From the Wall Street Journal:
Less than a quarter of Americans support making significant cuts to Social Security or Medicare to tackle the country's mounting deficit, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, illustrating the challenge facing lawmakers who want voter buy-in to alter entitlement programs. ...This is despite the fact that about half of those eligible already retire at age 62. A lot of younger people badly underestimate the effects of the aging process.
More than 60% of poll respondents supported reducing Social Security and Medicare payments to wealthier Americans. And more than half favored bumping the retirement age to 69 by 2075.
I looked at the poll, and it looks to me that the parts they are referring to ask if the policies were acceptable (to reduce the current deficit), not whether the individual supports them. Only 22% thought significant cuts to Social Security were acceptable. Majorities did say it was acceptable to reduce benefits for wealthier retirees, or to raise the retirement age well in the future (by 2075).
ReplyDeleteSo I don't think there is much contradiction - most people find major cuts (to themselves) now unacceptable, but wouldn't rule out some cuts (the question didn't include "significant" here) to other retirees (the wealthy or those in the future).
It's funny the WSJ didn't mention that 81% thought a surtax on incomes over $1 million was OK.