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applegrove

(118,832 posts)
Thu Nov 3, 2022, 11:44 PM Nov 2022

The G.O.P. Plot Against Medicare and Social Security

Paul Krugman on cuts to Social Security and Medicare

at the NY Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/03/opinion/republican-medicare-social-security.html

"SNIP......

The Times recently reported that Republicans, anticipating possible victory in the midterms, are embracing plans to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits — even though such cuts would be incredibly unpopular and would make nonsense of the G.O.P.’s attempts to portray itself as the party of the working class.

Before I get to what Republicans appear to have in mind, let’s note that the push to slash major benefit programs may be the ultimate example of an elite priority completely at odds with what ordinary Americans want.

Political scientists have found several areas in which the wealthy want to see spending cut, while most voters want to see it increased. The biggest gap in views is on Social Security, where the rich, by a large margin, want to see benefits reduced while the general public, by an even larger margin, wants to see them increased.

And Republicans are taking the side of the rich.

Now, there isn’t an official G.O.P. position on Social Security and Medicare — or, actually, any policy issue. But the Republican Study Committee, a caucus of House members that often sets the party’s agenda, has released a fairly detailed set of proposals titled “Reclaiming Our Fiscal Future” that would, I suspect, raise howls of outrage from many voters if they knew about it.

........SNIP"

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The G.O.P. Plot Against Medicare and Social Security (Original Post) applegrove Nov 2022 OP
The rich always get their way. FoxNewsSucks Nov 2022 #1
the rich haven't taken in to account how much of their revenue comes Meadowoak Nov 2022 #6
K n R ! Thanks for posting! nt JoeOtterbein Nov 2022 #2
The wealthy have theirs..SS takes nothing from them Deuxcents Nov 2022 #3
Reclaiming our fiscal future dweller Nov 2022 #4
The irony is, we know that red states are net takers, there are many recipients of question everything Nov 2022 #5
The Republicans are setting it up so your vote won't matter anymore! BBbats Nov 2022 #7
Trickle Down Come Home to Roost. SleeplessinSoCal Nov 2022 #8
The rich want Social Security and Medicare on the stock market, while the GOP haele Nov 2022 #9
Actually, they have accidently released their plans ... Hermit-The-Prog Nov 2022 #10
They dont care because they think they will own everything. slater71 Nov 2022 #11
Single Payer will unequivocally cut Medicare AwakeAtLast Nov 2022 #12
They have made moniss Nov 2022 #13
and people will end up voting for their own demise.... bahboo Nov 2022 #14
Repukes only want to use SS as a negotiating tool to cut other programs or seek tax cuts elsewhere. TeamProg Nov 2022 #15
Fed the lie DownriverDem Nov 2022 #16
The Republican workaround is that they'll grandfather these grandfathers. Efilroft Sul Nov 2022 #17
republicans never understood that people pay into social security from their first paycheck demigoddess Nov 2022 #18
It is simple: Certain people/countries want to see the US crater. erronis Nov 2022 #19
"The GOP's attempt to portray themselves as the party of the working class". Really? Firestorm49 Nov 2022 #20
I'm seeing ads about Mike Lee XanaDUer2 Nov 2022 #21

Meadowoak

(5,562 posts)
6. the rich haven't taken in to account how much of their revenue comes
Fri Nov 4, 2022, 12:48 AM
Nov 2022

from seniors, spending their social security checks. It was reported in 2008 with the great recession (created by W. and the irresponsible fiscal policies of the GOP) that it was the seniors that saved us from going into another great depression. Seniors were still buying cars, taking vacations and spending their social security benefits.

Deuxcents

(16,353 posts)
3. The wealthy have theirs..SS takes nothing from them
Thu Nov 3, 2022, 11:54 PM
Nov 2022

So why the constant intent to destroy what does not hurt their bottom line? Do they really want the system upside down? Hospitals n health care..older folks w/ mortgages n health insurance responsibilities. Do they all want a world like Ayn Rand dreamed of? I don’t get it.

question everything

(47,544 posts)
5. The irony is, we know that red states are net takers, there are many recipients of
Fri Nov 4, 2022, 12:30 AM
Nov 2022

disability checks. Some years back there was a program about that.

BBbats

(89 posts)
7. The Republicans are setting it up so your vote won't matter anymore!
Fri Nov 4, 2022, 01:57 AM
Nov 2022

They would never of even mentioned cutting those programs when they thought your vote mattered,
With a locked & loaded Supreme Court & the R's installing people in positions where they can cancel or refuse to validate the popular vote. You know Damn well that every Repuke running will not concede if they lose. The R's will be screaming false elections & everything else. Has one Republican said they would accept the results?
I can't think of any!

SleeplessinSoCal

(9,152 posts)
8. Trickle Down Come Home to Roost.
Fri Nov 4, 2022, 02:19 AM
Nov 2022

It's going to get a lot worse. Biden has said trickle down doesn't work. That's just the beginning of it. How do we reverse it?

haele

(12,682 posts)
9. The rich want Social Security and Medicare on the stock market, while the GOP
Fri Nov 4, 2022, 02:44 AM
Nov 2022

don't want to pay back the debt owed to Social Security funds that they robbed for tax breaks and war Profiteering.

Basically, they see it as Free Money they don't think those "lesser workers" deserve, since most people nowadays can't afford to put money aside to save for their old age.

Despite the historical fact that pretty much from the early days of most civilizations, no matter what continent, any free worker who either worked for a government or a particular landlord/warlord for wages was typically also granted a pension once they got too old to work as gratitude for service willingly given. It might not have been much, but it usually kept them and a small household going for the rest of their natural lives.

Most of these jerks now-a-days would willingly sell elderly parents for organ donations once those parents got too old to continue to make money and start dipping into 'the inheritance' to continue to survive in comfort.

Late Stage Capitalism at it's finest. They will all eat their own just to stay on top.

Haele

slater71

(1,153 posts)
11. They dont care because they think they will own everything.
Fri Nov 4, 2022, 12:36 PM
Nov 2022

If they win they could care less what people think because they will be there for life. Like Bannon said, " If we win both House and the Senate we will control this country for 100 years." They care for nothing but power and money.

moniss

(4,274 posts)
13. They have made
Fri Nov 4, 2022, 01:27 PM
Nov 2022

Wisconsin an example of how they want things to go. They so heavily gerrymandered that the Democrats will never stand a chance to ever regain control of the Legislature. The Supremes blessed it. Even when Democrats were elected governor and Attorney General the GQP Legislature passed legislation in a lame duck session stripping those offices of much of their powers before the Democrats could be sworn in. The Supremes blessed it. We even have the absurdity of a GQP political appointee remaining in office years past his term expiring because the GQP Legislature refuses to act in any way at all on the nomination of the person the Democratic Governor chose. The Supremes blessed it.

The US Supremes have blessed states vastly reducing election personnel/equipment/information availability in cities/colleges while shifting those resources to GQP areas. The state Supremes have blessed the uneven distribution of educational resources for schools. The state and US Supremes have blessed shifting massive amounts of education taxes to private/corporate/church based schools. Meanwhile the GQP bitches about the "failure" of public schools. All part of the plan.

TeamProg

(6,285 posts)
15. Repukes only want to use SS as a negotiating tool to cut other programs or seek tax cuts elsewhere.
Fri Nov 4, 2022, 02:06 PM
Nov 2022

Then, when Dems don't go along, GOP blames Dems for "cutting Soc Sec"..

Same old story.

DownriverDem

(6,232 posts)
16. Fed the lie
Fri Nov 4, 2022, 02:11 PM
Nov 2022

that it's an entitlement and told young folks they won't get it. My husband keeps saying that old fart white repub men will take to the streets if SS is cut.

Efilroft Sul

(3,584 posts)
17. The Republican workaround is that they'll grandfather these grandfathers.
Fri Nov 4, 2022, 02:21 PM
Nov 2022

Then they'll stand down because it will only be their kids and grandkids getting hosed.

"We got ours, so fuck the younger workers!"

demigoddess

(6,645 posts)
18. republicans never understood that people pay into social security from their first paycheck
Fri Nov 4, 2022, 03:12 PM
Nov 2022

My first job, when I was 16, had money taken out that went into social security. That was in the 60s. Republicans think people are just taking money out not putting it in. That is what they have been told by republican politicians so they can get their hands on the social security. They get their hands on that money and they will funnel it to people like Elon Musk, who don't need it at all.

erronis

(15,373 posts)
19. It is simple: Certain people/countries want to see the US crater.
Fri Nov 4, 2022, 04:52 PM
Nov 2022

All of this gnashing about various policies and political pronouncements are just some veneer on the meat of the matter.

The lines of communication between individuals has become corrupted. We no longer have a way of knowing who is telling the truth and who to place our faith and allegiance in.

We know that this style of offense is favored by authoritarians - whether fascists or communists or just plain old capitalist/libertarians.

Since the internet and cable news have given those with money the ability to control the message, they are using the control very well.

Just look towards existing autocrats, oligarchs, maga/mega-corporatists and you'll find the source of the evil. Of course China under Xi is actively aiding the undermining of democracy around the world.

Firestorm49

(4,037 posts)
20. "The GOP's attempt to portray themselves as the party of the working class". Really?
Fri Nov 4, 2022, 08:00 PM
Nov 2022

Pass me the bucket. I need to barf. Working class? My ass!

XanaDUer2

(10,757 posts)
21. I'm seeing ads about Mike Lee
Fri Nov 4, 2022, 08:09 PM
Nov 2022

Stopping reproductive rights. Joy Reid just touched on him wanting to cut SS. why are there no ads about this!? Wtf!

There are even ads on how Lee allowed growth here and escalated traffic and cost of living. Yeah, he did, but isn't SS as important as traffic!? I'm in retiree central

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