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The Social Security Shortfall and Trump’s Big Military Budget

Dean Baker Center for Economic and Policy Research
Social Security: the reason for the projected shortfall is the upward redistribution of income over the last half-century; the projected shortfall is far less money than the increase in military spending Trump is requesting for his 2027 budget.

Getting to Medicare for All

Dean Baker Center for Economic and Policy Research
If people understand the issues and have given a president a clear mandate for universal Medicare, they have some ability to push recalcitrant senators and Congresspeople.

The Path to Medicare for All

Dean Baker CounterPunch
Part of the story of reducing costs is easy. We pay $350 billion a year for the administrative costs of private health insurance. By contrast, the administrative costs of Medicare are just over 1.0 percent of what it pays out to providers.

It Wasn’t Just Flawed Forecasts, Dishonesty Has Also Hurt Economists

Dean Baker Center for Economic and Policy Research
Economists have seriously failed the public in important areas over the last three decades. And these failures played a role in fostering the upward redistribution of income over the last four decades. People have a right to be angry.

Wages and Prices: Who Is Keeping Up With What?

Dean Baker Center for Economic and Policy Research
Since President Biden took office, the media have run a constant stream of news stories about how high various prices were and telling their audiences that this has led to mass suffering.

Social Security and Medicare: Fun With Numbers Time

Dean Baker Center for Economic and Policy Research
The whole subsidy to retiree story is a diversion from the many important issues facing the country. Even the core idea, that we don’t adequately support the young because we give too much to the elderly is wrong.