Why in our supposedly Christian nation, do we have such a problem with helping people? As Paul Krugman notes in his column, if there's a government program that helps rich people, it doesn't get much flak from policy makers. Witness Medicare. As Krugman notes, if grandpa needs a by-pass, even the rich are happy to have the government around to pay for it. But if the formerly working poor need something besides cat food to live on, let's make them work a little longer to get it and then make sure they don't get as much when they become eligible. Anyway, why would this matter to the longer lived wealthy with their 401ks?
Everyone who has been paying attention knows that funding Social Security is not a problem for itself or the budget over the next two decades and that fixes are easy, but that Medicare is an enormous and immediate fiscal issue that Congress and the President keep dodging.
It's becoming clearer by the day that President Obama has lost his way. He still says all the right things, but seems completely unable to translate them into a policy that is consistent with the beliefs of the people who said: "Yes, we can!"
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