Peter Dreier: "Age vs. Class" and the battle over Social Security.

Peter Dreier (email):

The battle over Social Security pits the 1% vs 99%, but NYT columnist Bill Keller wants to frame it as a battle of all baby-boomers vs. younger Americans. This is a CLASS issue, not an AGE issue. Last week, NYT columnist Bill Keller got a lot of attention for column called “The Entitled Generation.”  Keller is echoing the establishment view that the middle class and working class should sacrifice their Social Security benefits. Keller, who is the son of former Chevron CEO George Keller, seems blinded by his own entitlement. As economist Dean Baker point out in this critique of the Keller view, and his suggestions for reforming Social Security, rich baby-boomers can afford to “sacrifice”, but most baby-boomer Americans rely on their Social Security to make ends meet.