General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: They caved! It's a testatment to how far we've fallen that [View all]Luminous Animal
(27,310 posts)"I've been listening to the right come up with a multiple of schemes to weaken, defund, and destroy SS. One of those ideas has been to fold contributions into the General Fund. "
This is a fact and why Al Gore was a fierce advocate of the "lock box" for SS funds. Making the health of the SS Trust fund dependent on annual budget wrangling was a danger that he recognized and he was specifically addressing the right wing's desire to privatize and destroy SS as a publicly funded pension program by weakening it.
This is not a right wing meme. It is a right wing strategy. A reduction of the payroll tax would have accomplished similar goals without leaving SS funds vulnerable to budget wrangling.
In my opinion, weakening an already weak barrier between SS and the General Fund leaves the door ajar for a right wing govt. to play political football with it's funding.