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Thomas Friedman in the January 4th New York Times
January 05th 09:39:57 AM
Quotes U.S. Comptroller David Walker:
USA Today recently quoted David Walker, the U.S. comptroller general, as saying we are about to be hit by "a demographic tsunami" that will "never recede." The baby boomers total 77 million, and their first wave turns 60 this year. Unless we trim the Medicare and Social Security benefits promised to these boomers, the paper noted, America's "national debt will grow more than $3 trillion through 2010, to $11.2 trillion. The interest alone would cost $561 billion in 2010, the same as the Pentagon [budget]."
The same as the Pentagon's! So either Social Security and Medicare shrink or the Pentagon shrinks -- because higher taxes seem to be out of the question for now. If history is any guide, Americans will prefer Social Security and Medicare over paying to make the world safe for China, India, Russia and Iran to pursue their interests.
If so, the world may soon test out one of the most important theses of Mr. Mandelbaum's book: that the greatest threat to global stability is "not too much American power, but too little."
Posted by Chris Schrimpf
Comments
Well, if it gets him off of that geo greening by example silliness.
Posted by Adam Cahn on January 06th 05:18:49 PM
Thomas Freidman isn't Hot!!!
Posted by Paris and Nicole on January 09th 03:25:39 PM
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