by Robert Kuttner from New Deal 2.0.
The ruling class has been pilfering the Social Security funds for a number of years. As they go global for talent, as they offshore more industry and services to countries that corporations can "manage" in order to get cheap labor and material without those obnoxious environmental laws being enforced, younger Americans will earn much less and will no longer be able to contribute much to the Social Security fund as they have in the past. Hence, by pursuing the imperatives of a profit driven system, the capitalist ruling class will bankrupt the fund.
So, contrary to what this liberal author writes, I believe that the Obama administration is rationally looking to cut Social Security and other social spending. And public opinion? Well, the ruling class is very adept at managing that. With nearly complete control over all information that is delivered via the media and educational institutions, this shouldn't be too hard for them to do.
Forget national boundaries in this capitalist globalized world. What lies in the future, if we the people allow it to happen, is that boundaries will mean little except to exploit as issues to divert working people's attention away from the real issues. We will have islands of prosperous people living behind well guarded, gated communities surrounded by vast seas of poverty.
It's the goddam system, stupid!