Didn't know enough about them to have an opinion, honestly. - Edit 1
Before modification by Legolas at 12/08/2012 07:38:54 PM
Legolas a question for you, what is your opinion of George W Bush Social Security Plans in 2005?
So I went and read up on them through the link below (note the quote by Paul Ryan, the only Congressman quoted in the whole thing, I believe). Still, you should probably take this with a grain of salt, what with it being based on the one (partisan) article I've read about the issue.
1) What is your opinion of the matter in a whole?
Sounds like they were completely insufficient and wouldn't have done much about the real problem. But then, I suppose a left-leaning think tank like Brookings would say that... they sound credible, though.
2) Would the country have been better off with one of the three Bush privatization plans in the long run?
Doesn't really seem that way, does it?
2b) How about the mean testing of benefits (but not of revenue sources) that Bush proposed after it was obvious the privatization plans would not work.
Obviously means testing of benefits would help the solvency to some extent - whether in Medicare or in Social Security - but I'm afraid it wouldn't be sufficient even if you could get that passed, not unless you draw the lines for your means testing rather lower than what most people would expect.
3) Was it fiscally responsibility in your mind?
If Brookings is right in the way they present those plans, they wouldn't have made much of a difference for the fiscal balance, so not really.
Edit: Forgot the link. Duh.