Rep. Paul Ryan spoke, but as always, they ducked the problem

Paul Ryan and the rest of Congress are beholden to a fickle public that lives its life by getting something for nothing despite being able bodied.

Indeed, Madison identified the cause in Federalist 49:

"The danger of disturbing the public tranquility by interesting too strongly the public passions is a still more serious objection against a frequent reference of constitutional questions to the decision of the whole society."

Yesterday's announcement of proposed cuts doesn't solve the problem because it doesn't address the twin root causes that will not result in death or mayhem. These are benefits and taxes, and not in the safe way that sitting members address them.

Our budget cuts $6.2 trillion in spending from the president's budget over the next 10 years and puts the nation on track to pay off our national debt.

It's a nice try though, if you are more worried about re-election than collapse.

The real issue is that all Social Security needs a income-based means test. I've had wealthy people who paid their tiny undervalued "quarters" and shrieked at me "I paid into it !" when I said the words means test. They use the money to eat dinner out, and other optional silly activities. They are a drain, they are a waste and they might think that they're capitalists but they couldn't be less patriotic and more fascist.

Here's a reminder for all those $75,000 a year pension recipients:

For years before 1978, an individual generally was credited with a quarter of coverage for each quarter in which wages of $50 or more were paid, or an individual was credited with 4 quarters of coverage for every taxable year in which $400 or more of self-employment income was earned. Beginning in 1978, employers generally report wages on an annual, instead of quarterly, basis. With this change to annual reporting, the law provided that a quarter of coverage be credited for each $250 of an individual's total wages and self-employment income for calendar year 1978 (up to a maximum of 4 quarters of coverage for the year). After 1978, the amount of earnings needed for a quarter of coverage increases automatically each year with increases in the national average wage index.

Why anyone thinks that those quarters should get you an $800 monthly check in perpetuity boggles the mind, when there's plenty that people pay for, or pay into, vis-a-vis government taxation and they get nothing out of it.

Consider every road in every place you've never been. Every hospital. Every school. Every park.

Similarly, at the other end, consider taxation. You have businessmen making millions saying they can't be expected to be taxed at a 40 percent rate on Alex Jones and the rest of the talk shows, because "that's my money !"

Really ? What created the conditions that allowed you to earn it ? Was it that private army and police force you fielded or the airport you built yourself ?

It seems to the rest of us that you benefit from a 24/7 nuclear missile and radar watch, F-15Es sitting armed on a runway, roads, airports, police, fire, a legal system that defends your property and education for you kids and your workers. You also have a hospital that protects your workers as they labor for you.

And you think that you don't have to pay for it, because less than half your money might be taken from you (given loopholes and write-offs) ?

OK. Let's remove all those features of government because none of you want to pay, and let's see how long your country lasts that way, instead.

Go look up the free rider problem. You obviously never heard of it:

In economics, the free rider problem refers to a situation where some individuals in a population either consume more than their fair share of a common resource, or pay less than their fair share of the cost of a common resource.

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