Interesting op-ed in the Weekend Wall Street Journal:  No New Taxes, by Mike Pence:

The administration hasn’t learned from last year. Despite electoral defeats, it is still advancing Social Security reform as an argument over solvency. The centerpiece of George Bush’s plan was to have been personal retirement accounts for workers who wanted to establish their own nest egg — a much better deal for them and a down payment on the huge liabilities owed by the entire system. Unfortunately, his plan faltered….

While Mr. Bush has reiterated his opposition to tax increases, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson has repeatedly said that everything is on the table for negotiations with the Democratic Congress. When Press Secretary Tony Snow was asked whether the White House was ruling out a tax increase in Social Security reform, he replied, "No, I’m not." This is all code for the administration’s willingness to consider raising taxes in exchange for reductions in promised benefits