War in Afghanistan just a blip on radar
The Norman Transcript
Norman, Okla.

As mid-term elections near, the lingering war in Afghanistan seems to be merely a blip on voters’ radar screens.
A New York Times-CBS News poll conducted last month shows 60 percent of Americans surveyed say the economy or jobs were the most important problem facing the country.
With the war in Iraq just winding down and more than 100,000 American troops still in Afghanistan, only three percent of voters said war was our nation’s biggest problem.
Contrast that to the build-up leading to the 2006 mid-term elections, the war in Iraq and concerns about terrorism were the top issues on voters’ minds.
In September, a poll by ABC and the Washington Post found voters rating health care, the economy and the budget deficit as very important or the single most important issue more often than the war.
Support for the war in Afghanistan is also beginning to fade. Americans are growing more weary after nine years there.
A majority in the Times/CBS poll say the U.S. should not be involved in Afghanistan now. That’s up 15 percentage points since December.
More than 1,300 American service members have lost their lives in Afghanistan.

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Social Security reality check
The New Castle News
New Castle, Pa.

Democrats are being accused of pandering to the elderly with their plan to push special payments to Social Security recipients.

And it’s a fair criticism. With the Nov. 2 election looming and polls suggesting a debacle for Democrats, one would expect them to be scrambling for support.

And showing concern for older Americans — who are much more likely to vote than their younger counterparts — is an effective way to do it.

But the Democratic proposal to send out $250 checks to the nation’s Social Security recipients is a bit more complex than that. And it’s not the first time the party has pushed this idea. Something similar failed in the spring, with Republicans and more than a few Democrats lining up against the proposal.

A $250 payment may not sound like much, but when you consider there are about 50 million Social Security beneficiaries, estimates for covering the payments top $13 billion.

… The reason given for the Democratic push of special payments to Social Security recipients is that — for the second year in a row — there will be no cost-of-living increase from the trust fund. One of the few benefits of a stagnant economy is that inflation is virtually non-existent.

Many elderly, however, will argue that their costs have risen. Medication, food, utilities and other expenses have seen increases. So how can the government say the cost of living has not gone up?

The answer is that inflation statistics factor in such things as housing sales. Most older Americans aren’t buying new homes.

Republican concerns about finding the money to pay for this Democratic plan are legitimate. But they are equally as political. The GOP has based much of its campaign this year on the need to rein in federal spending.

… Many economists will argue in favor of government offering direct assistance to people during a recession — if the money is spent quickly as a form of stimulus. But simply passing out $250 checks to a given age group is an imperfect way of achieving that goal. Democrats and Republicans alike ought to come up with something better.