Krauthammer's Social Security Fixes

If you need the similarities between Ponzi's scheme and the US Social Security system explained Krauthammer provides a comparison, but since the unsustainable future of Social Security is certain what we call it matters less than how we fix it. CK says the following will do the job:

Demography is destiny. Which leads directly to Proposition 4: This is one Ponzi scheme that can be saved by adapting to the new demographics.

Three easy steps: Change the cost-of-living measure, means test for richer recipients and, most important, raise the retirement age. The current retirement age is an absurd anachronism. Bismarck arbitrarily chose 70 when he created social insurance in 1889. Clever guy: Life expectancy at the time was under 50.

When Franklin Roosevelt created Social Security, choosing 65 as the eligibility age, life expectancy was 62. Today it is almost 80. FDR wanted to prevent the aged few from suffering destitution in their last remaining years. Social Security was not meant to provide two decades of greens fees for baby boomers.

Of course it’s a Ponzi scheme. So what? It’s also the most vital, humane and fixable of all social programs. The question for the candidates is: Forget Ponzi — are you going to fix Social Security?

1] Change the cost-of-living measure
2] Means test for richer recipients
3] Raise the retirement age

I'd add a fourth step, restructure the people's obligations to the government and constrictions by the government in order to promote individual's economic stability and the ability and incentives to save for retirement. Changing from a nation of people expecting to retire on Social Security benefits into one which expects to self-reliant is not only essential but desirable.