In the MSNBC/Politico Debate last week, Texas Governor Rick Perry proclaimed that Social Security is a “Ponzi scheme,” and in so doing may have started the serious entitlement debate which is long overdue.
Those who think Perry has disqualified himself by his tough talk about the Social Security entitlement and social engineering spending may be wrong. Conservative activists and the Tea Party believe that the European-style welfare state is not right for America.
The business-as-usual Washington establishment hopes that America is not ready for such a frank discussion of the cost of continuing this march toward the European model. They well might be underestimating the American electorate and doing a great disservice to the country in the process.
“Outside the Beltway Americans” no longer trust Washington to decide who deserves help from the taxpayer and who is on their own.
The Tea Party was born when the middle-class taxpayers began to demand to know where the money is coming from, and just as important, why does the federal government have to spend it? Questioning accumulating entitlement commitments is what the Tea Party rebellion is all about, and that is why the Tea Party appears to be so threatening to the Washington establishment of both political parties. Answering such questions demands that we make choices and set priorities and most painfully to the establishment elite, set limits on what Washington will do and what Washington will spend.
In his willingness to ask those questions, Rick Perry may be making himself the right man at the right moment.
President Obama is incapable of asking, let alone answering such questions and is forging ahead with his agenda to push America once and for all into the European social welfare state model.
The more Obama keeps pushing for these kinds of solutions to our current economic problems the worse the news for him is going to get. After three years of trillion dollar deficits he is continuing to associate himself with policies that clearly haven’t worked.
Rick Perry has only been in the presidential race for a month and it remains to be seen whether he can sustain the momentum he showed in August, but in putting forth the issue of entitlement reform he is addressing one of the most important questions the next President will face and demonstrating the courage necessary to answer it correctly.
