We Need to Band Together to Protect Social Security Now

[jtown1123]

There is a huge momentum of anti-Social Security Senators, members of Congress, news organizations, and "nonpartisan" groups out to cut Social Security in the name of deficit reduction and there seems to be a consensus growing that this is the "adult" thing to do.

Despite the fact that the majority of Americans oppose Social Security cuts and know that it didn't cause our deficit, Republicans and Democrats have bought this deficit reduction mantra and I am getting really nervous that there's nothing we can do to stop them short of a massive grassroots movement.

I've been worried about this for about a year and everyday, I hear more things that alarm me:

THE HILL
Reforming Entitlements

Some Republicans want to reform entitlements but say they won’t do so unless the president takes the lead.

Liberals have been very nervous that Obama will call for the retirement age to be raised for future generations of Social Security recipients, an idea that has been embraced by Republicans and centrist Democrats. To the relief of the left, the president did not go that far in his State of the Union address. But his budget plan might.

The rest: http://thehill.com/opinion/editorials/142859-reforming-entitlements

THE HILL

Momentum Builds for Debt Deal

Conrad is arguing that both parties must embrace Obama's debt commission plan as a starting point for seriously reducing the budget deficit. He has met with Obama’s budget director, Jack Lew, who was a key player in the tax deal reached between the White House and Senate Republicans in December, to discuss the budget.

Some Senate Republicans have also signaled a new openness to the commission's recommendations, which included calls for entitlement reforms.

The rest: http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/142763-conrad-to-tell-senate-dems-to-get-serious-on-budget-deficit

POLITICO


Barack Obama to Bill O'Reilly: Policy goals require civility


Obama said he will include $400 billion in proposed cuts in his new budget, including to defense, but conceded that “the long-term problem is entitlements.” “Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. And what I’ve said to the Republicans is, ‘I want to work with you to figure out how we cut spending on this.’ … One side is not going to be able to get it done because it requires tough choices.”


The rest: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/49011.html#ixzz1DTVfvkrl

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I am racking my brains trying to figure out what we can do. Sure we can all send letters and pester the shit out of our congress critters, but there has got to be something bigger we can do. Any ideas?

In the meantime, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare has legislative hotline set up where you can call your member of Congress about cuts to Social Security: 1.800.998.0180

Or you can send a letter through their legislative action center: http://capwiz.com/ncpssm2/issues/alert/?alertid=14520886

Thanks for listening.

[DrDan]

1. your concern is warranted

[TuxedoKat]

2. I keep hoping

some established groups will work together and step up and start speaking out about this in an organized manner but maybe a new group specifically for this is needed.

Edited for spelling error

[jtown1123]

4. I know some are trying but they keep getting drowned out. Pete Peterson

has spent a billion dollars over the past 20 years peddling lies about SS, creating a fake news organization, and now he is getting his deficit hysteria curriculum being taught in high schools. We need a massive amount of money to combat him and his groups.

[TuxedoKat]

5. Bernie Sanders

is one of the few who keeps speaking up regularly about this (weekly on Thom Hartmann's show) maybe his office would know of some groups working on this.

[jtown1123]

8. Bernie is great, but he has no leadership positions b/c he isn't technically a Dem.

We need someone high profile like Schumer or Reid on this. Reid seems like the top candidate because he has been sticking up for SS recently.

[TuxedoKat]

19. Hmmm

Do you think Schumer would take this on? He's my senator and his office isn't even set up to even return constituent emails with a form email. I wonder whose job that is. One time when I called one of his staff members was embarrassed by that. I don't have much faith in him. On the one hand he is pretty impervious to reelection challengers so he could take something like this on but what would motivate him to do so. Reid might be good, he showed he was much more of a fighter than we thought after the last election.

[jtown1123]

20. Schumer would be awesome! He is a party leader & has been criticizing

the GOP austerity plans as of late. Can't hurt to send a letter.

[Cleita]

3. Social Security doesn't need reforming.

Our government and war policy does.

[Starry Messenger]

6. k&r

[NNN0LHI]

7. First thing we need to realize is that the workers who manufacture our imported products ...

... do not have withheld taxes taken out of their checks to fund our SS and Medicare. Their withheld taxes are used to pay to fund their own social programs in their own countries. Not ours.

And the real kicker is the workers who used to have those jobs manufacturing those products here are probably out of work and needing assistance from our social programs. So instead of paying in they are taking out. Its a double whammy.

So when you see that nice new shiny imported car driving down the road, wave at it because that is your SS, Medicare and your jobs going bye, bye.

:hi:

Don

[whathehell]

11. Thank you...Yours is a very well-noted observation..

I'm so sick of this shit...We're being DECIMATED.

[Poboy]

9. Recommend.

[bullwinkle428]

10. Obama's "We need to run gov't. more like a business" comment

in the C of C speech should make EVERYONE afraid! :scared:

[jtown1123]

12. I live in a constant state of fear, it's time I put that to good use!

[Cleita]

14. Particularly since that was Arnold Schwarzenegger's

campaign slogan, echoed by Meg Whitman and used very effectively against her by Jerry Brown in a stinging commercial comparing the two. Arnold's stint as Governor of one of the largest economies in the world and his massive failure should prove that government shouldn't ever be run like a business.

[whathehell]

13. "Entitlements" insomuch as people are "entitled" to that which they purchase..

like Social Security and Medicare..:wtf:

I'll leave this frigging country before I let them steal

the insurance program I paid into for thirty five years

[Shandris]

15. Reforming Entitlements

"Some Republicans want to reform entitlements but say they won’t do so unless the president takes the lead." Well no shit, Sherlock. They know no Republican President could get away with it, but since Obama is (ostensibly) a Democrat, they can cut the Entitlements -- their lifelong dream -- AND blame Democrats for it, knowing that the dumb motherfuckers that we call 'low info' voters will only see the headline 'Obama to cut SS' and vote Republicans in for even longer in 'protest'.

[jtown1123]

16. Of course. They will frame it to make Dems look bad so a double whammy.

[bobbolink]

17. That would be a lot more difficult to do if the Dems didn't fit so nicely in the frame.

[whathehell]

18. Well, then the Dems better SEPARATE themselves from these "reformers"

and fast..Unfortunately, it seems the Prez is going right along with it.