I'm no particular fan of Alan Simpson, but his description of Social Security -- a "milk cow with 310 million tits" -- had enough truth in it to be the kind of provocation that should create meaningful if heated discussion. No, that doesn't mean kicking old folks penniless into the street; but the system is an illustration of the entitlement mentality we've drifted into. And the expression is just a variation on the "government teat" phrase that's been around forever. So it's a shame he gave in to the "outrage" over the remark and apologized:
In his apology, he told Carson he had put his "size 15 feet" in his mouth. adding "when I make a mistake, it's a doozy."
The White House on Wednesday night said it was satisfied with Simpson's apology and will keep him on the commission.
The fiscal commission that Simpson co-chairs is supposed to give advice on how to tame the monstrous federal deficits and debt. But I think this is an example of how any suggestion of the need for spending restraint will be dealt with. The group should be called the "giving Washington politicians cover for new taxes" commission.
