MSW v. CW | National Catholic Reporter

MSW v. CW | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: The budget committee is a side show which will hopefully allow appropriations bills to get passed while no one is looking.  Sadly, they will probably wait.  I don't suspect major entitlement reform will happen, with the possible exception of the chained CPI - although that should only be allowed if the minimum wage is also increased and tied to the same inflation rate.  Increasing the Medicare Part B (and Part D) premium funding to 35% of program costs is also an option to be considered, but only if the Social Security base payment is increased - which could happen if we switched the employer contribution from a match to the employee levy to some kind of consumption tax (a Value Added Tax or a VAT-like Net Business Receipts Tax - the latter being useful if personal retirement accounts are being adopted - something Obama will never do) with every worker being credited with the same amount.  The alternative is to simply raise or eliminate the income caps and change the OASI bend points so that wealthier payers receive no windfall on the other end.  I prefer the VAT myself.  I just seems fairer and puts the redistirubtion up front.  Of course, many of those who want to "reform" entitlements really don't care as much about privatization as they do ending or minimizing redistriubtion.  Such people simply don't like Social Insurance as a concept.  I care little for their opinions.