Let’s Expand Social Security!

I suspect that headline got your attention, right?  Before you starting questioning my sanity, the idea — and the reasons — are offered by none other than Nobel-prize-celebrated economist Paul Krugman in his New York Times editorial, “Expanding Social Security.”   Here’s a taste: “America’s overall retirement system is in big trouble. There’s just one part of that system that’s working well: Social Security.”

Update:  By coincidence, at almost the same time I posted the original link to Krugman’s editorial, Blogging Colleague Becky Morgan posted a piece about “70” potentially being a better age to begin full retirement benefits, linking to a report from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.  Krugman addresses the “70-is-better-because-people-are-living-longer” argument, pointing to a disparate impact on those with low income and less education, who have not seen a significant rise in life expectancy.  Useful point/counterpoint materials for discussion, perhaps.