How to save Social Security without screwing over poor people

A protester holds up a pro-Social Security sign in Detroit on April 19, 2025. | Dominic Gwinn/Middle East Image/AFP via Getty Images The other day, economist Tyler Cowen made an offhand observation that took me aback a bit: that the French, today, enjoy “the longest financed retirements ever seen in the history of the world.” Verifying the “history of the world” part is beyond my historical skill level. That said, the OECD’s Pensions at a Glance report from 2023 confirms that French retirees are enjoying a lot of years off the job. French men, per the report, left the labor force at