My advice to a presidential candidate: Social Security

When I followed the U.S presidential elections in 2012, I had a bad feeling when some candidates spoke about reforming Social Security. I understand that the Social Security fund is in dire danger of becoming insolvent within the next 20 years if the program itself is not reformed. But you don’t speak about reforming – and in this case, “reforming” meant cutting Social Security payments in the future in one form or another – when the country is still reeling from the effects of the Great Recession. In fact, you don’t speak about cutting any major social program that the middle class depends on when the economy is fully not out of a recession – not the least a recession that obliterated the savings of millions of people, depleted a large portion of any equity that they had in real estate or other financial assets, caused massive disruptions in the jobs, pension and health care sectors.

When millions of people have lost their jobs and are scared and unsure about their future, the talk of reforming such a major social program adds to that uncertainty of their future. You don’t want to make people psychologically suffer and get alienated by talking about things that add to the fear that they already have about their future and their children’s future.

And in my opinion, 2016 is no different. The effects of the Great Recession of 2008 are still felt well across millions of households in the country. So a talk about reforming Social Security is a strict NO, NO, NO! – if you want to win the presidency.

If the media asks you about what you would do to make the Social Security program solvent in the longer term – say what would lessen the fear of the future for the people – which is that you would grow the economy at a faster rate, creating more high-paying jobs, eliminating waste in government, sounder immigration policies and in the process through a better and stronger economy keep the Social Security program solvent. I know that this sounds just like a rhetoric, but this is better than any “reform” talk because of one reason – The country is simply not ready for a Social Security reform…yet!

I for one believe that a leader is supposed to change people’s minds for the better, help them understand the need and effects, and lead the nation towards long term glory and prosperity, but these days I don’t see leaders but rather I only see politicians who want to win elections. And my advice is to these politicians and not necessarily leaders. I would dare not blame these politicians as the system itself has become more election-oriented rather than a long-term vision. And that system includes the very people who vote these politicians into office.

Maybe in future elections, when there isn’t this severe a slack in the labor market, and the income-inequality is reduced to a certain extent, a Social Security reform talk might be apt to win the election. But now is not the time!