Wealth & Money Quote by Rob Simmons

The line is pitched as pocketbook populism, but its real craft is in how it reframes Social Security from a shared insurance program into a grievance story about unfair taxation. By calling it a "double tax", Simmons compresses a complicated policy structure into a moral diagnosis: seniors are being hit twice for the same thing. Whether or not the term holds up in every technical sense matters less than the political effect. "Double" does what white papers can't: it creates instant outrage and an implied villain.

Notice the choreography of omissions. He opens by nodding to the buzzword everyone in Washington uses - "reform" - then claims the crucial piece has been "left out of the debate". That's a classic outsider move from an insider: positioning himself as the one person willing to say what elites won't. The phrase "punishes seniors" turns a fiscal choice into an ethical offense, making any defense of the tax sound like cruelty rather than budgeting.

The second half widens the coalition. It's not just about retirees; it's about "discourages work and retirement savings", a nod to economists and a dog whistle to earners who fear getting penalized for staying in the labor force or planning ahead. That pairing is deliberate: seniors supply sympathy, "work" supplies virtue.

Contextually, this sits in the long post-1980s fight over whether Social Security should be treated as sacrosanct insurance or as another line item subject to tax policy tweaks. Simmons isn't merely arguing for a tax change; he's trying to smuggle entitlement politics into the more popular language of tax relief.