Social security

Social security was in the news today showing that it will run out of money in 2035 but something will be done to avoid this. When FDR introduced social security it was the beginning of a long road that democrats would travel for the next 70 plus years. This program became the most popular and most expensive of all government plans. Thirty years later LBJ followed up with Medicare and Medicaid and this garnered even more votes. The result was control of the congress for 60 years. While the overt purpose was to help people, especially low income people, the underlying premise was that these people needed help. This is a fine line that democrats have had to walk over these many years. It occasionally manifests itself with the passage of various laws the most recent of which is in New York City. The former Mayor Bloomberg wants to tax sugar drinks in order to discourage young people from gaining unwanted weight. Other laws against things like tobacco and liquor are designed to alter behavior and adversely effect low income consumers. Many of these elected officials feel it is their responsibility to make sure these people take proper care of themselves which indirectly can be interpreted as their believing these people are not capable of caring for themselves without government encouragement. If people feel that government believes that they are incapable of caring for themselves they are likely to object. It is therefor necessary that the government not be seen as interfering in private decisions, thus the fine line.