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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHere's a Bright Idea: Let's Expand Social Security
In a Progressive Leaders Forum Town Hall meeting that will air Wednesday on SiriusXM 127's "The Agenda" radio show, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) joined Nancy Altman of Social Security Works, Edward Coyle of the Alliance for Retired Americans and host Ari Rabin-Havt to discuss the future of Social Security, including Harkin's proposed legislation that would expand Social Security benefits. The Strengthening Social Security Act of 2013 (S. 567) would raise the monthly Social Security benefit by about $65 and would measure inflation not with the chained CPI (a benefit cut), but using a more accurate measure of inflation for seniors (the CPI-E). The CPI-E would increase COLAs. The bill also would eliminate the Social Security tax cap so the wealthiest people would pay the same rate the rest of us pay. Under this bill, Social Security would be able to pay out full benefits to the year 2049.
Social Security should not be part of any deficit reduction debate, says Harkin. But Republicans are injecting Social Security into those debates because they want to cut the programeven though Social Security adds nothing to the deficit.
Nothing contributes more to keeping the middle class out of poverty than Social Security, Harkin says. The real solution to strengthen Social Security funding for the long term is to make sure the wealthy pay their fair share. The future projected Social Security shortfall is very manageable, Altman says, but an enormous amount of money is being spent in an effort to privatize the program so Wall Street bankers can profit from seniors' retirement funds.
http://www.aflcio.org/Blog/Economy/Here-s-a-Bright-Idea-Let-s-Expand-Social-Security
newfie11
(8,159 posts)That means the idiot congress won't consider it.
forestpath
(3,102 posts)DeeDeeNY
(3,356 posts)B Calm
(28,762 posts)SamKnause
(13,110 posts)This great idea would only work if the U.S. had a functioning government.
The U.S. has a corrupt corporate controlled government.
They are not interested in strengthening Social Security.
They are only interested in syphoning the dollars out of Social Security to enrich themselves.
I do not know why people keep pretending that our government represents 'we the people'.
All branches of our government have proven time and time again they work for corporations.
Politicians and the Supreme Court put the wants of corporations above the needs of 'we the people'.
deutsey
(20,166 posts)Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)even if it would in the long run be in their own best interest to do so as it would mean more money to spend on the goods & services provided by those wealthy overlords.
deutsey
(20,166 posts)They benefited from New Deal policies because it improved the lives (and finances) of so many people.
Then the "greed-is-good" Reagan era came along and it was all about stuffing as much as you could grab into your offshore accounts while letting the country go to hell.
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)I guess when the 1% have all the money (and everyone else is starving or already starved), they win?