The New Effort To Steal Social Security

[marmar]

from OurFuture.org:



The New Effort To Steal Social Security
Submitted by Isaiah J. Poole

Produced by Institute for America's Future
February 10th, 2009


Watch the video: http://www.ourfuture.org/video/2009020710/new-effort-steal-social-security


An extravagantly funded campaign is underway to, in effect, steal Social Security benefits from future retirees and starve Medicare and Medicaid programs, says William Greider, who has written a cover story in The Nation exposing this effort. Grieder explains in this interview why citizens should be prepared to mount a grassroots effort now to preempt this attempt to undermine retirement and health security for millions of Americans.

The leader of this effort is former hedge fund manager Pete Peterson and his Peterson Foundation, perhaps best known for bankrolling the film "I.O.U.S.A." That film makes the one-sided argument that the nation is facing a fiscal crisis that can only be addressed through substantial cuts in "entitlement" programs, including Social Security. Peterson's goal is to have a commission write a set of recommendations, that would be characterized as the only plausible solution to the country's long-term fiscal challenges, that Congress would rubber-stamp. In reality, there are several approaches to lowering the nation's debt that should be up for debate that do not involve taking funds that people have paid into the Social Security and Medicare systems.

Peterson has assembled a bipartisan group of prominent people who "think they have a way to slip this past the American people," Greider said. What must happen, he said, is that citizens should respond by telling their representatives in Congress, "If you vote to gut Social Security benefits, you're on our list and your career is doomed."


http://www.ourfuture.org/video/2009020710/new-effort-steal-social-security

[Howardx]

1. you're on our list and your career is doomed.

we should already be saying that.

[glitch]

2. They'll be fine, they can just have Wall Street give them some bailout funds and retire early. nt

[indepat]

5. Ever since the Gipper substantially lowered the highest marginal tax rates and concomitantly

substantially increased social security taxes, both the rate paid and income subject to social security taxes, every 'puke tax scheme proposed has had the effect of raiding the mythical lock box of what has now become trillions of dollars in aggregate and stuffing those dollars into the pockets of the most affluent, that is in the pockets of those who had already owned more than 90% of the wealth. And tens of millions of poor/middle-income folk continue to vote for those determined put an end to social security, an act tantamount to sheer national madness.:P

[madfloridian]

3. Obama's meeting with Blue Dogs this month about Social Security.

Wonder who will represent the progressives?

http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_11674580

" Obama is calling for a fiscal responsibility summit later this month, which will include representatives of the 49 Blue Dog members of the House. At that summit, he will discuss possible reforms to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, which are all on unsound financial footing.

"We also need to look at the rest of the budget as well and really scrub it," Matheson said".

I am fearful the Democrats are going to try to do the same thing Bush wanted to do...private accounts, personal accounts, whatever.

I wonder if the Progressive Caucus will be invited?

[BR_Parkway]

19. There's a Progressive Caucus? All I ever hear about are the Blue

Dogs and the 'moderates'.

Oh, wait. They also call us the 'fringe' too, don't they?

[nichomachus]

4. The fascists' goal has always been to roll back the New Deal

they won't rest until they do it.

[bobbolink]

6. "be prepared to mount a grassroots effort now "

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[earth mom]

7. Social Security is NOT broken. That should be the mantra on everyones lips. nt

[defendandprotect]

10. TRUE .. and decades of right-wing propaganda have to be countered . . .

and for decades the Democrats haven't been doing that at all ---

Wall Street Journal, for one, had quite a propaganda campaign going --- !!!

[truedelphi]

18. And it is also not an entitlement, but something we paid into. n/t

[sinkingfeeling]

8. Isn't Pete Peterson the guy who has campaigned hard to keep hedge fund managers at a 15% tax rate?

http://www.truthout.org/article/pete-peterson-doesnt-need-his-social-security

[defendandprotect]

9. Citizens should bring a lawsuit to reclaim $8.5 bailout money ....

and pass it on to Social Security -- !!1

They borrow at least $100 billion from it every year!! Maybe more?

[KamaAina]

11. Bullpucky! Actually I was just thinking the SS surplus (yes, surplus) could help with stimulus

SS apparently has nearly $2 trillion, with a T, of special-issue Tresuries outstanding. Obviously, you don't want to raid the surplus, but you could roll it over into short-term T-bills.

[Jim Lane]

17. That's not how the Social Security Trust Fund works

As the Social Security system has taken in more in tax revenues than it pays out in benefits, its surplus has been transferred to general government revenues, in exchange for special-issue notes. But the notes are issued to the Social Security Trust Fund, not by it. Even aside from any stimulus bill, it was already locked in that this year's entire Social Security surplus would be spent.

As long as the federal government is running a deficit, it makes sense that the surplus be invested this way. The big problem is that the real deficit is much higher than what's publicly reported. The publicly reported number doesn't take account of the issuance of these notes. Beginning in approximately ten years, Social Security tax revenues will fall below expenses. The system will need to start using the interest on the notes in order to maintain benefit payments. Several years after that, the system will need to begin redeeming principal. These events will pose a problem for general federal financing by increasing the deficit, in amounts that become huge as time goes by.

[eppur_se_muova]

12. A wingnut's work is never done. nt

[sellitman]

13. Pete Peterson didn't get the memo I take it?

We won the election.

The Repiggies are toast.

Hands off Social Security asswipes!

[McCamy Taylor]

14. Solution to our woes....bring in healthy young Mexican immigrant workers.

They can start paying Social Security, work for citizenship, bring down the average age of our aging population, shift the demographic to a more pro-union, pro-Democratic one, encourage companies to keep jobs at home (feds should enact some tough penalties against companies that offshore jobs at the same time). Be sure to give employers an incentive to promote literacy so that these workers are not stuck in minimum wage jobs forever.

I hope the Obama administration gets right on it.

[ProgressIn2008]

15. Republicans and Democrats both frame these programs as "entitlements" -

What policies might that frame produce?

[DCKit]

16. So I've been paying into SS for thirty years, but it's an entitlement?

Does Amazon.com sell the Republicon Fascist Homelander TaliBaptist dictionary? It appears that I don't know the correct meaning of far too many words and it's biting me in the ass almost daily.

[undergroundpanther]

20. I know the rich pigs will never have enough

Until they get that last drop of blood from the last stone.

I know they want to frame social security as an "entitlement" it makes people forget it is their money,they paid into it.

Also Social security exists to help the old,disabled and the injured survive.
For many older and disabled people they would be dead without the assistance.
SSI/SSDI/Social Security ,is not this mythic welfare that repugs think it is ,it is NOT a money "giveaway".

Medicare/Medicaid has been turned over to HMO's it has become a hassle,it is very hard to find doctors that accept medicare/medicaid.
I am damn lucky I have a good pain/spine neurologist to go to.
I'd be in deep shit pain wise if he stopped accepting medicaid .Neuropathy really,really hurts.I hurt so bad I get suicidal.So it is important I get to the doctor to help manage pain,and it is important I keep up with my therapy.

There are many other people out there with visible and invisible disabilities(like chronic pain or Mental illness) or severe injuries They NEED medical assistance. Elderly people need assistance too,For the limits of age is the inevitable fate of all of us.

No one gets a hand out,in this country,
Except for the very wealthy. And the rich don't need any handouts.
They have enough.The proof the rich have more than enough is seen as how many are going without.

The rich MUST be kept away from SS,Medicaid /Medicare far too many lives depend on it.

TARP on the other hand IS a money giveaway. It isn't even an"entitlement".It's Wealth fare.
We have become too accustomed to reverse robin hoods stealing from the poor to line the pockets of the rich.
And the more we accept that reverse robin hood malingering from the rich and the more we excuse the theft from the commons to private hands the more the rich will get away with stealing more from all of us.It starts when they take from those with the least means to defend themselves. After they screw the aged and disabled,These monsters will move up the income scale to robbing the working poor even more,and fuck over the middle class..etc.

Even if you are not old, disabled, injured or sick,
You need a safety net,if you let the rich shred it,it will not be there,for you if tragedy strikes you,And no one knows if or when shit happens.So it is in everyones interest to protect SS from all silver tongued lying predatory rich thieves,and their ignorant right wing mouthpieces and the stupid mean hearted followers of those mouthpieces.