One Size Fits All is not a 21st Century Strategy

You can tell the players by their keywords. A "balanced" tax plan - ok, Obama and the Democrats.

Today's NY Times had a play by play of the budget deal that fell through this summer. Since I am sick I took the liberty of pouring through this. I was reminded of how frustrating it was, being the designated cspan watcher at work, to not find any actual legislation or text about the various plans that were being talked about. Well thats cause there weren't any. That's a relief!

At one time, I recall the ad, senior citizens didn't have enough money to live a decent life. One lived in a chicken coop. Enter social security. Later one, enter Medicare. Retirement accounts and full medical care for all seniors.

And yet, this is still called a "safety net". Now it is a safety net if you are on the verge of living in a chicken coop and eating dog food. It is not a safety net if you have $millions in the bank, eat caviar in Switzerland, and can get cat-scans whenever you feel the need.

At one point, like in 1935 when the Social Security Act was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the average lifespan was age 65. So most people would not see any of these benefits, or maybe a day or two of this money.

In the 21st century, everything is customized. There are no more black rotary dial phones from Ma Bell. There is no large telecommunications firm where everyone's dad works, and the moms all stay home and bake cookies.

I have a smartphone and can pick any plan or color I want. Or I can not have one and therefore no GPS so the feds won't know my whereabouts. And people have to piece together jobs that satisfy them and pay their bills - most switch about 7 careers in their lives.

So why do we still have a one-size-fits-all social security plan, and Medicare plan. The easy term for this is "means testing". If by the time you are a senior, and have an elevated standard of living, then maybe just maybe, it is Your Turn to give back something to society.