Social Security Turns 73By Tim Penny

American Enterprise Institutes's Andrew Biggs posted a birthday wish for Social Security at the Hill newspaper's Congress Blog.  Essentially he suggests it's time for both sides to stop the "wishful thinking" (and political wrangling, I might add) and begin to seriously solve the fiscal problems facing this program. Read his blog. And as the presidential campaigns heat up this fall, be sure to ask your candidate about his plan for fixing Social Security.

McCain: against raising taxes but not against negotiatingBy Heidi Neel

We see it every presidential election, press coverage on how the candidates will treat Social Security intensifies because likely voters--many of whom are near or at retirement--have a keen interest in the issue. This year is no exception. Both candidates are being scrutinized.

But one thing bothers me about the recent coverage of McCain. He's been attacked by both sides for saying that he opposes taxes but would leave all options on the table in any Social Security negotiations. You can find McCain's full remarks on Atlantic.com:

"I am opposed to raising taxes. Senator Obama wants to raise your taxes. He wants to raise your taxes and if any negotiation I might have when I go in my position will be that I am opposed to raising taxes, but we have to work together to save Social Security."

This isn't double talk. Anyone who's been around the Social Security issue long knows that the funding shortfalls facing Social Security will never get resolved unless Congress reaches a bi-partisan solution. McCain is one of the few politicians who will say he's against raising the payroll tax, but he's not against sitting down and talking to people who disagree with him.

McCain puts it "all on the table"By Lea Abdnor

Sen.ABC News reports that Sen. John McCain, who previously said no to payroll tax increases, has changed his approach to Social Security reform:

Sen. John McCain made clear this weekend that when it comes to fixing Social Security, "everything is on the table," including a possible payroll tax increase.

"There is nothing I would take off the table. There was nothing I would demand," McCain told ABC News George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview on "This Week." I think that's the way that Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill did it--and that's what we have to do again."

When asked if that includes a possible hike in the payroll tax, McCain reiterated that nothing -- including such a tax hike -- is "off the table"

"I don't want tax increases. Of course, I'd like to have young Americans have some of their money put into an account with their name on it," McCain said."

I don’t see this so much as a change as hope for some reasonableness in this discussion. Most folks know that the problems facing Social Security aren’t going away. To solve these problems will require bi-partisan action, which means we must put all ideas on the table. In the words of former Congressman Charlie Stenholm (D-TX), “We must stop arguing over what’s ON the table and just get TO the table. When politicians refuse to talk to each other until the other side gives in to their demands, bipartisan progress is next to impossible.” Kudos to McCain.