zil by entering into this rare-earth market, and I think it's an important thing for the West as a whole. It would also benefit Vale as a company," Science and Technology Minister Aloizio Mercadante told the U.K. newspaper. The government has met several industrial companies to line up customers for rare earths, a group of 17 elements used in producing components for wind turbines, electric cars and computer screens, among other goods. Vale confirmed that it's looking at investing in the production of rare earths, adding that the project remains at a "preliminary stage," according to thwith the matter said. Barclays will propose Solbes for its board at a meeting June 13, the spokesman said. Solbes, 68, was intimately involved in the creation of the euro currency as European commissioner for economic and monetary affairs from 1999 to 2004. He was then named Spanish finance minister in the Socialist government of Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, a post he held until 2009. Barclays is in the process of reducing its retail banking operations in Spain by shutting 120 branches and cutting 700 jobs. The bank is trying to refocus the business, which was hard hit by the collapse of the country'sevenues. "Medicare is an incredibly complex area," said former Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., who used to chair the Budget Committee. "It's a matrix that is almost incomprehensible. Unlike Social Security, which has four or five moving parts, Medicare has hundreds of thousands. There is no single approach to Medicare, whereas with Social Security everyone knows where the problem is." That's not what the public sees, however. "It's more a matter of bungling, and lack of oversight, and waste and fraud, and padding of the bureaucracy," said Carolyn Rodgers, who lives near Memphis, Tenn., and is still working as a legal assistant at 74. "There is no reason why even Medicare, if it had been handled right, couldn't have been solvent." In the poll, 54 percent said it's possible to balance the budget without cutting spending for Medicare, and 59 percent said the same about Social Security. Taking both programs together, 48 percent said the government could balance the budget without cutting either one. Democrats and political independents were far more likely than Republicans to say that neither program will have to be cut. The recession cost millions their jobs and sent retirement savings accounts into a nosedive. It may also have underscored the value of government programs. Social Security kept sending monthly benefits to 55 million recipients, like clockwork; Medicare went on paying for everything from wheelchairs to heart operations. Overall, 70 percent in the poll said Social Security is "extremely" or "very" important to their financial security in retirement, and 72 percent said so for Medicare. Sixty-two percent said that both programs are extremely or very important. The sentiment was a lot stronger among the elderly. Eighty-four percent of those 65 or older said both programs are central to their financial security. Compare that to adults under 30, just starting out. Just under half, or 46 percent, said they believed both Social Security and Medicare would be extremely or very important to their financial security in retirement. Old, middle-aged or just entering the workforce, most people are keenly aware of the cost of health care, and that may be helping to focus more attention on Medicare. "Health insurance these days is very costly, and it's not something that most people can afford to go out and buy on their own," said Tim Messner, 38, a technology quality assurance analyst from Barberton, Ohio. "I don't know that we could possibly plan ahead for medical insurance, but if you had to replace Social Security or investments, you at least have an idea of what you can live on." Numbers tell the story. As health care goes up, the value of Medicare benefits is catching up to Social Security's. A two-earner couple with average wages retiring in 1980 would have expected to receive health care worth $132,000 through Medicare over their remaining lifetimes, and $446,000, or about three times more, in Social Security payments. For a similar couple who retired last year, the Medicare benefit will be worth $343,000, compared to Social Security payments totaling $539,000, less than twice as much. The numbers, from economists at the nonpartisan Urban Institute, are adjusted for inflation to allow direct comparison. For low-income single retirees and some couples, the value of expected Medicare benefits already exceeds that of Social Security. The poll found a deep current of pessimism about the future of Social Security and Medicare. As much as Americans say the programs are indispensable, only 35 percent say it's extremely or very likely that Social Security will be there to pay benefits through their entire retirement. For Medicare, it was 36 percent. Again, there's a sharp difference between what