Michael Hiltzik: Elizabeth Warren offers a Social Security reform plan that checks a lot of boxes
Congressional progressives lately have been putting forth Social Security reform plans that shore up the system's finances while improving benefits. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Thursday joined the march with a plan that offers more generous increases than the rival proposals, coupled with a stiffer tax bite on the richest Americans.
Warren's plan, like the others, addresses many of the shortcomings long identified by the program's advocates. On the whole, it's a worthy addition to the discussion about how to provide for a more secure retirement for middle- and low-income Americans, while redressing some of the baked-in disadvantages for women.
More important, it's a solid rebuff to Republicans and conservatives whose hand-wringing about Social Security leads to proposals to
