The proposed tax cuts generally tend to favor again the wealthier Americans that make up their base. Democrats, on the other hand, see an opportunity to bolster entitlement programs for their generally poorer base that have been pared back during the years of GOP control of Congress. They generally favor keeping the surplus in the government through new programs and initiatives. Whether either party has the political wherewithal to delay immediate gratification of their interests and pay down the looming national debt or set monies aside for the imminent retirement of the baby boomers and the commensurate drain on the Social Security Trust Fund remains to be seen. The young authors of this paper harbor few illusions as to their chances of collecting Social Security in 40 years.
Social programs are another source of bitter contention between the two parties.
Welfare reform, long considered undoable until a centrist Bill Clinton came to power, is the first instance in the history of the U.S. of a rollback in a large-scale entitlement program. As for other social programs, such as Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare, the two parties tend to strike a rare note of agreement. Older people both follow politics and vote in large numbers. Promising to reduce benefits to Social Security recipients is a sure way to election defeat. Recently, President Bush spoke before a division of the U.S. Army about his plans to help improve the way of life for the soldiers.