Increasing taxes on the rich does not justify attacking Social Security.

[woo me with science]

Last edited Sat Nov 10, 2012, 01:18 AM - Edit history (3)

Do not even begin to entertain the garbage argument that it does, because this is what we will hear as the hype grows over the mythical "fiscal cliff." We have already heard this vicious argument, and we will hear it again.

Social Security needs to be off the table, period.

Remind everyone you meet: The middle class and the poor were looted and devastated through policy. Virtually all new wealth of the past 30 years has gone to the top one percent. Ninety-three percent of the "recovery" has gone to the top one percent. Even today, money continues to pour to the top one percent.

SS was never, ever meant to be tied to the general fund. Americans strongly oppose cuts to SS, as polls show consistently, even across party lines. Our party ran on being defenders of the 99 percent. To turn around and cut SS would be a betrayal of unfathomable cynicism, cruelty, and contempt for Americans.

Do we have representation, or an oligarchy?

Compare the impact on the lives of the wealthy of the type of tax increase that is likely to be agreed upon, to the impact on the lives of millions of seniors that a chained CPI or other cut to SS benefits would cause. To even consider betraying this fundamental commitment of our government to its citizens, this proof of the type of society we choose to be, is unconscionable.

Social Security needs to be off the table, period. Raise hell now, while it matters. Make this an issue, publicly, everywhere you can. Call, write, and go to Washington. Do it for your parents and your children. We can make it politically untenable to cut Social Security.

Don't accept this justification for an assault on our seniors and all of us. Demolish it pre-emptively wherever you can.

RAISE HELL NOW. It is very simple: Increasing taxes on the wealthy does NOT make it okay to attack Social Security benefits.

[RC]

1. There is absolutely no reason Social Security should ever be on the table at all.

Social Security is a separate line item on your pay stub. The reason S/S receipts are down is because our Living Wage Jobs have been shipped overseas. Get our Living Wag Jobs back and the receipts will go back up again. Not only that, the S/S Trust Fund has enough to pay everyone due for the next 25 years, anyway.
There is no need to be in an all fired hurry to do anything!

[woo me with science]

15. +100000

[Loudly]

2. Can I have Social Security on the table to this extent?

No ceiling on wages subject to FICA deductions.

[Lugnut]

4. That works for me.

I'd also like to see a SS COLA formula that reflects the real expenses for seniors and the disabled.

[xtraxritical]

8. What you propose makes emminent sense because very few people make enought to even reach the

current cap of 108k per year. Remove the cap and all is well forever. Even more importantly SS & Medicare to not in any way contribute to the deficit. It is a false conflation.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

18. That should be the only thing under consideration re: SS n/t

[CheapShotArtist]

3. I never heard Obama say anything about cutting SS.

[quinnox]

6. well, it probably wouldn't have been a good idea to say he was

planning on it, if it was planned for in some sort of bargain, when running for an election. Just sayin'. And unfortunately, just because it hasn't been said they will cut it, doesn't mean they won't.

[hay rick]

11. Remember his remark on Social Security in the first debate?

Referring to himself and Mr. Romney: "I suspect that on Social Security, we've got a somewhat similar position." Not very reassuring.

The people he appointed to the super committee spent a lot of time pushing a chained-CPI adjustment to Social Security.

[OnionPatch]

5. The whole idea of taxing the rich

IMO, is so the middle and working classes don't have to give up what litte they have for retirement, health care, etc. If I recall correctly, it wasn't the working class that supported Bush's war, tax cuts for the rich and deregulating the financial market.

[Art_from_Ark]

14. I'm pretty sure the Archie Bunker types supported bu$h's wars

Tax cuts for the rich? No doubt some of them bought into the "job-creators-need-the-money-to-create-jobs" myth.

Deregulating the financial market? Among other things, that meant (at the time) getting an EZ loan for a fancy house, so there was probably considerable support for that as well.

[airplaneman]

7. The republicans are still refusing to raise taxes.

They are saying in return for them accepting the elimination of deductions (something we don't want to do because it raises the taxes paid by the middle class) they want major cuts in social security and medicare. In other words they want us to accept something we don't want in return for getting what they want - which is really something we do not want.
Its a pile of crap really.
-Airplane

[Sophiegirl]

9. If SS is on the table...

I want a refund of all my contributions for the past 30 years.

[fleabiscuit]

10. IMHO I would like to see the conversation steered toward the fact that

Social Security pays it's own way.

“…Under the law, Social Security cannot possibly contribute to the on-budget deficit. It can only spend money that has been collected from the designated payroll tax or from the investment of past surpluses. (The money from general revenue to make up for the temporary payroll tax cut the last two years is an exception to this rule.) If benefit payments exceed current revenue and the money available in the trust fund, as the Congressional Budget Office projects will happen in 2038, then Social Security would not be able to pay full scheduled benefits. It could not force the government to increase its deficit….”

http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/lesson-for-reporters-social-security-does-not-add-to-the-budget-deficit

[part man all 86]

12. SS is my work benefits and future retirement fund.

You pay a monthly premium on medicare and it come out automatically from your check. These are earned benefits not entitlements and are not causing the shortfalls in this country. How about the top 24 companies not paying taxes or millionaires and billionaires not paying any taxes. How about the low taxes in this country that the reich wing says will bring businesses and jobs to this country, where are they? It is a bold face lie and the lying reich keeps throwing their hate in our faces. Let us throw it right back and ask for the rich and well-to-do to start paying their share. They have more property to protect, they use the roads and infrastructure more, and yet want us to pay for their upkeep, what moochers they are. Keep your grubby dirty hands away for SS, medicare, medicaid, snap or you will draw back a nub.

[ErikJ]

13. SS Trust Fund has $2.6 TRILLION surplus! Lift the $105K cap and it is solvent 4ever.

The Republicans laughed when Gore wanted to put SS in a lockbox in 2000 to keep it from the general fund.

[woo me with science]

16. Kick

[reformist2]

17. SS should be 100% off the table. I would be open to Medicaid/Medicare reform, though.

Specifically, I think we need to give MMS bargaining power and/or price controls.

[PETRUS]

19. Right again, woo me

Nor is any other kind of austerity desirable.