In the 1980s two economists (Tomas Philipson and Richard Posner) wrote a book advising the Reagan/Bush administrations to defer any action on AIDS for this very reason. They argued legalizing gay marriage would actually save more lives without public spending by cutting down on "promiscuity"
Gillian Branstetter
Reminder: Early COVID-era deaths reduced Social Security liabilities by $156 billion. I keep telling people, Republicans noted those savings and have sought to cull the old and "weak" ever since.
Puff the Magic Hater
"According to the Trustees’ report, the actuarial balance of [Social Security] up through 2050 — the amount of additional funds it would need to keep paying full benefits for the next 25 years — is 1.06 percent of GDP." paulkrugman.substack.com/p/social-sec...
paulkrugman.substack.com
America can afford to keep paying full benefits. But will we?
