Jim Paloucek: Cut the political drama and work on fixing Social Security, Medicare

The absurdity of our current national politics is again on dramatic display, this time in the form of President Biden's demagoguery on Social Security and Medicare. Biden's scare tactics about Republicans' purported designs to "repeal" those federal programs are every bit as nonconstructive and disingenuous as the GOP's culture war sloganeering on critical race theory, Twitter censorship and book banning.

On Social Security and Medicare, yes, some Republicans like Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Mike Lee of Utah have made some, shall we say, intemperate statements about ending those programs, which, among other things, provide retirement payments and health insurance for older citizens. But Biden's effort to portray those few politicians' comments as a Republican Party position is just as misleading as the effort since 2020 to paint the entire Democratic Party with the "defund the police" statements of a very few on the fringe of that party.

Even if they wanted to, Republicans could not repeal Social Security or Medicare; to suggest otherwise is pure fearmongering. Similarly deceptive was the assertion that recognizing the need to address police brutality was the equivalent of advocating for the abolition of police. Worse than just the deceptive nature of this all-or-nothing political discourse — which we voters seem susceptible to time and time again — is the chilling effect on thoughtful, rational decision-making based on data-based debate.

The 2022 Social Security board of trustees' report concludes that, unless changes are made, the funds that pay retirement and other Social Security benefits will be depleted by 2035; that is only 12 years from now. The 2022 Medicare trustees' report projects that reserves in Medicare Part A (hospitalization coverage) will be exhausted in 2028, only five years down the road. Based on the hard reality of actuarial math, without adjustments, Social Security and Medicare as we have known them will run out of money — soon.

So changes must and ultimately will be made. More revenue may need to be generated, benefits may need to be adjusted — or both may be required. The longer we wait, the more dramatic those changes will need to be. We need cogent consideration of the straightforward math around Social Security and Medicare. We need thoughtful debate based on realistic assessment of revenue generated and benefits paid by Social Security and Medicare. We need implementation of a fiscally responsible and sustainable plan to address the dollars and cents realities around those programs that we rely upon in our retirement years. We need these things sooner rather than later. Biden's partisan politization of this issue will get in the way of doing what needs to be done.

Our electoral system should encourage thoughtful consideration of and action on real public policy matters. Voters should elect representatives who, for example, pragmatically react to the Social Security and Medicare annual reports and seek to implement viable solutions. Instead the incumbent president likely to be seeking reelection in two years sees political opportunity in insincerely suggesting that the opposing party will eliminate those programs, that only Joe Biden and his veto stand between the Republican Party and the end of Social Security and Medicare.

Meanwhile, congressional Republicans, fresh off achieving a very narrow majority in the 2022 election, surely they are diving right in, sensibly addressing and solving the fiscal challenges confronting Social Security and Medicare, right? Well, not yet. Apparently, figuring out Twitter "shadow banning" and uncovering the secrets of the "deep state" take priority over fiscal sustainability of Social Security and Medicare.

It would be laughable if the need for rational, responsible action were not so urgent, not just on Social Security and Medicare but also Russia, immigration, China … the list is long.

This all raises the fundamental question confronting our representative democracy: How much longer will we citizens cast votes for those seeking elected office based on how loudly they shout fringe partisan positions or use disingenuous scare tactics or seek to divide people into groups of us and them? When will we, instead, select candidates based on legitimate qualifications and on proven track records of pragmatic problem solving and thoughtful consideration of facts? When will we voters vote for those who have the personal and political integrity to do the right thing, even when that is difficult or unpopular? How much longer can our republic endure our continued election of representatives who entirely satisfy their constituents with professions of commitment to partisan ideology and disingenuous sloganeering?