Don't Tease Us Josh...

I don't know whether or not to take this announcement by Joshua Micah Marshall of Talking Points Memo seriously:

Coming soon: Below-the-radar Social Security phase-out advocacy by corporate benefits providers?

On the one hand, he has a penchant for irony and has been flogging the Cato Social Security Conference in recent posts. So he might just be trying to be clever. On the other hand, he usually has his facts straight, even if his interpretations are a bit hysterical at times.

Somehow I can't quite believe that anyone in a position of influence will have the courage to suggest that we actually put Social Security out of its misery for good. But, we can always hope, eh?

(I'll try to remember to follow up on this, but I confess that I find TPM the least appetizing bite of my blogroll. But if this turns out to be a serious scoop, it will have been worth the trouble.)

UPDATE: Alas, the game wasn't worth the candle:

Today, for instance, I received a copy of a flyer posted around one firm letting everyone know about an upcoming special presentation on the Social Security 'crisis' for the benefit of the company's employees.

The presentation is being put on by a representative from a certain financial services company.

The flyer reads "Social Security ... Find out: How it works, Why it is in crisis What to expect."

Of course, there's also details with date and time and even the munchies that they'll serve. You can even get an individual consultation if you want, it says -- no doubt to tell you that the Social Security Administration is set to auto-destruct and that anyone who thinks they'll ever collect a Social Security benefit is certifiably insane.

So this isn't a new initiative to get rid of SS, just more spin. Most of us in our Thirties and Forties have known for decades that we won't be inheriting anything from Uncle Sam and have already made other plans. For a minute there, I thought Marshall knew something I didn't...