We should remember why those programs were started: before the arrival of Medicare and Social Security, the private sector left most elderly bereft of support, the market for annuities essentially didn't exist, and the elderly couldn't get health insurance. Even today, the private sector doesn't provide the kind of security that Social Security provides-including protection against market volatility and inflation. And the transactions costs of the Social Security Administration are markedly lower than those in the private sector. In addition, many of the people who receive government benefits without paying for them are our young, obviously unable to pay, say, for their own education. But spending on them is an investment in the country's future. An
( Joseph E. Stiglitz )
[ The Price of Inequality: How ]
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