Trade tired attacks for an actual plan

Anyone hoping the 2014 election would yield some concrete, politically courageous plans for saving Social Security must be deeply disappointed by Iowa's U.S. Senate race. Courage is in short supply.

But predictable, tired attacks are plentiful.

Republican hopeful Joni Ernst is accusing Democrat Bruce Braley of wanting to raise the retirement age, which Braley denies. Braley insists that Ernst wants to privatize the retirement savings program, a charge Ernst insists distorts her stance. Both camps, running neck-and-neck, are hoping the attacks will frighten voters, particularly seniors, into thinking Ernst or Braley would damage the program.

While the candidates have been working hard to construct doomsday scenarios surrounding their opponent's positions, they've done precious little to explain what their own plans for Social Security really are. Instead, they talk vaguely about options that could be explored, maybe, someday. Don't try to pin them down. Options are on the table, but at arm's length.

Needless to say, this is a disservice to Iowans. And the clock is ticking. It's estimated that Social Security can continue paying full benefits through 2033. After that, benefits would drop considerably unless Congress takes steps to pump more dollars into the program and protect its oft-raided trust fund.

Many of the options are straightforward. Raising the retirement age to better represent life expectancy rates is one possibility. So is raising the cap on income subject to the Social Security withholding tax, which currently stands at $117,000 annually. The creation of a private investment option for younger workers is a possible safety valve. Congress also needs to stop scooping bucks from Social Security's trust fund to patch other parts of the bloated federal budget.

But nothing is going to happen until the nation's leaders are willing to endorse a plan and take the political heat. Talking endlessly about options and tables is not going to get it done. Demagoguing any utterance from a political opponent that suggests changes to the program won't bring us closer to a solution.

But that's our politics. Win at all cost. Forget problems, solutions and a robust, substantive debate over actually getting something done. Talk all about how your opponent would ruin things instead of how you would fix them.

Unfortunately, we see no change in sight, for politics or Social Security.

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