Social Security has solvency issues, but they're cutting payroll taxes that support it? WTF?

[originalpckelly]

OK, if you think a program has problems paying out benefits, YOU DO NOT CUT THE TAXES THAT PAY FOR THE MOTHERFUCKER!

That's just basic math, right?

So either they are totally full of crap, and someone is intentionally trying to kill off Social Security, or it is doing quite well for itself.

What's going to happen is that Social Security will now run major deficits, for lack of funding, and then the Republicans can say, "Hey, look, it's already getting into trouble, why don't we just shut it down."

This per the Press Conference earlier when he said they were going to cut the payroll taxes. This is something that already happened last year for a temporary period under the extension of the Bush tax cuts, but now it sounds like they want to continue it.

It's also very frightening to think how bad these negotiations must be going, because there is not a specific proposal they're all trying to sell us on. Just a nebulous kind of thing that has all kinds of bad shit in it, like raising the retirement age or means testing.

[woo me with science]

1. It is fucking surreal.

Replay the whole thing and put a Republican president at the podium, and we would be united against this garbage.

They have pulled off something amazing here.

[originalpckelly]

2. It's just the fact that it just doesn't make any fucking sense...

unless you are trying to kill off social security and medicare or you are negotiating like a moron with terrorists who want to blow it up.

If a guy comes up to me on the street and says he's going to take all my money AND kill me, I wouldn't start negotiating where to be shot. You know what I'm saying?

That's almost the nuttiness of this whole negotiation process. The Republicans want to kill social security and medicare, and we're negotiating on how do to it.

[Safetykitten]

3. Don't worry. Be happy!

[xchrom]

4. recommend

[newportdadde]

5. From the school of Walker politics, cut revenues and declare a crisis.

[Karmadillo]

6. You folks are taking the "narrow" view. Our anointed leaders are looking at what's best for the

country. Starving Social Security is the best way to make it stronger. "Narrow" view folks just can't understand that kind of thinking and it would be best if they left the thinking to the better class.

[janet118]

7. Not without raising the cap on Social Security tax . . .

so that money over $100,000.00 can be taxed.

[chill_wind]

8. Galbraith: Lower the retirement age.

Lots of win. But we can't figure that out.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/14/AR2011011404962.html

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/01/05/933341/-James-Galbraith-makes-the-case-for-lowering-the-retirement-age

[mistertrickster]

9. No shit . . . make it go broke so they can claim it's broke, brilliant. nt

[Aerows]

10. If it isn't broke

break it, so then you can "fix" it. Luckily, Americans aren't fooled. Unfortunately, we the people can't do anything about it.

[mike_c]

11. I think this is a stimulus that's regarded as relatively "safe" politically....

The stimulus part is putting a few more dollars into nearly everyone's paycheck every month. But if dems proposed a stimulus payout from the general fund republicans would foam at the mouth. Cutting SS payroll taxes is a relatively safe way to deliver the stimulus-- republicans reflexively happy dance anytime "taxes" are cut, and the long term impacts to SS of reducing SS payroll deductions now are well in the future, when they will be well and truly someone else's problem. In truth, "fixing" the long term solvency issues with SS will simply smooth out the little revenue dip this reduction causes and no one will ever care, while failing to fix them will create problems that will completely mask the effects of this "little stimulus" and for which the blame will fall elsewhere. Win-win all around.

[amborin]

12. Soc Sec does NOT have solvency issues; bad scenario here:

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/eat-peas-and-get-confidence-%E2%80%93-not

[amborin]

14. info on Soc Sec:

http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/035468.html


http://epi.3cdn.net/6b8be14ba47a517a97_uym6b5jbh.pdf

[SnoopDog]

13. The FICA payroll reduction is simply a means to destroy Social Security

And our 'democratic' president is leading the charge.

You see, there are other means to give us a tax cut - it is called a tax cut.

This is a cruel way to kill Social Security - plain and simple.