Saturday, September 4, 2010

A Good Ol' Boy

Alan Simpson was Republican Senator from Wyoming for many years, and is now co-chair of the President's fiscal responsibility commission. He has a history of saying what he thinks, and letting the buffalo chips fall where they may.

For example, years ago I heard him tell a TV interviewer that the Wyoming view of gun control was keeping one's gun pointed steadily at whatever one intends to shoot. While not politically correct, it was an accurate depiction of Wyoming attitudes.

Now he has sent an email describing Social Security as "like a milk cow with 310 million tits." As you can imagine, city people went ballistic upon hearing this rural metaphor.

As this Washington Post editorial notes, there were demands for his removal, demands which the White House wisely refused. The Post actually comes to Simpson's defense, after chiding him gently for intemperance. They say:
His fundamental point is correct: Social Security is not on a sustainable footing.
Social Security is a future train wreck we can anticipate far enough in advance to avoid, if only we can find the political will to do so. Simpson and Erskine Bowles, the commission's other co-chair will have a tough job to find a solution minimally palatable to both parties.