Max Sawicky's Explication

[John K. Taber]

mbs said:
>By now it has become clear that there is no progressive
>way to maintain 75-year solvency for the Trust Fund.
>This imperative should be abandoned, in my view.  The
>Trust Fund remains as a useful record of the present
>value of payroll tax contributions in excess of costs.

According to Robert Ball, someplace in _Straight Talk_,
the intent of the 75 year forecasts was political. 75 years
was chosen to reassure people that within their lifetime
they would get a benefit for their taxes, since 75 years
was long enough to cover a concerned individual's lifetime. 
I didn't understand Ball completely, but apparently at the 
time showing a 75 year actuarial balance was not that 
difficult. 

I'm not sure what the difference is, but showing such a
long term positive balance today is problematic.

I think it should be abandoned too, since it now fails its
original political intent, quite apart from being absurd
on its face.

--
Homines id quod volunt credunt.