Larry Kotlikoff’s Commentaries

ObamaCare still desperately needs fixing

ObamaCare still desperately needs fixing

The American Rescue Plan injects new life into ObamaCare with more generous subsidies, expanded eligibility and premium limits that make insurance more affordable. Unfortunately, the stimulus proposal just passed by Congress does nothing to correct the most serious...

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What the Debt Deal Ignored

What the Debt Deal Ignored

A month ago, Social Security’s Trustees published their annual reportTable VIF1, buried deep in the Appendix, where no one looks, is the statement that Social Security’s unfunded liability is $66 trillion. This measure of Social Security’s red ink is not just gargantuan on its own. It’s $13 trillion larger than it was just three years ago. More

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Our Fiscal System Needs Reform

Our Fiscal System Needs Reform

Over half of working-age Americans face lifetime marginal tax rates (including direct taxes and loss of entitlement benefits) above 43 percent. One in ten in the bottom fifth face tax rates above 70 percent, effectively locking them into poverty. For some would-be-workers, the tax rates exceed 100 percent.

Extremely high LMTRs reflect the complete loss of family benefits, in the current and future years, from programs such as Medicaid – which ends benefits abruptly if one’s income or assets exceed specific thresholds by even one dollar. More.

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Social Security’s Massive Malfeasance

Social Security’s Massive Malfeasance

Social Security has committed and continues to commit huge fraud against 13,000 plus widow(er)s who collectively have been swindled out of $130 million. Those are the figures of Social Security’s own Inspector General.  More

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America’s Fiscal Gap

America’s Fiscal Gap

That’s the difference between the federal government’s spending commitments and its income – looking indefinitely into the future. Closing the gap through time requires an immediate and permanent 41.3 percent increase in all federal taxes or an immediate and permanent 35.3 percent cut in all non interest federal spending. More

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Social Security Benefits: Heads They Win, Tails You Lose

Social Security Benefits: Heads They Win, Tails You Lose

One disabled lady was clawed back for over $300,000 for a mistake that Social Security admitted in writing was theirs! If she doesn’t repay, Social Security will almost always stop sending people like her a single penny until they pay “what they owe.” This can take years or decades.  More

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House Republicans – Raise the Debt Limit, But Stick to Your Fiscal Guns. Our Country Is Dead Broke!

House Republicans – Raise the Debt Limit, But Stick to Your Fiscal Guns. Our Country Is Dead Broke!

Our country’s fiscal gap is 7.7 percent of GDP. This means we need to collect 7.7 percent more in taxes, every year starting now, to cover all the future spending the CBO projects. Alternatively, we need to immediately and permanently lower the path of federal spending by 7.7 percent of each future year’s GDP. Or we can do neither of these things and dig an even deeper hole for our kids.  More

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Social Security’s Massive Malfeasance

Social Security’s Massive Malfeasance

The Social Security administration has committed and continues to commit huge fraud against 13,000 plus widow(er)s who collectively have been swindled out of $130 million. These figures are those of Social Security’s own Inspector General. More

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