Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Sun Editorial:

A pyramid scheme?

Congressman’s comments show GOP’s real intent for Social Security

Rep. Joe Heck has found himself in some trouble for calling Social Security a “pyramid scheme” during a town-hall meeting last month. He was rightly criticized for his comment, which made it seem that Social Security is on the verge of collapsing.

The Nevada Republican quickly backtracked and, as Las Vegas Sun columnist Jon Ralston reported, Heck issued a flier in which he said he “chose my words poorly.” He said that Social Security has “significant financial issues” and argued that the problem had been ignored in Washington.

“We expect our elected officials to be leaders — but ignoring problems isn’t leadership,” Heck said on the flier. “It’s not easy or popular to talk about problems, but you deserve to know the truth.”

Indeed, but it turns out the truth is malleable for some. Republicans such as Heck would like people to believe that Social Security and Medicare are in such a state of crisis that they need radical “reforms” to save them.

Republicans want to take away future seniors’ guarantee of retirement and medical insurance benefits. The public has been against such radical plans but might change its mind if the system really is a “pyramid scheme” that is about to fall, leaving them with no retirement.

That rhetoric has been disingenuous, as Heck has demonstrated. Heck went on a conservative Las Vegas radio talk show Tuesday, and a man called in to complain about the financial shape of Social Security, telling Heck he was “absolutely right: Social Security is a pyramid scheme.” The congressman didn’t contradict the caller or correct him. Instead, Heck said the caller was “exactly right.”

So what’s the truth? Does he believe it is a pyramid scheme or does it have “significant financial issues”?

Heck had a chance to clarify his comment Wednesday at a town-hall meeting. However, as the Sun’s Delen Goldberg reported, Heck was happy to discuss many issues, including his thoughts on the Walt Disney Co. trying to trademark the name “SEAL Team 6,” but he refused to discuss Social Security in any detail.

By not honestly discussing the issue, Heck is doing a disservice to his constituents, many of whom are counting on Social Security in their retirement. This is important because if the system truly were ready to collapse, it would bolster the Republican claim that radical change is needed.

People, as Heck said, deserve to know the truth. He and other Republicans have used Social Security’s annual report to try to back up their point. The report outlines financial issues facing Social Security, including the fact that it ran a deficit last year. Republicans say that proves their point.

But that’s not the whole story. The report says the system is decades away from running out of money and being unable to pay retirees full benefits. Republican leaders in Congress are merely trying to manufacture a crisis to create a political reason for their “reforms.”

There is no question there are financial problems facing both Social Security and Medicare, but radical change is dangerous and unnecessary. Instead, Congress should take the time to make the appropriate, reasonable changes to those systems to ensure their viability for generations to come.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy