Whether reforming the Social Security system results in improving it or not, one thing is pretty certain and that is that Republicans are going to do their best to change it. It won't be an easy process, however, since Democrats will fight them every step of the way.
David Brooks lays out some of the political difficulties facing reform and then discusses what the president's role in getting reform enacted might look like. He writes:
The president's role - at the Inauguration and the State of the Union address and after - will be to educate the country about the problem and lay out some parameters. He doesn't need to say what the legislation should look like. That's too wonky. He should talk about what the country should look like. Social Security is more than accounting; it's values.
Here are some of the values he might endorse:
First, Social Security reform should liberate our kids, not shackle them. It should eliminate the fiscal overhang so they have the money to tackle the problems that will arise in their own day.
Second, the reform should be transparent, so that people can see what kind of return they are getting on the money they put into the system. People should have information about their own lives.
Third, it should enhance people's control over their own retirement. In a self-governing democracy, citizens should do for themselves what they can do for themselves.
Fourth, people should be encouraged to work longer. In an age in which many live into their 90's, we should be making better use of people in their 70's and 80's.
Fifth, we need a savings revolution. The plan should encourage the nation to save more, to create more capital for America's future greatness.
This is a time to trust the legislative process. Social Security has a better chance of passage if Congress leads. It's also time to think big. Social Security reform plus tax reform go a long way toward getting you to an ownership society.
Brooks' outline of the political obstacles to reforming the system are also interesting. Follow the above link to the whole column to read what he says.