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James C. Capretta /

Why Entitlement Reform Is So Hard

If lawmakers won’t reduce benefits, raising taxes is the only option.
Social security cards
(Stock photo from Getty Images.)

The U.S. electorate’s hostility toward serious entitlement reform has a long and consistent track record. Unyielding defense of the status quo has been a winning campaign strategy for decades, and serial efforts to push major changes to Social Security and Medicare onto the national agenda have all sputtered and failed.

James C. Capretta is a resident fellow and holds the Milton Friedman chair at the American Enterprise Institute.

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