On the right we have a group that seek to return us to the small-town values that are neatly described in the first chapter of Ambrose's classic biography of Eisenhower. On the left we have those that seek a return to the "good old days" when the New Deal and Great Society were solving all our problems.

They're equally reactionary. Neither of those periods was so great as these people would have us believe.

So we find ourselves caught in between a group on the right who naively think that any plan which fails to provide a safety net can survive politically past the first economic downturn, while on the left we have a bunch who won't even entertain the idea that the Social Security system -- whether it can be kept solvent or not -- is a horrible system which provides a terrible return to participants and ultimately provides them with only poverty-level benefits.

I wish we could have a real debate on how to create a world-class retirement and old-age benefits system. I wish we could discuss the fact that the amount you're allowed to sock away for retirement varies widely depending on whether you have a company-sponsored 401k, are self-employed, are employed without a 401K available, etc.

Sadly, we're caught between those who believe ANY government system is inherently evil and those who are equally adamant about the inviolability of the archaic and awful system we currently have.