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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThank You Richard Eskow !!! - 'The Road From Here: What About Medicare and Social Security?'
The Road From Here: What About Medicare and Social Security?Richard Eskow - HuffPo
Posted: 10/20/2013 9:02 pm
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As the Bob Dylan song says: "Things should start to get interesting right about now." You may think they're already interesting -- what with government closings, threats of a debt default, and extremist rhetoric under the Capitol Dome -- but chances are we ain't seen nothin' yet.
In twelve weeks or so our new system of government-by-crisis will resume its regularly scheduled programming: more threats, more confrontations, and even more extreme rhetoric.
There are only a few ways this could play out, and most of them involve cuts to Medicare and Social Security. The ones which don't probably involve either A) catastrophic gridlock or B) a mobilized citizenry.
Your personal level of optimism probably correlates closely to whether you think A or B is more likely.
Vox populi
Any scenario which leads to Social Security or Medicare cuts would be bad for seniors. It would also be bad for any politician who supported it.
A recent poll by Lake Research shows that 82 percent of all Americans oppose cuts to Social Security, including 83 percent of Democrats, 78 percent of independents, 82 percent of Republicans -- and, in one of the most startling findings of all, fully three-fourths of all self-described Tea Party members (74 percent). (Social Security Works has a video:
and a petition: http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6405/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8723 on this subject.)
Democrats hold the advantage on this issue right now, which means it's theirs to lose...
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Much More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rj-eskow/entitlement-cuts_b_4133753.html
jsr
(7,712 posts)which Democrats like Durbin and the President already support?"
DJ13
(23,671 posts)Which of course means they will be stupid and push for cuts, once again giving the GOP a chance to redeem themselves.
RC
(25,592 posts)Sensible people may think is is stupid, and it is, but we cannot afford the bribes necessary for them to pay much attention to us.
avaistheone1
(14,626 posts)k&r
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)I will not support any Democrat who supports the Chained CPI, this is their stealth way of cutting SS and that information needs to be provided to everyone in the country so they are not fooled by the double talk we are going to hear as to what it means.
We need to start calling and emailing family members, neighbors, friends, put it on FB accounts, Twitter, give it a hashtag on Twitter and keep it going so that there is no one who does not know that the Chained CPI means CUTS to SS.
'It would also be bad for any politician who supported it'.
No truer words have been spoken!
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)of a default on the nation's obligations and debts to today's seniors.
Bring back the jobs, and Social Security will have no problem.
"Free" trade has not worked for America. We don't need it. We were better off without it. We brought it in much too fast. It has hurt average Americans. End it.
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)Free trade? We should be enacting tariffs instead.
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)There are far better alternatives to Chained CPI anyway. Raise the stinkin' cap, already. Forget the TPP, we have lost enough manufacturing jobs.