Number Phase-Out
I was pondering the deservedly lackluster success of the current administration's attempts to sell its privatization/"personalizing" scheme for Social Security. My train was running smoothly along these tracks, thinking that perhaps an approach that used annuities, perhaps initially delivered with the baby, might meet with more success and might even be sensible. Then, in a near whiplash moment, my train crossed some points at high speed and switched in the problem of identity theft that I've been thinking about for the last couple of days.
Eureka! The perfect Republican sales pitch, so obvious I don't know why it hasn't been used yet: the administration could claim that it is simply proposing to phase out the use of Social Security numbers as a bold counter-measure in the war against identity theft. Brilliant!
(Don't blame me if, in their desperation, they start using it; however, since I'm still currently without gainful employment, I wouldn't mind being paid for the idea, regardless.)