Good new! Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) says that:
... he "made a mistake" when he suggested raising the retirement age to 70 last year.
Oh, wait. It wasn't so much a mistake as a premature suggestion:
The Speaker indicated he was premature in suggesting raising the legal age at which retirees are eligible for full Social Security benefits, since he didn't want to pre-judge a debate over how to fix the entitlement program. He said he wouldn't rule out raising the retirement age, however.
At which point Boehner trotted out what is a key Republican talking point to justify raising the retirement age:
When you look at life expectancy in America today and you look at the Social Security system, we're all living far longer than anyone had ever anticipated and the result of these big demographic changes is having a disastrous effect on the Social Security program. And so raising the retirement age or considering it is something that ought to be on the table.
... not mentioning that:
... most of these life expectancy gains have gone exclusively to upper-income Americans who work white-collar jobs that are not physically strenuous.
But Boehner insists that when:
... the American people understand how big the problem is, then you can begin to outline an array of possible solutions.
Never mind that the American people do understand and overwhelmingly -- including 67% of self-identified Tea Party supporters -- say that they would rather raise taxes than raise the retirement age, expect to hear the phrase "life expectancy" over and over in the coming months, because it's going to be the excuse for screwing over seniors and the working class.