"A problem correctly defined is half solved."
— Charles Kettering, former head of research at General Motors
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What is the main problem with our federal government? The main problem is that most of the 535 members of Congress are more concerned with getting re-elected than solving the big problems of our country.
What is the solution? Term limits for Congress.
If members of Congress knew they had a finite amount of time to change things for the good of the country, they would spend more time solving big problems and less time raising money to get reelected.
Look at the president. Regardless of party, the president tries to change something for the good of the country because there are only two terms, or eight years, to make a difference. For President Donald Trump, it was getting our allies to pay more for their national security so we could spend less on the world and more on the United States. For President Barack Obama, it was changing health insurance so that more people have it and so that insurance companies pay for pre-existing conditions.
Here are two big problems Congress hasn't fixed: Social Security funding and federal overspending.
Social Security funding
Social Security was passed into law in 1935. It was originally intended to be a safety net for people who lived beyond life expectancy (age 65 in 1935). The problem is Congress did not index the Social Security "retirement age" of 65 to actuarial tables. Meanwhile normal life expectancy in the U.S. has grown to age 79 in 2020.
The Social Security Administration estimates that it will not be able to pay all the benefits it is obligated to pay starting in 2037. We have known about this funding problem for decades. One solution is to increase or eliminate the taxable wage cap of $137,700. By the way, the taxable wage cap does at least increase every year under current law. It just is arguably too low or shouldn't exist at all. Another solution is to gradually increase the Social Security "retirement age" and index the retirement age to actuarial tables.