Letter: Easy fixes for big problems

I keep reading how hard it will be to solve the Social Security and health insurance funding problems. Really?

Well, I have the solution for these issues, and in about 240 words. Here goes.

Eliminate the maximum income cap on Social Security. No cap means everyone pays an equal share of their income. Let’s face it, 15.3 percent of earned income (Social Security and Medicare withholdings combined) affects lower/middle-class people more than the wealthy.

To put it into understandable numbers, the current Social Security system has a taxable cap set at $127,200 per year. Someone earning that pays $9,730 annually (7.65 percent) of their income toward Social Security and Medicare. A person making $1 million per year pays — ta da! — $9,730 annually. Why isn’t it 7.65 per cent of their income?

That brings me back to the solution: Remove the cap. That’s not complicated. Our elected officials can do it with one sentence. Bill: “Let’s Be Fair To Everyone.” Wording? “The Social Security earned income cap is removed.” Vote, sign, deliver — done!

Now, for health care. Take away health insurance coverage from Congressmen/women and the president. They can no longer have any health insurance or prescription coverage. Pass a bill: “You Get It When We Get It.” Wording? “No politician will have a better health plan than any U.S. citizen.”

Congress will come up with a plan pretty quick. Oh, and raise their Social Security retirement age to the same as everyone else’s. It’s not like they’re doing anything in Washington.

This story was originally published January 6, 2017 at 3:29 PM with the headline "Letter: Easy fixes for big problems."