Lindsay Graham: I Will Destroy America’s Solvency Unless The Social Security Retirement Age Is Raise
Source: ThinkProgress
Lindsay Graham: I Will Destroy America’s Solvency Unless The Social Security Retirement Age Is Raised
By Ian Millhiser posted from ThinkProgress Economy on Dec 30, 2012 at 11:25 am
Although official Washington is currently fixated on the so-called “Fiscal Cliff,” the biggest threat to American prosperity is the debt ceiling, which must be raised in February to prevent economic catastrophe. If Republicans refuse to reach a deal on the so-called cliff, the Congressional Budget Office predicts that they will spark a new recession in 2013. But if Republicans block action on the debt ceiling, they will make that potential recession look quaint. Without raising the debt ceiling, the United States will be forced to embrace austerity so severe it will lead to “a bigger GDP drop than that experienced during the Great Recession of 2008.”
But in an interview on Fox News Sunday this morning, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) threatened to oppose this must-pass bill unless Social Security benefits are taken away from millions of future retirees:
I’m not going to raise the debt ceiling unless we get serious about keeping the country from becoming Greece, saving Social Security and Medicare [sic]. So here’s what i would like: meaningful entitlement reform — not to turn Social Security into private accounts, not to take a voucher approach to Medicare — but, adjust the age for Social Security, CPI changes and means testing and look beyond the ten-year window. I cannot in good conscience raise the debt ceiling without addressing the long term debt problems of this country and I will not.
Watch it:
Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/12/30/1379681/lindsay-graham-i-will-destroy-americas-solvency-unless-the-social-security-retirement-age-is-raised/
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Taking an oath to his country means nothing to this awful peon who calls himself a representative of the American people. How awful, as usual, that the only thought these repugnants have is getting re-elected and continuing to get rich!
Surprise, surpise and yet people keep voting for this type of garbage.
No further explanation needed! Case closed.
You tell the truth, truly! Truer words were never spoken.
Speak, speak! You can say that again! Talk is cheap and easy, actually doing it is another thing.
From what I understand, Social Security is a self-sustaining trust and does not add nor subtract from our debt.
Social Security is it's own fiefdom that repugnants just want to eff with because it is the only program that middle and poorer level people have paid into, have held its own by not being co-opted by the rotten, non-righteous righties, and they can't stand the fact that they can not bother it!
Several repugnants have attempted to want to meddle with it (privatize) but each attempt has been turned back by the Democrats and us seniors- and we plan to keep it that way.
We Seniors are a powerful lobby, have paid our dues and expect quid pro quo in return. Anybody who doesn't agree is in a heap of trouble with us. 
Do not, and I repeat DO NOT reduce the debt by tampering with Social Security by any means. This is a dividend that we have purchased through deductions over 45 years. Why should we seniors pay for the debt- we didn't ADD TO IT!
As a matter of fact, we seniors have LOANED money from our Social Security fund to save other programs that were in need of a little capital ($$). There were programs that have been screwed up by politicians, by the way, who did not know what the eff they were doing in the first place. The pols realized this after the fact- which is usually when they realize it. Just a bunch of dumb bozos who have nothing better to day than to mess up people's invested money. But they don't care because it is not their money that they are risking.
I am in agreement that we must address the debt, but not by using Social Security, period!
That's all I have say on the subject and the last I will SAY on the subject.
I agree with it, but I thought editorials couldn't be posted in the LBN forum.
Speak! Let them go away and take any other state that wishes to accompany them- like Texas! Whatever happened to all of that big woofing from Texas anyway? Did they get chicken when they realized that nobody cared if they left anyway, and TEXAS realized that they could not have made it on their own-naked as a jaybird and all alone! And speaking of NOBODY CARED , some people encouraged them to leave.
You're so generous in your blame of the OLD FOLK. You should be so lucky! I suppose you can always go for the alternative. 
I can't say this enough, but Social Security should not be amended in ANY WAY! Social Security has nothing to do with the debt or spending.
The age of eligiblity to receive Social Security should not change-- either. Please see Reply # 31.
Why is it that PEOPLE want to mess with Social Security? Is it because it is solvent and sitting there all alone, not bothering anyone, and yet seems to be vulnerable to the greedy bastards who want to mess with somebody else's money, after they have screwed up all of theirs and their families'? Or is it because people don't want to respect Seniors and want to disregard them? It won't work! Just ask the Gray Panthers! You want to see an upshot in their membership and movement? I don't think so.
Leave Social Security alone- be it the age of eligibility or something else. For those of you who have not reached the age of majority to receive Social Security, put some of your money and funding on the line, i.e., defense, or other charities, but leave ours (SENIORS) alone.
And I won't tire of saying this-and others will join me.
