General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAARP's take on the chained CPI
In addition to the chained CPI, this insight on the issues discusses alternative measures of inflation that could be used to adjust Social Security benefits, such as an elderly price index. It also discusses their implications for beneficiaries and for the solvency of Social Security.
http://www.aarp.org/work/social-security/info-10-2012/proposed-changes-to-cola-insight-AARP-ppi-econ-sec.html
What I don't understand is, why? If Social Security does not contribute to the deficit, this won't help the deficit issue. If Social Security is solvent right now and for the next couple of decades, then why this NOW?
Even if it did help the deficit, I thought the Dems weren't going to put the burden of the recession mess on the backs of the poor and middle class, who weren't the ones to cause it.
I'm not angry. This gets me depressed. I can recognize when we all need to buckle down and contribute some to get out of this mess, but this lessening of Social Security and veterans' pensions makes no sense to me. And 8.4%? That's a huge cut. Imagine if we tried to raise taxes 8.4%...the howling would be heard on the moon.
Of all the groups of people to punish....people who have worked all their lives and contributed. People who have fought wars for this country while people like Bush and Romney sat it out. While corporations like Exxon get huge subsidies. Very upsetting.
Kolesar
(31,182 posts)I found it a few weeks ago and read it. There are a few other background articles linked to it.
treestar
(82,383 posts)It is the Republicans that force these sorts of deals. It is Republicans who would do away with the program altogether. If they voted for Republicans, they can hardly complain. This would not even be an issue if Boner weren't speaker.
How dare these older people complain if they voted Republican? I understand a majority of them did, especially the white ones.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)I don't understand it, either. He was convinced a few years ago that Obama wanted to cut Medicare (which Obama has done, in fact, I believe)...without a clue that the Republicans want to extinguish it entirely.
I can do one better than that, as well. My brother is a far right Republican AND an early retiree, thanks to his UNION.
PearliePoo2
(7,768 posts)A bunch of reasons:
Habit..they always have (but this is not their father's Repub party they once knew)
Ignorant (not stupid, necessarily, but there is that too)
Brainwashed (by people like KKKarl)
He's black..they're white
just for starters...
Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)....And that's what Wall Street wants.
Under Chained CPI the benefits will drop every year forever. Someone in their twenties or thirties or fourties will see nothing from SS under this plan. They will simply be pissing their paychecks away to feed current retirees. And when someone points this out, and they of course will since that's the entire point, there won't be an argument in the world against privitization. The choices then will be:
1. Leave it as is and get a guaranteed nothing
2. Privitize and maybe, maybe, you get lucky and see something