Speakers Corner Liberal Social

Será que os liberais são apenas razoáveis no que toca à Educação, e desprezam coisas como um sistema de pensões universal que cubra mesmo os mais pobres?

Fui investigar o que o CATO Institute (liberais bem liberais economicamente) defende para a segurança social dos Estados Unidos, e, eis que defende políticas que eu diria são bem liberais sociais (no sentido, em que são liberais com preocupações sociais):

"Current workers should be given a choice: those who wish to remain in the traditional Social Security system would be free to do so, accepting a level of benefits payable with existing levels of revenue. That is to say, they would not be negatively affected by the creation of the individual account option but would not be paid benefits higher than what Social Security can actually pay today. Beginning in 2012, the formula used to calculate the accrual of benefits would be adjusted to be indexed to price inflation rather than national wage growth. It is particularly important to note that this change would have no impact on those people who have already retired, since benefits after retirement are already adjusted according to inflation (that’s what Cost of Living Adjustments or COLAs are). Nor would it reduce benefits for those nearing retirement."

"At the same time, workers who wished to enter the new market-based system would be allowed to divert their half of the payroll tax (6.2 percentage points) to individually owned, privately invested accounts. Those people who chose to do so would agree to forgo all future accrual of retirement benefits under traditional Social Security. The remaining 6.2 percentage points of payroll taxes would continue to be paid into Social Security to pay transition costs and to fund disability and survivors’ benefits. Workers choosing the individual account option would no longer accrue future benefits under traditional Social Security but would get a zero–coupon bond in recognition of their past contributions to Social Security. The amount of the bond would provide a benefit based on accrued benefits under the current Social Security system as of the date that the individual chooses an individual account. The bonds would be fully tradable on secondary markets, but all proceeds would have to be fully redeposited in the worker’s individual account until the worker became eligible to make withdrawals. Funds deposited in individual accounts would be invested in real capital assets under a three-tier system: a centralized, pooled collection and holding point; a limited series of investment options, with a lifecycle fund as a default mechanism; and a wider range of investment options for individuals who accumulate a minimum level in their accounts. At retirement workers would be able to choose between an annuity, a programmed withdrawal option, or the combination of an annuity and a lump sum payment. In addition, if at any time a worker could purchase an annuity equal to 120 percent of poverty, he or she could opt out of the system altogether and stop paying the 6.2 percent individual account contribution."

"Finally, the federal government would provide a safety net ensuring that no worker’s retirement income would fall below 120 percent of the poverty level. Workers whose accumulations under the private investment option fall below the amount required to purchase an annuity of that level would receive a supplement sufficient to enable them to purchase that annuity."

Fonte: Cato’s Plan for Reforming Social Security

Devo dizer, que de uma forma geral gosto bastante desta proposta, que, basicamente é o modelo de contas individuais de segurança social ("Private Social Security Accounts") defendido por Milton Friedman. Isto, porque no essencial tem 3 grandes méritos:

- Aumenta a liberdade individual face aos sistemas actuais;
- É sustentável;
- Assegura que todos terão alguma pensão na velhice.