How Gerontocracy Explains the Matt Gaetz Clown Show

[Loulit01]

The basic gerontocratic fiscal trap is easy to describe: As societies grow older, with longer life expectancies and fewer kids, their old-age commitments become steadily more costly as the share of voters who benefit from those commitments (and turn out to vote) increases. This makes it harder to fix fiscal problems, and it makes the path of least political resistance the protection of the old and the shortchanging of the young — who, thus shortchanged, start fewer families and deepen societal senescence.

But there is a further twist in American politics, which is that the party that would normally be the ideological vehicle for resisting the drift into gerontocratic stasis — the party of free markets and limited government — is also increasingly dependent on the votes of culturally conservative older voters. Which makes it especially politically challenging, even self-undermining, to undertake the kind of fiscal reforms that the right’s philosophy officially supports.

Opinion | How Gerontocracy Explains the Matt Gaetz Clown Show (Published 2023)

Chaotic debates over fiscal policy are part of what you get when a democracy becomes a gerontocracy.

www.nytimes.com

We need to lower the voting age.

 

[505]

Cope II: The Thread

 

[Torus34]

The basic gerontocratic fiscal trap is easy to describe: As societies grow older, with longer life expectancies and fewer kids, their old-age commitments become steadily more costly as the share of voters who benefit from those commitments (and turn out to vote) increases. This makes it harder to fix fiscal problems, and it makes the path of least political resistance the protection of the old and the shortchanging of the young — who, thus shortchanged, start fewer families and deepen societal senescence.

But there is a further twist in American politics, which is that the party that would normally be the ideological vehicle for resisting the drift into gerontocratic stasis — the party of free markets and limited government — is also increasingly dependent on the votes of culturally conservative older voters. Which makes it especially politically challenging, even self-undermining, to undertake the kind of fiscal reforms that the right’s philosophy officially supports.

Opinion | How Gerontocracy Explains the Matt Gaetz Clown Show (Published 2023)

Chaotic debates over fiscal policy are part of what you get when a democracy becomes a gerontocracy.

www.nytimes.com

We need to lower the voting age.

Hi, Loulit01.

An interesting OP.

The first paragraph describes a feedback loop, but doesn't take into account any number of factors which can eventually slow the descent and bring it to a halt.

The second paragraph includes an assumption that political parties and their individual politicians actually pay attention to the ideology and adhere to it.

Regards, stay safe 'n well.

 

[multivita-man]

We need to lower the voting age.

Nah, young people can be misinformed just as easily as older people, and probably even more so. What's happening now is a result of individuals and corporations having too much power to disrupt governance in the public interest, the balance between private and public power tilted too much in the direction of private power.

 

[joluoto]

The basic gerontocratic fiscal trap is easy to describe: As societies grow older, with longer life expectancies and fewer kids, their old-age commitments become steadily more costly as the share of voters who benefit from those commitments (and turn out to vote) increases. This makes it harder to fix fiscal problems, and it makes the path of least political resistance the protection of the old and the shortchanging of the young — who, thus shortchanged, start fewer families and deepen societal senescence.

But there is a further twist in American politics, which is that the party that would normally be the ideological vehicle for resisting the drift into gerontocratic stasis — the party of free markets and limited government — is also increasingly dependent on the votes of culturally conservative older voters. Which makes it especially politically challenging, even self-undermining, to undertake the kind of fiscal reforms that the right’s philosophy officially supports.

Opinion | How Gerontocracy Explains the Matt Gaetz Clown Show (Published 2023)

Chaotic debates over fiscal policy are part of what you get when a democracy becomes a gerontocracy.

www.nytimes.com

We need to lower the voting age.

Well, it would probably be very fitting to finally give Matt Gaetz' girlfriends the vote.

 

[ttwtt78640]

Hi, Loulit01.

An interesting OP.

The first paragraph describes a feedback loop, but doesn't take into account any number of factors which can eventually slow the descent and bring it to a halt.

The second paragraph includes an assumption that political parties and their individual politicians actually pay attention to the ideology and adhere to it.

Regards, stay safe 'n well.

A significant part of the ‘aging’ (boomer baby bubble?) problem is that Social Security had stopped creating a surplus and it’s ‘trust me’ fund is now being rapidly depleted.

 

[ttwtt78640]

Nah, young people can be misinformed just as easily as older people, and probably even more so. What's happening now is a result of individuals and corporations having too much power to disrupt governance in the public interest, the balance between private and public power tilted too much in the direction of private power.

I generally agree, but it’s too much donor class power with too much voter apathy (voting for team D or R with little regard for policy positions).

 

[Torus34]

A significant part of the ‘aging’ (boomer baby bubble?) problem is that Social Security had stopped creating a surplus and it’s ‘trust me’ fund is now being rapidly depleted.

The Social Security 'fund' is a fanciful construct used by some ideologues to promulgate their agenda.

Regards, stay safe 'n well.

 

[ttwtt78640]

The Social Security 'fund' is a fanciful construct used by some ideologues to promulgate their agenda.

Regards, stay safe 'n well.

I have no idea where you got that idea.

The Social Security trust funds that about 67 million Americans rely on for benefits are scheduled to be depleted in 2034, one year earlier than was projected last year, according to the annual trustees’ report released by the Treasury Department on Friday.

Unless Congress takes action, at that time, 80% of scheduled benefits will be payable from the combined funds for old age and survivors insurance and disability insurance.

Social Security trust funds depletion date moves one year earlier to 2034, Treasury says

New estimates for the depletion dates for Social Security and Medicare benefits released on Friday prompted retirement experts to urge Congress to take action.

www.cnbc.com

 

[Torus34]

I have no idea where you got that idea.

Social Security trust funds depletion date moves one year earlier to 2034, Treasury says

New estimates for the depletion dates for Social Security and Medicare benefits released on Friday prompted retirement experts to urge Congress to take action.

www.cnbc.com

There are two funds, both of which are detailed here: https://www.ssa.gov/oact/progdata/fundFAQ.html

I was referring primarily to comments which create the impression that the funds are going 'broke'.

Regards, stay safe 'n well.

 

[ttwtt78640]

There are two funds, both of which are detailed here: https://www.ssa.gov/oact/progdata/fundFAQ.html

I was referring primarily to comments which create the impression that the funds are going 'broke'.

Regards, stay safe 'n well.

They are going broke since SS is now paying more in benefits than is being collected by FICA ‘payroll’ taxes.