Congressional leadership -- The new oxymoron

By Curtis Harris

Military success in the War on Terror renders the old oxymoron, "military intelligence," obsolete. However, in the interest of one-liners and sarcasm, we need a new oxymoron appropriate to our times. It is "congressional leadership."

The latest evidence for the new oxymoron is in two pieces from the Wall Street Journal's editorial pages. In the December 1 edition, Peter Ferrara's commentary titled "Let the Campaign Begin" covered a solution to the Social Security mess that faces America. The proposal involves allowing workers to divert an average of 6.4 percentage points of the 12.4% Social Security tax into private accounts. The proposal invests in funds approved and regulated by the government and backed by a minimum payout guarantee equal to the present Social Security benefits. The Social Security Administration's actuarial staff scored the proposal and produced the following partial and summary list of benefits:

• No benefit cuts and no tax increases
  
  
• Permanently eliminates the current program's deficits by 2055
  
  
• Creates a growing Social Security surplus by 2029
  
  
• By 2080, the end of the projection period, the 12.4% tax is down to 3.5%, with 6.4% remaining as an individual investment and the other 2.5% eliminated
  
  
• Eliminates the unfunded liabilities of Social Security, currently about 10.5 trillion dollars which is about three times the reported national debt
  
  

A naïve person, unfamiliar with the ways of our Federal government, would expect these dramatic results to result in two government actions. First, that there be further study to verify the SSA's scoring and the resulting benefits. Second, that there be legislative action to capitalize on this opportunity to save America from an otherwise certain financial and social crisis.

John Harwood knows the ways of Washington. His December 3 WSJ Capitol Journal column titled "Medicare Triumph May Foil Bush Social Security Plan" throws cold water on any expectation that the Congress will display real leadership on Social Security reform. "The substance of the deal {the Medicare bill}, and the manner in which he achieved it, make fixing Social Security during his presidency harder — if not impossible." Harwood offers three reasons:

• "…the way Republican leaders steamrolled their Democratic counterparts" This means the Republicans actually did something without the Democrats' permission
  
  
• "…Mr. Bush's party lashed its fortunes on Medicare to AARP." AARP opposes any privatization of Social Security. The Republicans will not have AARP for political cover on Social Security. After all, AARP's current members won't be around to experience the problem
  
  
• "Just like his earlier tax-cut and farm-bill wins, Medicare was an expensive victory." The Social Security reform proposal above does not require more spending. Even so, to get the support of Congress, the president will have to buy the votes with all sorts of pork barrel and special-interest money. The problem is that the money is already spent. Our Congress is a pay-as-you-go operation. No more pay — no more go.
  
  

Real leadership in the Congress would take advantage of this Social Security reform opportunity. What issue, beyond America's defense from terrorism, is more important? Leaders recognize opportunities. Leaders take risks and make sacrifices. Leaders educate and inspire. Leaders solve problems. Leaders serve those for whom they work — the people.

However, there would not be a new oxymoron if we had real leadership in the Congress. Instead, we have career politicians, entrenched in power, serving themselves at the expense of the people.

© Curtis Harris