Andrew Cuomo on Social Security Democratic Governor

Expose obscure formulas that cause automatic increases

The fiscal plan Cuomo released the other day seeks to completely reframe the way we talk about budgets. Cuomo shined a light on New York's dirty fiscal secret: spending in many programs soars each year because of obscure formulas that bear no relationship to economic conditions. Medicaid and education are the chief offenders, with both slated automatically to rise a stunning 13% next year.

There is no way to distinguish Cuomo's [reframing] from the way Social Security works: increases are built into Social Security's formulas, just as with New York's unsustainable Medicaid rates. I'm not talking about the way benefits are hiked each year to keep up with inflation--no problem there. But under current formulas, the starting benefit levels slated to be enjoyed by future retirees are substantially higher than they are now.