Dean Baker: The Planned 3 Percent Cut to Social Security; Obama and the Democrats Are on Board

[marmar]

AlterNet / By Dean Baker

The Planned 3 Percent Cut to Social Security; Obama and the Democrats Are on Board
The bottom line is that President Obama and many leading Democrats are prepared to give seniors a larger hit to their income than they gave to the over $250,000 crowd.

January 17, 2013 |


According to inside Washington gossip, Congress and the president are going to do exactly what voters elected them to do; they are going to cut Social Security by 3 percent. You don't remember anyone running on that platform? Yeah, well, they probably forgot to mention it.

Of course some people may have heard Vice President Joe Biden when he told an audience in Virginia that there would be no cuts to Social Security if President Obama got reelected. Biden said: "I guarantee you, flat guarantee you, there will be no changes in Social Security. I flat guarantee you."

But that's the way things work in Washington. You can't expect the politicians who run for office to share their policy agenda with voters. After all, we might not like it. That's why they say things like they will fight for the middle class and make the rich pay their fair share. These ideas have lots of appeal among voters. Cutting Social Security doesn't.

While the politics of cutting Social Security are bad, it also doesn't make much sense as policy. In Washington, the gang who couldn't see an $8 trillion housing bubble until its collapse sank the economy, has now decided that deficit reduction has to be the preeminent goal. .....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/planned-3-percent-cut-social-security-obama-and-democrats-are-board

[Mojorabbit]

1. Gosh I hope this is not true. nt

[Autumn]

2. Very good article. I really hope they won't cut SS.

There are a lot of great points made in that article.

[Kingwithnothrone]

3. If they do start destroying the safety net

Maybe it's time for a national discussion(march?) on Penn Ave.,a few million deep.Pitch forks optional of course.