Dean Baker: The CEO Plan to Steal Your Social Security and Medicare

[marmar]

Published on Monday, July 30, 2012 by Common Dreams
The CEO Plan to Steal Your Social Security and Medicare

by Dean Baker


Many people are following the presidential election closely with the idea that the outcome will have a major impact on national policy. However, according to Steven Pearlstein, a veteran Washington Post columnist and reporter, it may not matter who wins the election. In a column last week, Pearlstein told readers that the top executives of some of the country's largest companies are getting together to craft a budget package that they will try to push through Congress and get the president to sign.

While Pearlstein clearly sees these backroom meetings of corporate chieftains in positive terms (he refers to them as "grown-ups" who have been noticeably absent from the conversation about the budget), the rest of us might view this plotting a bit differently. As Pearlstein openly acknowledges, this corporate coup is an end-run around the electorate. As corrupt as the political process may have become, at least we will get a vote in the election. Pearlstein's plotters are not inviting the rest of us into the conversation.

Many of the same folks who brought the economy to ruin just a few years ago are now going to come up with a plan that is supposed to set the budget and the economy on a forward path. At the center of their proposal are big cuts in Social Security and Medicare.

The most popular Social Security cut among this gang is a reduction in the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) by 0.3 percentage points. They are betting that ordinary people are too dumb to notice this cut since it is a relatively small amount each year. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/07/30-11

[abelenkpe]

1. K & R

Cannot let this happen

[librechik]

2. oh ffs--pay the additional 4% on incomes over a million and shut up you tightwads!

can we get real human beings in the discourse please? These bipartisan reptiles are biting me on the ass!

[Quantess]

3. Soon the former middle class

will be huddled together at campfires in the tent cities.

[WillyT]

4. K & R !!!

[eridani]

5. One more informational kick n/t

[HiPointDem]

6. kr

[PuraVidaDreamin]

7. Kick

Too many still sleeping. Its going to happen.

[B Calm]

8. It's all about cheap labor.

Right now corporate America would like nothing better than to do away with the social safety nets. Millions of desperate, hungry old people who are willing to work for low wages to keep from starving is a dream come true to the predatory capitalists!

[xchrom]

9. Du rec. Nt

[Edweird]

10. Remember Obama vowed not to "slash" - I'm sure he could go along with this

and still maintain his position of 'truthiness'. Of course, we'd have the usual chorus telling us how we "didn't pat attention" or whatnot.

[IDemo]

11. This is the Shock Doctrine decade

While those who are coordinating the greatest heist in history are still treated with professional courtesy by the press and admiration by much of the electorate, the thieving will continue unabated.