> Doug, what do you think of the exchange between Mark Weisbrot and
>Robert Greenstein in the pages of the Nation? The combatants weren't really
>allotted enough space to make their statistical arguments very clear, I
>thought. But Greenstein seems to be generally a man of good will and
>certainly deft with a calculator. Is he right that Social Security does need
>some saving?
As I recall the argument, Greenstein just said the Trustees were right - dismal productivity growth plus dismal labor force growth equals dismal GDP growth. But it's a known fact (as my mother says when she can't produce a source) that typically labor force and productivity growth figures move in opposite directions.
Someone - Max? - could speak to Greenstein's motives, but my suspicion is that he's trying to curry favor with the administration. But I'm a hopeless cynic.
By the way, Ellen Frank is saying that in the SS debate we're not focusing enough on the need to promote public investment (physical and social). But I think Ellen is here, and maybe she can make the point for herself.
Doug