Two Social Security Cartoons

Since we recently learned Social Security is even more financially decrepit than previously estimated, let’s cheer ourselves up with a couple of cartoons.

This first one is a pretty good assessment of what’s going to happen in a few years if we don’t see reform. Think about what’s happening in Europe, if you don’t have a good imagination.

This cartoon covers the same topic, but looks at how an aging population is going to create unsustainable fiscal demands.

There are solutions, of course, but don’t hold your breath waiting for them to be implemented.

Incidentally, you may recognize the artistic style in the second cartoon. It’s by Ramirez. Here are links to some of his other cartoons that I found especially worthwhile: Here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

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Measuring the Federal Government’s Spending Problem

I’ve complained endlessly that America’s fiscal problem is too much spending, and that deficits and debt are best understood as symptoms of that underlying disease.

So I’m obviously a big fan of this new video from the folks at Learn Liberty.

I like how they use several types of measurements to show that there’s plenty of tax revenue. Indeed, the best line, near the end of the video, is when the narrator points out that higher taxes will simply exacerbate the spending problem (as I have noted).

Two final items. First, the folks from the Institute for Humane Studies have a bunch of great videos as part of the Learn Liberty series. I’ve already highlighted the one on free trade vs. protectionism, and I include eight challenging questions for those who think it is a good idea to give politicians and bureaucrats power to interfere with our freedom of exchange.

Second, the video in this post focuses solely on the math question, for lack of a better term. If you want some economic analysis of the consequences of big government, here’s a link to a post with my videos that analyze that issue.

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