This Is A Message To All On DU That Are Below The Age Of 55......

[global1]

If the Repugs just happen to steal this election and get back power - you could kiss Medicare and Social Security good-bye. They also will do a job on Obamacare. I'm turning 64 in a week. Given what I heard before - these changes might not effect me but they would effect those 55 and under.

If this is so - it behooves you that are 55 and under to get the message out to your peers. You need to Tweet, Facebook and Blog the fact that the Repugs are out to make your lives very difficult when you get to my age. You should start with informing all your friends and then your voting age kids - that this will all be taken away from you if they don't get out to vote and vote for the Dems. Not only Obama/Biden for the Pres/VP - but all Senate and House races too.

This is a very important election that is coming up in November and it should not be looked at lightly.

So get on your Tweety's and FB's and Blogs and shout it out. We can't let the Repugs take our futures away from us.

[RKP5637]

1. K&R !!! Getting older comes on quickly, quicker than many think, one day 50's

and the next day 60's. Where the F did the time go? Beats me, but it happens. Don't wait to think about your 60's, it's faster than you might think.

[INdemo]

3. When I was 40 I woke up one morning and I was 60..

So You're correct about how fast time flies...Not only will Medicare Soc Security be affected but our Supplement Insurance which is tied to Medicare in a way could be non existent with the voucher program.

[catbyte]

40. The despicable thing the GOP is not mentioniing in the "over 55" exemption

are the devastating cuts to MEDICAID that seniors will have to suffer. Many seniors--especially in nursing homes--rely on Medicaid for adequate care. I hope the Democrats emphasize that sad fact. The whole "if you're over 55 the changes won't affect you" argument is just another lie.

[lunasun]

102. The whole "if you're over 55 the changes won't affect you" argument is just another lie.

And that is the truth!!!!!

Smug seniors who think" it wont be me" beware

[Historic NY]

51. Sitting with guys yesterday day....getting older was the topic.

one day they were 65 now they are 75...where did time go.

[RKP5637]

54. I recall well thinking, lying in bed one night at about 14, if I were only 18 how great it

would be! Now I lie in bed at night decades later thinking, if I were only 14 now how great it would be.

[CrispyQ]

95. Life is like a roll of toilet paper -

the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes!

[RKP5637]

105. Damn, that really sums it up well! It does seem to run so much faster toward the end!!! n/t

[ProfessionalLeftist]

2. Damn right. ANYONE below 55 is at risk of losing SS and Medicare in this "election"

GET BUSY and fight for your money. Because it is YOUR money they want to steal. YOU paid into these programs so you would have some very basic health insurance and income when you're older. They're trying to STEAL both from you. Don't let them!

[Patiod]

4. And the response to "but they're saving it"/"won't be there if they don't save it"

is "well, then, to save these programs, we have to fund them. Cut military spending, raise taxes on the rich, cut loopholes -- JUST FUND THEM."

This bullshit about "saving" Social Security and Medicare" is smoke and mirrors - it's only in trouble if they do what Grover Norquist wants to do and shrink government and continue to cut off its funding.

Their stated goal is to destroy FDR's social safety net.

[sandyd921]

23. Easy way to preserve them

and fully fund them is something they won't ever come within a 10 foot pole of: raise the cap on the income FICA is paid on (income over $109,000). And the way policy on every issue has been slanted to the right, Dems won't move on it either.

[Blanks]

71. I think a lot of people aren't even aware that there is a cap.

As far as I'm concerned all we need to do is raise the cap until it balances.

I'm surprised anyone is even talking about austerity while this cap exists.

Where is it now $85,000 or so? It should be included in all capital gains too.

[CrispyQ]

96. Raise the SS cap & tax investment like labor.

Get the military budget under control & stop worrying about the safety net - it's peanuts!

As our electoral process continues to be compromised with big money & electronic voting, the People are no longer represented. We truly do have taxation without representation. I continue the tradition of voting, but I do so with the feeling that it no longer matters.

[Blanks]

110. Ironically, that's what the tea party should have stood for.

Interestingly, they seem to be fighting against that very principle. I believe that was why they originally threw the tea in the water.

It would make a good political cartoon.

[JustAnotherGen]

103. Amen

Mine stops at 106,500K each year. This year (due to annual bonus amount) I stopped paying the first paycheck of July.

Seriously - if you 'stop' paying that early in the year - you aren't missing the money. Tax me and shore it up!

But no one is listening . . .

[progressivebydesign]

25. What they're saving is fat tax cuts for the multi-millionaires.. and subsidies for Big Oil. n/t

[Auntie Bush]

5. My 4 children are all below 55 and I worry about their future should MittRyan win/steal the election

I also worry about the Supreme Court. They could over-rule or rule against many future challenges brought before the SC. They'll find ways to change individual rules against woman's health care, abortion, Obamacare and GUNS. We NEED some good liberals on the court...especially since some liberal judges may retire within the next 4 years. Even then we may Still have a Conservative majority. If Obama doesn't get reelected and MittRyan puts in 2-3 Conservative judges this country and our democracy will be unrecognizable. Life as we know it won't exist.

[awoke_in_2003]

30. Wall Street is going to get...

that money eventually. Yes, I will continue to vote for democrats, but what wall street wants, wall street gets. I plan on either dying on the job, or taking a motorcycle off the North Rim.

[girl gone mad]

74. Wall Street has invested heavily in both parties.

Voting for Democrats won't be good enough. We'll have to fight like hell to preserve these programs, either way.

[awoke_in_2003]

86. Unfortunately, no politician..

agrees with us. If we take it back, it will involve blood. And most cannot stomach that.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

6. Will I still have to pay taxes for them?

If so, that just takes it to a whole new level of douchebaggery.

[jeff47]

10. Yes. Medicare and SS for 55+ would still have to be paid for. (nt)

[RC]

107. What neither side is mentioning is

[font size="8"][center]THE DAMN FUCKING WARS![/center][/font]

All the money wasted killing 3rd world brown people, with multimillion dollar technology, so we can take their oil and the very rich Over Lords profiting from it! All in the name of terror. That is where our resources are going. Killing people and more profits for already very rich people. And we are paying for it, out of our own pockets, with little or no benefit for us, the average citizen! Does anyone else see a problem here?

We have lost control of our government. It doesn't matter who we vote for. At the national level, the proper candidates have been pre-selected in the Primary for us, so we think we still have a say in things.

Diddling with the funding for Social Security or Medicare is just messing with the symptoms, so it looks like something is being done. Screw that! WE need to deal with the root cause. The lack of money is only a symptom of what is wrong with this country. The Wars, the corruption on Wall Street and the big banks are the real problem. We need to figure out how to deal with that. Heaven knows our government is not doing much.

We start at the local level, electing honest people that are in touch with reality and have empathy for those not as well off as they are. After the local level, comes the State government. We need to reverse the current trend and regain control there.
Then comes the Federal level. Congress and the Presidency. It will take 15 to 20 years. If we wait too much longer from now, it will be too late. We just will not have the resources to pull it off. Citizen United is making sure of that.

[turtlerescue1]

7. Add to this thought

some of us that are NOW 60+ weren't sure what we paid in wasn't going to disappear. Back then it was a scare tactic, it is just for scare now. All of us paid in since we began working, its one thing to lose a few dollars, but NOT when it amounts to your entire working life.

Be careful you younger ones.

Last evening, our small resort town held canoe races and then a concert along the lakeshore. I tend to gravitate to people who love to laugh, because laugher is the only thing that has gotten us through life. Don't like to throw my cigarette butts on the ground, and if I don't have something to put them in, they show up in the washer. So walked over to this trash can to dig out a popcan. Now there was quite the crowd of non-residents around at the time, and my friend said "No,--- don't dig in the trash for food." I replied "I have to, am on social security now." Then I realized how many people I didn't know were standing around, looked like they were getting ready to hand me change. Later someone told me I should have worked it...

[JDPriestly]

45. When you are young, you believe that you will do well.

Many fools even think that, if they just work hard, they can do as well as Romney and Ryan have done.

They don't stop to think about all the advantages and good luck a Romney has to have, that millions and millions of people around the world work really hard and do their best and end up hungry and poor. And that lots of those people are right here in America.

This truth does not sell. The rich don't like it because it makes them look like they have more than they deserve (which most of them do). Businesses don't like it and won't pay to have it told because that story does not sell their products. And the poor don't like it because it makes them feel hopeless and depressed.

But it is the doggone truth.

For every Romney, there are hundreds of thousands of people who would simply curl up and die for hunger and no place to live if we allowed our country to be dragged into the Ayn Randian model that Ryan and Romney want to foist on us.

Fact is, that Romney had huge advantages that the rest of us never had -- a well known, successful father who came into his power at a time of great economic expansion in our country, educational opportunities that very few are given, a name that got him in the doors in high places, and a community of Mormons who see him as the ticket to acceptance for a rather conglomeration of ideas and theories.

As for Ryan, he came from a middle class family -- father a lawyer, but his wife's family is wealthy. (Properties with oil and gas for one thing.) So he too had a huge lucky break that very, very few get, regardless of how intelligent or charming or willing to brown-nose to the top they are.

Those of us who are normal and suffering -- whether under 55 or over -- had better stick together. For those of you who are young, the 7 1/2% of your paycheck that you set aside in Social Security taxes (plus the other portion your employer pays) is safe and sound as long as we all pull together.

Ryan thinks that everyone is as selfish and corrupt as he is, and that we will divide into two camps -- under 55 and over 55. That's not going to happen.

And here is why.

We who are over 55 know that as soon as these Republican criminals would succeed in persuading those under 55 to give up their Social Security and Medicare, they would start a campaign to get rid of Social Security and Medicare for those of us over 65. They are just greedy you-know-whats and they are after our money.

For those of you who are under 55 and investing in growth stocks and thinking how well they are doing. Forget it. Once you retire, you don't risk that little bit of money in your 401(K) in growth stocks. You invest conservatively to protect the small nest egg you have. And for 99% of us, there is no way we could live off the interest and earnings. That's because interest rates in banks are at most maybe 3% and earnings on other things -- and on other safe investments, maybe 4%?? (Those low mortgage rates have a reverse side -- low returns to savers and investors who are loaning the money for those mortgages.) Sit down and figure how much money you will have to have saved to even earn $14,000 per year at an interest rate of maybe 2% average.

Unless you are either a fool or have a lot of money, you do not trade in stocks or try to pick stocks once you retire. And most of us do not have the savings to hire a reliable financial adviser. As for ETFs, if the market is down when you have an emergency, you are sunk. You have lost. So even saving and investing in the ETF markets will never replace Social Security and Medicare. Because Social Security and Medicare are there for you, whether the markets are bad or good, you at least get something.

A lot of people lost their homes because they trusted the nonsense that the Bush administration sold about how we could become an "ownership" society. An "owned" society is more like it.

Don't be fooled.

No matter how well you are doing now or how good you think your future will be, you don't want to put all your eggs in the Wall Street basket. You don't want to trust your final years to a bunch of greedy clowns on Wall Street, much less to Romney and Ryan.

[RKP5637]

52. And on top of this the market is rigged in favor of wealth. Any thinking they are going

to invest and make a zillion are really ignorant and uneducated. Some had millions in the market and have lost it ... there are absolutely no guarantees.

One significant problem is often Americans think they are temporarily embarrassed millionaires going through some rough times, I have them as friends and they absolutely live in denial. ... if they can just work more hours, more jobs, everything will be fine. It's an unshakable delusion.

[raccoon]

68. Consider starting a thread with this.... nt

[burnsei sensei]

93. Truer words have never been written.

We who are over 55 know that as soon as these Republican criminals would succeed in persuading those under 55 to give up their Social Security and Medicare, they would start a campaign to get rid of Social Security and Medicare for those of us over 65. They are just greedy you-know-whats and they are after our money.

That was the rationale behind the so-called S&L crisis,
the rationale behind the repeal of Glass-Steagall,
and it certainly is the rationale behind this.
We are looking at thieves in three-piece suits who think their cologne masks perfectly their malice and greed.
It doesn't.
Let's make sure that they know it doesn't.
And also, just for the traditionalist side of them, damn them to hell to boot.

[Yavin4]

99. If the Ryan Budget Is Enacted, You Will Have To Leave The U.S.

Unless you're a multi-millionaire, you will have to live abroad in order to survive. You will not be able to live in the U.S. You simply won't be able to afford it.

[CrispyQ]

100. An excellent post worthy of it's own thread.

This:

We who are over 55 know that as soon as these Republican criminals would succeed in persuading those under 55 to give up their Social Security and Medicare, they would start a campaign to get rid of Social Security and Medicare for those of us over 65. They are just greedy you-know-whats and they are after our money.

and this:

Sit down and figure how much money you will have to have saved to even earn $14,000 per year at an interest rate of maybe 2% average.

I'm not getting anything close to 2% on my savings!

[Yavin4]

101. You Will Need to Have $1.4 million Saved In Order to Earn $14K in interest

at 1% APY interest, which is the current interest rate.

[CrispyQ]

106. Thanks for doing my math for me!

[JDPriestly]

108. Right. And try saving that after inflation on $50,000 per year and a family.

Cannot be done.

We all have to share. And those with higher incomes need to share more.

I am not talking about charitable donations. Those go all too often to charities that are of a personal interest to the donor -- like churches (which is fine but do not pay the living expenses of the elderly). A lot of the pet causes of the very rich are good in and of themselves, but not what is needed from the overall point of view of our society.

[TwilightGardener]

8. Yep--I'm in my forties. Spend 20+ years paying in, get "coupons" back that won't

cover any kind of serious or chronic illness when I'm elderly. Awesome!

[LibDemAlways]

12. Those vouchers would be worthless anyway because no

insurance company would go near an elderly person, much less an elderly person with pre-existing conditions - which is all of them!

[Yavin4]

104. There's Absolutely NO Profit to be Made from Insuring the Elderly

None. Zip. Nada.

[Faygo Kid]

9. All those over 55 and current recipients are at risk, too.

They will recalculate and reduce Social Security benefits through the "chained CPI," and don't think for a minute that Medicare and Medicaid won't be attacked immediately. Look at who they are, and what they do.

They - Romney, Ryan and the Kochs - are ideologically bound to Ayn Rand. They are impatient to implement her philosophy, which is the ultimate endgame of the Tea Party movement. They won't wait for 10 years to do that, guaranteed.

Oh, and we will go to war within six months of a Romney/Ryan administration, as well.

[LibDemAlways]

16. Billions to kill Iranians - Nothing for Seniors/Students/Schools/the Middle Class/the Poor....

And American idiots will vote for these fools because they hate Muslims and don't think gay people should marry. It's pathetic.

[RKP5637]

56. USA, a subsidiary of the MIC! n/t

[socialist_n_TN]

41. Yep. Just because you're over 55 doesn't mean you're safe.......

So even if you ARE an "I've got mine, screw you!" type person, it won't help. They'll go after these programs as soon as they need another little tax cut for themselves or their rich buddies. And/or when they need another little war to support Wall Street.

Once they start down this road, nothing will stop them.

[tilsammans]

82. I'll be 60 in a coupla weeks, and . . .

. . . I'm scared shitless.

[Citizen Worker]

11. Lurking in the background is the catfood commission appointed by Obama to develop recommendations to

reduce the deficit. Instead of confining our concerns with Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid to the republicans we should be asking democratic office seekers in public forums if they are committed to improving these vital programs, not cutting them. Beware, if we start to hear "shared sacrifice" coming from any candidate because we all know what that means.

[progressivebydesign]

22. and this is helpful to defeat the republicans and the Ryan budget, how exactly?

It's like swimming up to someone who is drowning, and telling them that someone might be breaking into their house at the moment while they're busy trying to keep from going under.

Focus on one thing at a time.

[Dragonfli]

50. I thought we were talking about defeating the attempt to end or cut benefits to those 55 or younger.

I wasn't aware that electing the right people to cut these things was the objective.

I thought we were rallying to defend against cuts and or elimination of these programs, my bad, I don't belong in this thread - carry on with the whole "it would be a good thing for below 55 year olds if someone that chose to register as a Democrat is the one doing the cutting" angle.

You and I clearly have differing goals, my goals are in line with the poster you responded to, and with the 55 and younger PEOPLE, I see you only want to use the issue for political purposes, caring little or nothing of the issue it'self.

[Drahthaardogs]

13. I do not think it is as easy as that.

If he abolishes SS, someone will question the Constitutionality of making me pay a tax for a benefit I can never receive. Lots of Republicans will scream socialism when they see the SSI deduction come out of their checks. I do not think the age 55 thing matters as much as some think it does.

[liberalmuse]

14. You are absolutely right!

I'm a few years away, but sadly it is my generation that will overwhelmingly be voting for the Republican ticket. They didn't fight in Vietnam and most of them really don't give a shit about anyone but themselves. Never have. Try talking to people my age in a non-liberal environment, like the work place. Dear God.

[HockeyMom]

15. "It won't affect me because I am over 55" Syndrome

That sounds like my Republican husband who will turn 64 in October. I got MINE. Really? You trust the wolf guarding the hen house? Do you REALLY think if they are in power and control everything, they will only screw those under 55?

These people are mean and heartless. They don't give a rat's ---- about anybody but themselves and their cronies with a lot of money, and drooling to make more money off those less fortunate than themselves.

I am sorry. This is not a personal attack on the poster. I think you need to open your eyes. If if you have no intention of voting them into power, you are still playing into their hands by saying this won't happen to me because I am older.

I turn 64 this year also. I do not trust ANYTHING they say. Give them an inch and they WILL take a mile.

[marew]

20. So agree!

I'm 65 and, yes, already get SS and Medicare. I am terrified for those after me who also worked hard for many decades. I am also scared for those among us who have special challenges that prevent them from succeeding as many of us have.
I came of age when the cost of education was reasonable and jobs were relatively easy to get. I know, without a doubt, I would not have the same opportunities today. I believe it is my ethical and moral responsibility to work toward ensuring future generations have the same opportunities I had!
I remember with great admiration Lyndon Johnson's 'War on Poverty.' Romney/Ryan have made a war on the poor and middle class. Add to this the fact that many conservatives want to eliminate or reduce the minimum wage. Then these same conservatives will criticize the poor for not saving enough for retirement!
Unbelievable!

[KILL THE WISE ONE]

66. Where does the support come from to keep SS as is for the over 55.

after we devastate the program for those under 55.

[HockeyMom]

72. It shouldn't change for ANYBODY

Under 55 and over. If you don't have that I got mine mindset, you won't let them change it for anybody.

[jeff47]

80. Ask him why we 54- people would keep paying for it. (nt)

[Cooley Hurd]

17. I've been paying into SS since the age of 16...

I still remember my very first pay stub. It said FICA and said it took my hard-earned money!! I was livid!! Who was this FICA fellow and why was he taking my money??? I stormed home and asked Mom, "what the hell is FICA???"

Mom explained that it was for my old-age insurance, and that when I'm old, I won't be completely broke. Also, should I need health care, FICA would also pay for that. As a 16 year old, I was not overly impressed.

Then, Mom told me that the checks she'd received every month, since my Dad died 14 years previously, also came from FICA. They helped her pay for food and clothes for me and my brothers and sisters. It started to make more sense to me.

When Mom was forced to retire for heath reasons (and without a pension from the restaurant she worked at for years) 8 years after our conversation, FICA became crystal-clear to me. It was the ONLY income she had for the final 10 years of her life, beyond what her 6 children could give her. She was extremely fortunate in regards to health care since her former boss carried her policy long after she retired, so she had both BC/BS and Medicare. But her last 10 years, after raising six productive children, was no cake walk. But she probably would've died long before if it wasn't for SS/Medicare.

So... THAT'S FICA? Now it makes sense. And thank you FDR and LBJ. And Goddamn you to hell, Ryan, you punk!

[Grammy23]

64. I so identify with what you said

When I was 18 my father died suddenly. My Mother was going to school to become an RN. The Social Security that she received for me and my younger sister helped keep us afloat until we were out of the house. I was eligible to continue receiving the payments because I was in college. My mother eventually finished school and went to work (late in life) for the Veteran's Administration.

When she retired (had to retire due to medical issues) she had a small annuity from her 8 years of working at the VA. She was also able to collect Social Security based on my father's work records since hers was much smaller. Those two things and the fact that she was able to keep her BCBS health insurance as a supplement to her Medicare kept her out of poverty. She got good health care and had enough money to keep her fed, clothed and housed for many years.

After she was very old (late 80s) she developed dementia (probably Alzheimer's) as happens to many of us as we age. She lived in a group type home run by her church and that worked alright until my sister died suddenly and was no longer available to help her with doctor visits, etc. So she came to live with me and my husband. We kept her with us for 3 years until we literally could not do it anymore. She was too sick and we couldn't physically meet the demand any more. For a short time we had home health, paid for by her Medicare and BCBS. Soon after that she got Hospice care, also paid for by her insurance and Medicare. Finally, at the point where we couldn't keep her at home any more, we had to place her into a nursing home. The plan was that she would go in for the allocated number of days that her Medicare would cover (20 days I believe). Then she would be switched over to Medicaid because she didn't have long term care insurance----like the vast majority of us. She died two days after she entered the nursing home so the switch from Medicare to Medicaid was not necessary.

The important thing to know is that all of the help she received over the years were due to what she and my father (and their employers) paid into the system. I cannot imagine what we'd have done if those things had not been in place for her and that hopefully will be in place for me and my husband if and when the need arises. (We become eligible for Medicare next year and are currently getting our Social Security.)

It grieves me no end to read between the lines and see what Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney intend to do to these important safety nets. I am having a hard time convincing my 43 year old son that these things matter. He listens to the rhetoric of the politicians and the "authorities" at his church and is convinced that these programs need to be "saved". He has no idea that those are CODE words for DESTROYED. All to benefit the ruling elites.

[LittleGirl]

87. Your story is so familiar to mine

I too have siblings that don't understand that the Republicans want to end these programs. My father died when I was 15 and those SS checks kept us in school with food on the table, while my Mother worked in the factory and worried about her future. She was overly possessive but she did the best she could do. When Reagan cut the Pell Grants, I suddenly turned ineligible for assistance to finish college even though Mother worked in the factory on low wages. I had one student loan for 1500 dollars and it took me 20 some years before I worked for an employer that would pay me enough to finish and work full time in the process and suvive. Paul Ryan's history is very similar to ours and to gut those programs would be removing the life support that kept his own family out of the poor house or homeless shelter.

Indeed, we need to get the word out, we paid into these programs all our lives. They are not entitlements! We paid into these programs and nobody got out of paying it. You may have had income below the poverty level and received a refund of your INCOME TAX paid, but that money you paid to FiCA and Medicaid for 33 yrs is still there with interest. Because, we the people knew that the government made a promise to keep the money safe so that there was SOMETHING left even if Capitalism stole it in the years since. We were promised those funds to help us survive in old age and damn it, if they propose to take it away for me, I'm 52, then I want ALL of the money back RIGHT NOW.

I'll use it to get my finances in order and take care of myself and my family. But they better cough up the money right now when they roll the dice and say they will end these programs NOW.

Vote Obama/Biden 2012

[Curmudgeoness]

18. And there is a message to all people in the "safe zone" of over 55 too.

The changes will hurt your children and grandchildren. If you have no children, as I do, it will hurt the country and all the people who are not wealthy. Look at the plight of the elderly prior to Social Security and Medicare....they lived with their children, or hung on the life by a thin thread, or they just died. I do not want to live in that country, where this is acceptable.

[progressivebydesign]

19. Don't trust them. over 55 u need to know that they WILL make changes, and screw you too.

that's the thing I think everyone is missing. This is a budget, and once it gets going... there will be changes. Can anyone REALLY trust them to leave it alone after 55?? Of course not. They'll find other ways to screw you, but taking away prescription coverage, losing the long term care funding.

They have shown that their ideology is that the non-billionaires need to have their services cut, their taxes raised, their programs gutted. Even if I was over 55, I would NOT trust them in the least that they won't touch it. They've already signaled that they are 'doing you a favor' by not applying it if you're over 55.. but that is JUST a campaign promise. And it's only being done to WIN the over 55 vote.

Basically that budget is a Cookbook.. "To Serve (the Elderly) Man"

[bkurth]

27. They wouldn't do that...would they?

[gulliver]

28. Yup, if Republicans have Congress and the Presidency, nothing stops them...

...from changing everything. Some of the wealthy really want their taxes cut, and once the Republicans have power, those folks will start asking for their tax cuts to be sped up "to help the economy." Current seniors are no different in Republican minds than people who will be seniors 10 years from now.

[TahitiNut]

21. If what they're advocating were any good, they wouldn't HAVE TO 'reassure' 55+ seniors.

Remember, if they had a GOOD idea, then seniors would WANT IT. It takes NO OTHER KNOWLEDGE of their abominable plans to KNOW how abominable they are. And THEY KNOW it!!!

[hedgehog]

24. kick!

[lark]

26. All people over 55

Don't believe they won't touch your benefits either. This is their starting proporsal, the end with these asshats is no Social Security or Medicare

[eridani]

78. Indeed. That would be like expecting the school bully to stop demanding--

--your lunch money for the rest ot the year after you handed it over the first week of school.

[flamingdem]

29. They will try to sell the idea that it will be a "modified" version so the elderly + stoopid

vote for R&R.


This might be difficult to explain when the repukes have softened the populace with debt fear.

Young people might be told it will increase their chances to have Social Security down the line.

[kestrel91316]

31. I am 55. The oldest to get screwed, of course, and the ones

most unjustly screwed, and the least likely to be able to make up for the screwing. We have paid into it longer than anybody else who's going to get screwed.

Of course. The story of my life.

[Golden Raisin]

32. Everyone above and below age 55

should be aware and concerned. You're also making a major assumption that the election will not be manipulated/stolen/or decided by the Supreme Court again, etc. Another thought --- perhaps if we weren't continually pissing away billions of our tax dollars down the gaping, endless blackholes of Iraq and Afghanistan there might actually be some money for rebuilding infrastructure here at home, as well as funding Social Security, etc. But first things first.

[WillyT]

33. HUGE K & R !!!

[kenny blankenship]

34. Goodness! Do you mean Senate Democrats would go along with that?

Rmoney can't abolish/slash ANY part of the safety net unless Senate Democrats go along, not even Obamacare, which is a very different kind of net. If they would actually roll over for that, it will be because they don't fear the wrath of Democratic constituencies anymore. (This would mark the final triumph of their base bashing strategies of We're not as bad as the other guys! and You got nowhere else to go!) And in that case, you're all fucked anyhow.

[ANewEra]

35. I'm only 17.

Unfortunately I can't vote in the election since my birthday falls on the 6th of March. Even so, I plan to do my part to make sure the President and the Democratic Party will come out on top in November. Many of my friends and I plan on volunteering for the campaign as part of our government class, and plan on speaking with our relatives, older friends, etc, about why they should vote, as the stakes are too high to not do a thing. Still, to not be able to vote is a disappointment

[classof56]

47. Welcome to DU, ANewEra

You are wise beyond your years, which I, as one old enough to be your grandmother, greatly appreciate. Keep focused on the goal and share the message. Our nation's future is at stake. Thank you for what you do!

[turtlerescue1]

58. hello ANewEra!

Good, you are starting NOW. I'm one of those baby boomers, and those were some nutso times, but I have to admit I do not envy your road ahead. Stay very strong and keep good friends and most of all a sense of humor. It all else fails you, being able to laugh will get you by.

[Historic NY]

76. Welcome aboard I'm sure OFA will appreciate the help

[Skittles]

90. I have a question for you, ANewEra

how do people like you and your friends emerge INTACT in spite of the non-stop bullshit you hear from the corporate media / hate radio?

[Quantess]

92. Welcome to DU!

[90-percent]

36. I'm 58

The same age as that generous man on Wall Street doing GODS WORK; Lloyd Blankfein.

Whenever I get the chance to interact with younger people , the first thing I do is APOLOGIZE ON BEHALF OF MY GENERATION, for wrecking the entire future of theirs.

Global Warming/climate change
Economic enslavement
Plutocracy


Just to name the top things my generation has wrought upon the world. I talk to so many people that are just so hopeless for the future and they all know how unfairly the game is rigged.

As for class warfare, I say BRING IT ON!

-90% Jimmy

[elbloggoZY27]

37. Give The BOOT to the GOP

The GOP is only for the rich and well to do. Jobs, Health Care, Federal Employees, Medicare, Social Security & Women's Reproductive Rights are all headed for the dump site if the GOP get into the White House.


There will be no Progressive but a Regressive Agenda.

[n2doc]

38. They are masters of using envy to divide

So if they succeed in screwing over the under 55'ers, expect a followup campaign where they go after the oldsters benefits. Just like they are going after public worker's pensions. No benefit is safe. "Why should THEY have more than me!!!" is the mantra for everything except the rich, who 'deserve it'.

[lastlib]

39. They think they have to destroy Social Security in order to "save" it...

They want to turn our retirement over to the same Wall Street vultures who gave us the 2008 market collapse, who would collect the fees and leave us with nothing!! Uh-Uh, ain't lettin' 'em go there!

[benld74]

42. Dog and Cat people in the future IF the GOP wins this election!!!!

http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2012/08/10

[shanti]

43. well, i'm 56

and my sister is 55. do people really think that one year will make a difference? they'll still go after the $$$.

[xxqqqzme]

44. Not just 55 and under - Consider

this - I was 47 when I was disabled in a car accident. In less than 1 second, I was transformed to someone who could no longer support myself and my 2 kids. Without Social Security disability and medicare, I would have been screwed.

I wasn't sick, suffered no chronic condition, developed no debilitating disease. Up until the accident, I thought I would work until I retired.....some day.

Shit happens at any age. A safety net is a good thing.

[RKP5637]

59. Exactly!!! Some people just don't get it that SH** happens. Something happened like

that to one of my friends in their thirties and they've been partially paralyzed ever since. They thought they had been on top of the world, and they were, and then all of a sudden everything was lost.

[part man all 86]

46. I like to tell all the conservatives to go frack themselves but bestiality is against the law.

[WinstonSmith4740]

48. Teach your children well.

Republicans have always hated ANY social program. They called Social Security "socialism" back when it was developed, and have been trying to overturn it ever since. Same with Medicare, Education, EPA...anything that pays a direct benefit to the American people as opposed to the MIC, or oil companies.

Let me see know. I guess today's worker is supposed to take a portion of their take home pay and set up their own, personal "retirement" accounts. What bill do they not pay to afford to do this? Rent? Power? Cut down on food? Medicine? Yeah, let's blow that donut hole in Medicare Part D again. These people have no idea what it's like to have bills, or what it's like to have too much month left at the end of the money.

The only mistake I'm seeing the Democrats making on this...they keep referring to how these programs help the poor. Most folks don't see themselves as "poor", struggling maybe, but not "poor". They don't think they're getting any kind of "government help". These folks need to be shown how these programs benefit them. What (I hope) most of the under 55 group is thinking right now is "Wait a minute...her SS check is the only thing that's letting Mom stay in her home." Social Security worked just fine for decades until the Repubs decided it had gone from socialism to the root of all evil. It's so REPUBLICAN of Paul Ryan to totally ignore the fact that his true god, Ayn Rand, collected Social Security & Medicare benefits. I realized what a hypocrite she was when it came to me that John Galt and his minions were setting up a commune. They're typical addicts, using whatever means necessary to regain power.

Thankfully, I can honestly say that I have NO idea how they think.

[just1voice]

49. Do I really need to Facebook? I don't think so.

Ya see, Facebook is a social network, wherein people like me socialize. I socialize with "friends". My friends are similar to me, have similar values, they don't need to see me campaigning for things they already know and believe in.

As for a bunch of facebook (R)epukes, F THEM.

[nichomachus]

53. No one is "safe" -- not even one percenters

Everyone is at risk. They'll start with some group or other, but they won't stop. Once they destroy life for the 99 percent, they'll start cannibalizing the one percent. Back in the Middle Ages, the one percent spent all its time fighting among themselves. We'll go back to that.

[lunatica]

55. I'll be 64 in about a week too

I think it's a fucking crime that people younger than me will get screwed so badly! It'll just make them resent us as if we were the 1%.

WTF! Not only do they fuck up people's lives but they create warfare among us. That's true evil. Deliberate and planned evil.

[AsahinaKimi]

57. I really don't understand how anyone

could think Gutting Medicare and Social Security is a good thing! Or that taking our accounts and making us invest in the stock market, just so the Corporations can steal our money. I mean seriously... wtf?

Paul Ryan believes this... just proves hes a Baka tare. (moron) Kono wa totemo warui desuyo! (This is very bad!) Kore wa akudearu! (this is evil.)

[RKP5637]

60. A lot of people in this country are woefully uneducated and if not that, a large

portion of this country has lost the ability to have rational deductive thoughts.

[AsahinaKimi]

61. meh.

Kami-sama yori mo, watashitachi o tasukete kureru. (god, help us, then..)

[RKP5637]

63. Yep, we're going to need all the help we can get IMO. n/t

[Skittles]

62. STOP WITH THE AGE 55 thing

that's the age when they first started talking about it - for SURE they are going to include people born in 1957 in their royal fucking!!!!

[CrispyQ]

94. They will set a year, not an age. Anything prior to 1956 or 1955, perhaps.

That way, as we brand new 55'ers age, they can still lock us out.

Ultimately, they will find a way to steal every last penny we all have, regardless of our age. They are bloodsuckers & won't stop till they have it all.

[Skittles]

109. CORRECT

[AnnieK401]

65. I'm 54!

As I said in a reply to an earlier post. honestly not making that up, but I will be 55 before the election. Imagine how it will feel to be someone born the day before the cutoff!

[harmonicon]

67. Damn... I was really hoping the body of the message would read "Get off my lawn!!"

[freshwest]

69. Over 55 but know people whose lifeline, literally, is Medicaid. We can't let R-R kill them.

[customerserviceguy]

70. How do you plan on convincing them

that it will be there for them anyway?

Here's a Gallup survey from two years ago: http://www.gallup.com/poll/141449/six-workers-hold-no-hope-receiving-social-security.aspx

Check the chart:


Seems like a tough sell to me. I'm 56, and I have severe doubts it will be there for me at 67.

[chelsea0011]

73. Ryan simply had no balls to say this policy will start immediately because,

he could never win another election. So, he has the "if you are 55 and older" crap policy to save his ass. He is one fine fraud.

[magic59]

75. The rightwingnuts will go to far

desperate people do desperate things, even their gated communities won't keep them safe.

[eridani]

77. You have to do more than just vote for Dems

You have to hold their feet to the fire so they don't play wussy, weak defense. NO COMPROMISE on defending these vital programs!

[jeff47]

79. Oh it will affect you 55+ people.

Once Medicare and Social Security are gone for 54-, what makes you think we youngin's are going to keep paying for 55+ to have it?

The 55 cut-off is a poor attempt to divide and conquer. Fortunately, it's utterly failing.

Who but Republicans would think seniors hate their kids and grandkids?

[PatrynXX]

81. couldn't say

I'm on medicare and SSD.... only way Mitt could win this election cycle is cheat. and only if its a close election. If it isn't then Mitt won't win.

[jillan]

83. I am 56 BUT I have grown kids. I want Medicare & Social Security to be there for them too.

That's the part the two dumbos don't get. Americans like the social safety net.

[Timbuk3]

84. What gloal1 said

I turned 55 this year.

I think the last time I so looked forward to a birthday was when I turned 21, because I was "legal" for everything, at that point.

Rest assured, if you're under 55 (and even if you're over 55), the GOP is out to fuck you over, take your life savings, take your 401(k), take your SS, take your medicare, and hand it all over to Wall Street (who will then hand it over to the 0.0001%).

[Yo_Mama]

85. We're going to lose those benefits anyway

The Trustees report this year gave the OASDI fund exhaustion date as 2033. Once it's exhausted our benefits will be cut. That's 21 years from now.

The argument isn't about whether those under 55 will lose benefits. It's about whether the 50 year-olds of today will have to take the entire brunt, or whether the pain will be more evenly spread.

Just because I don't like Ryan's proposals doesn't mean he has his facts wrong.
http://www.ssa.gov/oact/TRSUM/index.html

The "official" fund exhaustion date for DI is now 2016. The 2033 exhaustion date for SS assumes that more funds will be transferred from OAS to DI so that Disability recipients won't get a cut of over 20% by 2017.

The Democratic party doesn't have a proposal to deal with this issue. Like it or not, people will be paying attention to what the GOP has to say on this issue until the Democratic party decides to deal with it.

[kimbutgar]

88. A lot of young people have parents who are under 55 and we have to remind them

that they might end up supporting their parents and helping with their medical bills if rmoney and ryanitwit get in power. In the days before social security and medicare people had to support their parents. Imagine having to survive in the republican world with a low paying job and having to help out your own family and parents also. And also remind them the republican ayn rand wet dream is to do away with even minimum wage laws. It behooves us all to remind people that Ryan's hero is Ayn Rand and he considers us the working class the useless bottom eaters. This will be an interesting election especially if we can point that out about ryaniitwit.

[MADem]

89. So get on your Tweety's and FB's and Blogs and shout it out!! Love it! nt

[craigmatic]

91. We know that's why we're democrats.

[Romulox]

98. People OVER 55 need to advocate for universal health care. Then we'd all be in it together. nt