Nancy Pelosi Says Social Security CUT Proposed By Obama Would 'Strengthen' Program

[Segami]

Was this their plan from the get-go? Did we swallow their seasoned tripe hook, line and sinker?





WASHINGTON -- Congressional Democrats, led by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), signaled greater willingness on Wednesday to cut Social Security benefits, with the party now considering a change to the way inflation is calculated for recipients. Pelosi told reporters on Capitol Hill that a cut proposed by President Barack Obama in the fiscal cliff negotiations would in fact "strengthen" the program, echoing the claims often made by Republicans about entitlement programs they want to slash. Her remarks come a day after she said that liberals in Congress who are unhappy with Obama's concession to the GOP would nevertheless support them.



The cut involves swapping out the traditional method for calculating cost of living increases, based on the current standard for measuring inflation, for something called a chained CPI, or chained Consumer Price Index. The chained CPI works by assuming that when the price of a product, such as beef, gets too high, consumers don't keep paying the higher prices. Instead, the model predicts they will switch to something cheaper, such as chicken, keeping their cost of living lower and leading to a lower rate of inflation, as measured by the chained CPI. The lower rate of inflation would mean a downward adjustment in cost of living, and thus stingier benefits.



The cuts would start small, but wind up costing beneficiaries thousands of dollars over time, which is why Democrats have traditionally fought the idea.But Pelosi wrapped both her arms around it Wednesday, insisting she does not regard it as a "cut." "No, I don’t," she told reporters. "I consider it a strengthening of Social Security, but that’s neither here nor there."



"There’s no use even discussing that because we don’t even know if we have plan," she continued. "And if the savings that the Republicans are talking about is $300 billion, then the cuts to be made on the other side are far lower. And that’s how we see it. But it is interesting to see that even with the concessions on cuts and, what you just described, the chained CPI and things like that -– the president put on the table what everybody has been discussing for quite a long time. And once again, as he did 18 months ago, the speaker walked away. The speaker walked away. There’s an attempt to try to put it at the president’s doorstep, which is completely ridiculous. In fact, some would say, 'befuddling.'"





cont'

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/19/nancy-pelosi-social-security_n_2333285.html

[PoliticAverse]

1. I suspected it was only a matter of time until the 'S' word was used.

Just like in the 80's when they raised the retirement age.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Bullshit

[southern_belle]

34. +1000 n/t

[Autumn]

3. The day they support and pass this is the day I change my party affiliation to

anything except D.

[Mojorabbit]

20. Same here. Reading these weasel words from her makes me furious. nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. '"echoing the claims made by Republicans.." Maybe she and Boehner can sing a duet.

[MannyGoldstein]

5. Oh. Fucking. Marvelous.

"It's a gift! A gift to you peasants!!!"

[Hydra]

29. Ya

"Be glad you have anything left, ya freeloaders!"
"...ummm, we paid for this?"
"No you didn't!" "Look! Fiscal cliff! Booga!"

[JaneyVee]

6. Cuts = strengthen. Also, if you have lots of sex you get your virginity back.

[Autumn]

7. You can't get pregnant from rape either.

The bullshit sure is spreading.

[Segami]

8. LOLOL!

[woo me with science]

9. The chocolate ration has been increased!

Fuck your lies, Nancy.

[Autumn]

10. chocolate ration? Shit, I wanted peas

I was planning on gouging my fellow old people. I have a feeling cat food is going to be a bit pricey.

[Angry Dragon]

11. My plan is better

let the top rate go back to 70%
no cap on SS
50% tax rate on capital gains for people making $1 million

[forestpath]

12. This is cruel beyond belief.

[PoliticAverse]

13. We are strengthening Social Security. Pray we don't strengthen it any further. n/t

[Segami]

36. Anymore strengthening and we'll have a national SS crisis on our hands.

[doc03]

14. That's the exact words Paul Ryan used for his cuts in SS and

changing Medicare into a voucher program.

[doc03]

15. I got a letter from the AARP today opposing that "Strengthening" along

with a letter to send to Obama, my Senators and that pos f---g teabagger Congressman of mine.

[Honeycombe8]

16. This sucks big time. It's a way to hit CURRENT beneficiaries, not just future ones.

Hitting future ones is bad enough, but to hit immediately those who have mapped out and planned their retirement already, and are living on it, is CRUEL and WRONG.

[byeya]

17. I was just thinking how nice it would be if Alan Grayson or Barbara Lee were Minority Leader

[shcrane71]

18. I thought Dems won this past election.

I guess I was wrong.

[kenny blankenship]

19. With an est. net worth of 58 MILLION dollars, Nancy Pelosi does not represent you.

this is the crux of your problems, Democrats. Your elected officials tell you shit they think you want to hear, and then go do the opposite while in office. It's easy for them since they don't intend to share in your fate, and for the most part never needed to worry that they might have to live a life like yours, whether or not they reached high office and used it to acquire connections. They are rewarded for betrayal by people who can afford to give rewards and can afford to really keep track of their actions. Your life gets worse, their life gets better.

Barack Obama: current net worth 11.8 million, and future earnings as a former President - astronomical.

Bill Clinton's earnings since leaving office: over 75 million, all for giving speeches presumably about how he ended welfare, shipped US manufacturing overseas with trade treaties, deregulated the banks unleashing the speculative sickness that demolished what was left of our economy, and got some head from his intern instead of looking out for your interests. Only child, Chelsea Clinton, married off to some member of the Goldman Sachs nomenklatura.

People like these do not represent your interests, can't imagine what your interests are, aren't the least bit interested to know, and don't remember what it's like to be someone like you, if they ever used to be.

Keep voting for them and keep getting more of the same shit.

[wildbilln864]

23. well said! thank you. nt

[Hydra]

30. You put it beautifully

These people are the servants of the 1%. They are well paid for their service in propagandizing us.

After the Deepwater Horizon disaster, President Obama made a speech with he ended on the wonderful plan of "praying" our way out of the problem. After I got done picking my jaw off the floor, I found it very useful to think of the Presidency as simply the "Press Secretary of the 1%." He gets his marching orders and his job is to put it to us in a way that we accept it.

The ones who do it very well are rewarded by having they and their children into the 1%, which is possibly the only safe place left on earth anymore.

[cthulu2016]

21. and eliminating SS would make it invulnerable

[jsr]

22. The way amputation strengthens your body.

[TheProgressive]

24. This chained cpi is a $13B/year for 10 years cut... How about this...

Cut $26B from the War Department and make this part of the COLA for SS.

Pricks. They are squeezing $13B for what? To give to the Billionaires?

This is *our* money. WE don't want cut our earned benefits...

This is getting to be a turning point - one way or another.

[neverforget]

25. How about we take your government pension away and put you on SS and see if that's a cut.

[mother earth]

26. So, we voted in Obama only to find his stances are measuring up to a Romney. FU, Nancy Pelosi, this

is BS. We are, indeed, no longer the party of FDR. I'm ashamed of NP & Obama for pissing away all we've worked for.

[MotherPetrie]

27. Fuck you, Nancy Pelosi. FUCK YOU.

[Riley18]

28. Well, I was conned by Nancy and admired her.

Now I can't stand the sight of her. All these rich people are working together. This has been planned all along.

[Hydra]

32. Nancy went on camera in 2006 and told us to shut up and sit down

That they were the "Leaders."

I thought at the time, and still do, that they are public servants that serve at our pleasure. The fact that they think otherwise tells me they don't believe in Democracy.

[City Lights]

31. I guess that's one way of looking at it.

I feel a little sick...

[AnotherMcIntosh]

33. Fooled ya

[amborin]

35. reminds me of Bush's "Clear Skies Act," which rolled back emissions regulations to 1980s poor standa

rds; totally Orwellian

cynical, sadistic, scary

[reformist2]

37. What a horrible thing for a liberal to say. *shakes head*

[840high]

38. What???