing. “We, all Republicans, want to repeal…
Detroit May Be Bankrupt, but as an American, You’re Not
Earlier on this page, our regular Social Security columnist Larry Kotlikoff argued in favor of “generational accounting” and the recently introduced Intergenerational Financial Obligations Reform Act (INFORM Act), which he helped draft and which has garnered the support of 11 Nobel laureates…
Detroit Today, Washington Tomorrow
Paul Solman: Larry Kotlikoff is a dear friend of both mine and the Making Sen$e Business Desk, appearing weekly on PBS NewsHour online to answer your questions about Social Security as “Ask Larry” and showing up at the local tennis court…
Social Security thieves bypass mailboxes, go right to the source
Once upon a time thieves stole Social Security checks from mailboxes. That was so 20th century. Now thieves steal the checks online directly receiving the payment and eliminating the middleman. Identity thieves obtain the personal information of Social Security beneficiaries and…
Mastering the ABCs and Ds of Medicare
If you can remember the first time Paul McCartney sang “When I’m 64,” read on. This column’s for you. Hard as it may be for some to realize, the first wave of Beatle fans have reached that once-unimaginable milestone and stand…
Benefits Bill Aims To Go Beyond Marriage, Protect Gay Couples In Civil Unions
As the federal government adjusts the bureaucracy to life after the Defense of Marriage Act’s federal ban on recognizing same-sex couples’ marriages, new legislation raises the question of how those still without marriage rights are going to be treated by…
Many on Social Security Disability can but don’t want to work
More than a year ago, in May 2012, Lance Roberts wrote that “Without government largesse many individuals would literally be living on the street.” As much as 1/5 or 22.5% of the average American’s income is dependent on “government transfers.” Read more. Notice:…
Allow Social Security’s lighthouse to guide you
Aug. 7 is National Lighthouse Day. The day honors and commemorates lighthouses, which for centuries have served as beacons of light to guide ships safely through dark and uncertain waters. Aug. 21 is National Senior Citizen Day, which recognizes the…
Mike Pyne: Medicare can save money without cutting benefits
On July 30, Medicare turned 48 — and this earned program is more important than ever. Before Medicare was enacted, only 50 percent of seniors had health insurance, and 35 percent lived in poverty. That was a gloomy time, when…