Social Security and the Middle-Class Squeeze Fact and Fiction about America's Entitlement Programs

Subjects:

• Economics » Economic Policy
• Business » Business (General)
• Political Science » American Politics/Government
• Political Science » Public Policy

Reviews:

• The book has much to commend it, e.g., its convincing argument that the Social Security "trust fund" is meaningless, critique of official forecasts regarding the system, and warnings that Medicare reform deserves greater attention....General readers and upper-division undergraduate students.
  —Choice March 2006
• [A]n examination of the pressing social and economic problems of the American middle class and how they can be alleviated in an equitable and logical manner that will satisfy both the political right and the left.
  —Reference & Research Book News November 2005
• [A]n attempt to bridge the political and economic chasms that separate idea for solving the country's problems, the authors say they believe that Republicans and Democrats can sit down, make policies, admit mistakes and come up with solutions.
  —The Advocate and Greenwich Time November 27, 2005
• The father-and-son team, who integrate two different political viewpoints (fiscally conservative and socially liberal), offer specific recommendations for improving Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid in socially responsible ways that relieve some of the stress on the middle class and promote upward mobility.
  —The Providence Journal November 24, 2005

• Endorsement From Albert M. Wojnilower
  Economic Consultant
  Craig Drill Capital and former Chief Economist, Credit Suisse First Boston: A fascinating amalgam of social policy recommendations by a conservative (right-wing) economist father and his liberal (left-wing) historian son. It is a refreshing antidote to the slanted and dishonest descriptions that currently prevail in the public debate. Although I do not subscribe in every detail to the Santows' arguments and proposals, they present a useful compromise as to what the country could and should do to deal with the divisive problems facing us. What is perhaps the most instructive is the huge extent to which both right and left would have to retreat from the ideological sloganeering to reach any useful agreement. Both authors will be regarded as traitorous renegades by their constituencies. The reader will have to judge whether the country can arrive at a fruitful reconciliation of views was apparently accomplished by the authors within the family.
• Endorsement From Benjamin M. Friedman
  William Joseph Maier Professor of Political Economy
  Harvard University: [A] thoughtful analysis of the core fiscal problems our nation's economy and our government now face, including not just the Social Security program highlighted in the book's title, but Medicare and Medicaid as well. If more Americans understood what the Santows have to say, our prospects for successfully meeting these difficult challenges would be significantly greater.
• Endorsement From Kevin Mattson
  Connor Study Professor of Contemporary History
  Ohio University
  author of When America Was Great: The Fighting Faith of Postwar Liberalism: This important book should be read by every American. By examining the program of Social Security and its historical roots, this book forces us to think about what we owe one another and what ties us together as a nation bonded together by civic principles. America is in deep danger of losing a sense of mutual obligations and the importance of a healthy middle class; this book alerts us to that danger with clarity and conviction.

Table of Contents:

• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• A Practitioner and a Historian Combine Ideas
• Government and the Promise of American Life
• The Middle Class and the American Dream
• Explaining and Analyzing are not Enough
• New Ways to Look at Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid
• Misconceptions and Myths About Social Security
• Government Cannot Legislate Investment Success
• Big Budget Deficits - Not Good for Stocks and Privatization
• Let's Talk Politics
• Forecasting by the Trustees - Flaws and Recommendations
• Social Security Around the World
• Some Parting Thoughts
• Appendix I: Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid - Facts and History Appendix II: The Tables
• Notes
• About the Authors
• Index