GOP appears poised to take on entitlements

[Faygo Kid]

Source: Associated Press

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – If there's any place where tea partiers in Congress might hesitate to call for cuts in Social Security and Medicare to shrink the federal debt, Florida's retirement havens should top the list.

Even here, however, Republican lawmakers are racing toward a spending showdown with Democrats exhibiting little nervousness about deep cuts, including those that eventually would hit benefit programs long left alone by politicians.

In fact, many GOP freshmen seem bolder than ever. It's Democrats, especially in the Senate, who are trying to figure out how to handle the popular but costly retirement programs. Congress, meanwhile, is rapidly nearing critical decisions on the budget and the nation's debt ceiling.

In southeast Florida last week, first-term GOP Rep. Allen West, a tea party favorite, called for changes that some might consider radical: abolish the Internal Revenue Service and federal income tax; retain tax cuts for billionaires so they won't shut down their charities; stop extending unemployment benefits that "reward bad behavior" by discouraging people from seeking new jobs. . .

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110327/ap_on_re_us/us_republicans_spending

---

Sounds like the Kochs and their minions are starting to move on their next big priority: Busting Social Security and Medicare. Don't think they are through with the unions, voter ID and all the other stuff "coincidentally" hitting in multiple states at the same time.

Look for this to get a lot of attention this week, and for groups that advocate for seniors and the poor to be actively targeted.

[grasswire]

1. CNN had two former budget directors on today.

Both of them sounded smart until they said that the next thing needing to be done to avert economic disaster is go to the "entitlements." The man said "make sure taxes are low, and then start cutting the big budget items -- entitlements."

Damn. No mention of the defense budget.

Oh, he said it was a "playbook" that Puerto Rico had recently used to turn its economy around.

[davidthegnome]

6. I saw that myself - and had much the same reaction

So many of these so called experts disgust me.

[Lost-in-FL]

16. "Oh, he said it was a "playbook" that Puerto Rico had recently used to turn its economy around."

Puerto Rico's economy is in the toilet!!!! Please, tell me he did not said that with a straight face. The island's economic ruin is owned to its history of colonialism and people (like in the US) are too stupid to realize that. It's new gobernor is instituting the economic "Shock Doctrine" and he is pretty much firing thousands of state employees (of course... TEACHERS and harassing college students!!!), closing state agencies and bringing privatization into the gobernment sector. Of course, the Police force is helping him achieve that.

[grasswire]

22. yeah I googled puerto rico economy...

....and saw that things were not good. This guy must have worked for Bush as budget director.

Of course, Candy Crowley did not challenge him on anything he said.

[Lost-in-FL]

25. Thinking about it, it is good they bring this up (PR economy)...

so people here see what is going to happen to their country.

[Lost-in-FL]

24. Its... sorry...

[highplainsdem]

17. THIS is what Puerto Rica is doing, and it not only might not work,

it can't work for the country as a whole since the only way it will work and not drive corporations away is if the tax burden is shifted from businesses in Puerto Rico to US taxpayers:

http://blogs.forbes.com/merrillmatthews/2011/03/23/the-puerto-rican-tax-ploy/

[Hannah Bell]

30. puerto rico? "turn around"? what a crock.

they have to keep changing the places where their stupid prescriptions "work" because one by one the little low-tax "tigers" die from the medicine.

[theaocp]

2. Give me 10 minutes alone

with Allen West in a small room with no windows and we'll see if I can rearrange his priorities. There is a special place in Hell waiting for this guy and all his ilk.

[Auntie Bush]

13. I'd like to watch that from a safe distance...like through a peep hole.

Give him some extra big ones from me!

[RickFromMN]

3. Which Democrats will help cut entitlements so all Democrats get "all" the blame?

[Joe Bacon]

4. Start with the guy who packed his Catfood Commission

You have your answer!

[plumbob]

5. Here's the kind of guy West is:

West served in the Army in Iraq and was a civilian adviser in Afghanistan. He achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army but retired after an investigation of his conduct during the interrogation of a detainee in Taji, Iraq.

War criminal. Coward who escaped rather than have justice served.

I'll listen to him why? And who the fuck voted for him? I know, it's Florida, no one needed to vote for him, the courts can just put him in.

[bhikkhu]

7. Social Security has nothing to do with the national debt

...conversations go better if that's understood right off the bat.

[AlbertCat]

10. Social Security has nothing to do with the national debt

Indeed.

And it's not a big unsolvable problem.

We all know what to do to fix things. It's easy!

Tax the uber-rich and bankers and corporations... in a way that makes them pay their taxes (a minimum mandatory tax)

Use the revenue to PUT BACK the $$$$ they "borrowed" from the SS lock box... and any extra goes to the deficit.

Voila!

[Raschel]

8. Social Security is not an entitlement.

[dana_b]

12. exactly n/t

[999998th word]

28. Social Security is NOT an entitlement.There is no need to cut.Tired of the verbal vomit.

Their obscene tax breaks should be considered entitlements.Not S S,we pay into that.
How are they so free with the use of the 'entitlement' word when they reference a
program that is in place to serve the middle class working class and the poor.
smug bastards.

[Enthusiast]

31. They are saying it

this very moment on C-Span's Washington Journal. It is NEVER challenged. No one ever says that social security has a dedicated funding mechanism.

[stockholmer]

14. excellent short arcticle explaining the 'not an entitlement' point on Social Security

http://ukiahcommunityblog.wordpress.com/2010/08/14/hey-media-social-security-is-not-an-entitlement-program-stop-calling-it-one/

Medicare is in much worse shape, due to huge increased costs of your for-profit health care system. You so so need single-payer in the US.


cheers

[liberal N proud]

20. Thanks for the excellent link.

[999998th word]

29. ALEC>>>>AGAIN

[Enthusiast]

32. Single payer is essentially the only solution.

There simply is no alternative.

[Corruption Winz]

9. This will be great. Can't wait. n/t

[DavidDvorkin]

11. I agree with them. Let's start with the tax breaks for the rich

and corporations.

[highplainsdem]

18. +1,000,000,000,000,000,000

[madamesilverspurs]

15. yeah . . .

-

[sarcasmo]

19. Stop! the wars. The word entitlement can not exist in this context when you are forced to pay into

what they are calling entitlements.

[Historic NY]

21. Do you think the old people know they want their social security..?

[indypaul]

23. Since the war of 1812

this nation knows that wars cannot be financed with borrowed funds.
The British found that out in the Crimean wars and adopted an income
tax. The United States followed this pattern during the Civil War and
each involvement thereafter except Afghanistan and Iraq. It will take
sacrifice to pay for the current wars and we might as well face that
fact and put the blame where it needs to be placed for the current
financial crises, It is NOT Social Security or Medicare presently
causing the debt crisis which can only be solved in three ways,
taxation, inflation or repudiation. Take your pick but put the blame
where it belongs for crying out loud.

[wordpix]

26. how about the entitlements oil, gas and nuke industries get, for starters

[CatholicEdHead]

27. Union busting on the state level

entitlements on the federal level, it looks like the New Deal is being rolled back now.

[ncrainbowgrrl]

33. kick

[DreamSmoker]

34. GOP appears poised to take on entitlements

Source: MSN

Radical ideas?
In southeast Florida last week, first-term GOP Rep. Allen West, a tea party favorite, called for changes that some might consider radical: abolish the Internal Revenue Service and federal income tax; retain tax cuts for billionaires so they won't shut down their charities; stop extending unemployment benefits that "reward bad behavior" by discouraging people from seeking new jobs.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42293731/ns/politics-more_politics

---

Unbelievable.. Lets cut off those who need the most right now...
The Banks Got help.. The Wars are costing lives and Millions of dollars a month.. But to get America on her feet.. Go after the Disabled and the Old folks..
Thats what Americas has turned into by its leaders..
Thats all the Republicans can come up with after 2 years into this Administration???
IF we don't get these BOZOs out of office.. We deserve what we get....
Just look at what Wisconsin has ended up with.....



Sorry if this a duplicate as things are very slow in posting..

[Nostradammit]

35. The slant in the title is pathetic - how about "Greedy GOP SOBS Eager to Steal Social Safety Net"

Sad how they try to conflate "poise" and "GOP" when the latter has none of the former.

I am afraid the fall of fascism is going to be messy.

[opihimoimoi]

36. KnR :o) .....Their Spiral of GREED must be curtailed as OVER THE TOP

[No Elephants]

40. +1 (as to slanting)

[Avant Guardian]

42. Or, 'Republicans poised to steal everything that is left'

[rasputin1952]

37. This has always been "The Plan"...

notice there is absolutely no discussion about jobs or employment, virtually everything the GOP clowns have come up with is based in a social aspect of the nation.
They are not even trying to gloss it over, it's all about social change to place stringent limits on what they consider vices or items too liberal for their taste.

I had a feeling this was coming, but I had no idea they would be so overt about it. My theory is that they know they will be beaten in the General Election, so they want to do as much as they possibly can in the short time available. There was never any intention of dealing with the unemployment situation or creating new obs that afford a living wage...they want slaves to corporations people who will work for next to nothing just to stay alive.

WI and some other states are prime examples of what they are trying to do, and those that are vulnerable in the legislature will be taken down...which in turn should accelerate the situation in the other states

The GOP, in it's current form, is on a mission to turn back the clock, to make sure that people know, "who's the boss". People all over this country, D's, I's and rational R's need to toss these people out into the street and get mobilize to take the GOP and toss it into the same unmarked grave other political parties like the Whigs are.

Mobilize everyone you know to vote against these bastards...if they take control of anything else, this nation will become nothing more than a shell of itself.

[Hannah Bell]

38. yay freedom. yay democracy. yay new democrats.

[customerserviceguy]

39. It's long been argued that Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid

are the proverbial 'third rail' of politics, it seems like the tea party is actually going to attempt to find out if that's true or not.

[DFW]

41. Rep. West saws off the limb from which he is preaching

Get rid of income taxes, and who picks up the tab for the Federal government, including his salary, office, and health care?

[No Elephants]

43. Please remind me which Republican proposed cutting over $2 billion from

home heating fuel subsidies, appointed a Republican as Secretary of the Treasury, re-appointed Dummya's appointees to head both the Dept, of "Defense" and the Fed, surged in Afghanistan, appointed the Cat Food Commission, asked Dummya to release Tarp II, "compromised" on extending tax cuts for the top 2%, and on and on.

Mind you, I'm not saying all these things were wrong. I am simply pointing out that blaming everything on Republicans misses the point.

The real social/political/economic division in the U.S. is no longer between Republicans and Democrats. (I do believe in my heart that it was once the real division, but I haven't studied enough to say for sure.)

The real social/political/economic division in the U.S. is between the vast majority of Americans and those who have taken their work, their wealth and America's natural resources (including clean air and water), whether intentionally or stupidly. The second group includes (but is not limited to), most national elected and appointed officials of both major Parties, big business and lobbyists.

We've been raped--while we were sleeping and while we (some of us?) were awake.

Unless and until we stop making this about only Dem v. Pub, we'll continue being raped. Maybe it's already too late, but, Jaysus, wake up.

(typo edit)

[fasttense]

44. No entitlements for the middle class and poor, but plenty of entitlements for our corporate lords.

"Retain tax cuts for billionaires so they won't shut down their charities." That's one I haven't heard before.

As if the billionaires provide the majority of support for charities. They don't. Most of the money for food banks and clothes for the needy come from the middle class and poor. The rich only invest their wealth in things they believe they will get a return on. Just check out how Mama bush gave during Hurricane Katrina.

[Faryn Balyncd]

45. By re-defining CPI to continue & accelerate the LIE that there is "no inflation" SS will be...

....not only destroyed, but those that do it will have DENIABILITY..... The real threat comes not from those who advocate abolishing the safety net, but from those who will say they are "saving" it by adopting measures (such as the fraudulent "chained CPI" which they are mis-representing as "a more accurate measure of inflation") which will DESTROY the value of the benefit for which Americans have paid.

All so the free-loading top 1% can continue to have marginal tax rates lower than the dying middle class.







(K and R)



:kick:

[wordpix]

46. Hope the RW is including GE re: entitlements---$26 billion in profit, $0 in taxes

Message in my inbox:

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/ge_taxes/?r_by=-1830170-RgLYGEx&rc=confemail

We pay our taxes, so should General Electric.

Tell GE: Pay your taxes.

GE: $26 billion in profit, $0 in taxes

Clicking here will add your name to this petition to Jeffrey R. Immelt, Chairman and CEO of General Electric:

"As an American taxpayer, I am outraged that General Electric would shirk its responsibility to pay income tax on the massive profits it makes in the United States. I pay my taxes and so should you."

Dear Wordpix,

If you want to know why we're facing vicious budget cuts across the country, look no further than General Electric, America's largest corporation.

According to a shocking exposé just published by the New York Times, GE made over $26 billion in profit in the United States during the last five years, but paid nothing in federal income tax. Zero. In fact, it claimed a $4.1 billion net tax benefit from the IRS during that time.1

Meanwhile, lack of revenue is causing brutal cutbacks of vital services at all levels of government.

We shouldn't be firing teachers and taking health care away from children because GE is shirking on its responsibility to pay income tax.

Tell GE: Pay your taxes. Click here to automatically add your name to the petition.

GE is the poster child for what's wrong with our corporate tax system. GE's tax schemes alone have cost American taxpayers billions of dollars.

In fact, it was GE's tax avoidance in the 1980's that prompted Ronald Reagan of all people to push to eliminate loopholes in the corporate tax code.

Of course the company line is that they're just following the law. But we cannot treat them as mere bystanders.

As the Times article reported, General Electric has 975 employees in its tax department who are charged with spending half their time complying with the law and half their time "looking to exploit opportunities to reduce tax."

And they are not only eager to exploit the loopholes that exist in the tax law (loopholes that might never have been contemplated by the lawmakers who created them), they also spend tens of millions of dollars a year to lobby Congress for more corporate welfare and more tax exemptions. The end result is a corporate giant like GE extracting obscene profits from our country, while sticking the rest of us with the bill.

Tell GE: Pay your taxes. Click here to automatically add your name to the petition.

Thank you for speaking out.

Matt Lockshin, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets

Note:
1"G.E.'s Strategies Let It Avoid Taxes Altogether," David Kocieniewski, New York Times, March 24, 2011.

[w4rma]

47. We're all going to be relying on charities with BS like that. (nt)