While I agree with your social programs idea, it seems silly, still to say that whoever crosses our border can come in. A country that doesn't have a border isn't a country.
susie
Well that's part of the problem.
There are economists alot smarter than myself that I hold in very high regard.
Starting with the first wave of Baby Boomers retiring in the next several years, there will not be enough productive people in this country to support the people who are not productive.
The unemployement rate are going to hit very very low levels in the next 5-10 years. It'll be impossible to not find a job! Which may sound like a good thing because low unemployement levels leads to higher wages.
But with that you are also going to see increased inflation , high interest rates to control the inflation, higher taxes to pay for the social security funding shortage, which ultimately leads to a stagnant economy.
There's only a couple options here, and a couple of which are politically impossible. Social Security checks will be rising with the rate of inflation. Without an increased in productive workers, I believe the shortfall in SS will come much sooner than the President's 2017 prediction.
We need to target productive workers and invite them into the country to work, eliminate social programs, reform social security.
Only one of these are even remotely politically feasable at the time, and that's the President's Guest Worker program, and unfortunantly we have a bunch of people on both sides of the aisle (many who frequent this forum), who fail to recognize it.
As to the other solutions (Dramatically cut the budget, Fix Social Security), The left will never let any of it happen as long as they have 40 seats in the Senate.