Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

xchrom

(108,903 posts)
Thu Nov 21, 2013, 05:07 PM Nov 2013

Americans Want Improved Social Security and Medicare and Less Military Spending

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/11/21-7


Protesters in Doral, Fla., in December make their feelings known about potential cuts to Social Security. (Photo: Joe Raedle, Getty Images)

***SNIP

While I cannot claim to be an expert on the retirement systems of other nations, it is worth mentioning that the payroll tax rates of other major developed economies like France, Germany and Sweden, are all significantly higher than the US, and yet their economies are all outperforming ours, including in the area of global competitiveness. Sweden’s retirement system taxes, paid by the employer, total over 31% of payroll. In France workers contribute 13.4% of each paycheck to fund the national retirement scheme, with employers paying another 18.2% of payroll, for a total of 31.6%. Even in Germany, workers and employers each pay 9.95% of payroll in to the retirement fund -- and yet Germany still manages to be the second largest net exporter in the world after China, outstripping the US this year, and, unlike the US, Germany boasts a consistently positive trade balance. Clearly, using a payroll tax to fund a decent retirement program does not mean destroying competitiveness or crippling business.

What does separate the US from these other developed nations is the staggering amount -- 53% of the discretionary federal budget -- that the US spends on war and the military. Finland, in comparison, spends just 3.4% of its federal budget on its military, the same as Germany. France, one of the larger military spenders, devotes 5.4% of its budget to its military.

The answer then it clear. If the US, where Social Security on average only provides a meager 30% of pre-retirement income to retirees, is to expand benefits, the money will have to come from a combination of higher taxes on employers, and from dramatic cuts in US military spending.

Despite all the pro-war propaganda, and the scare stories about terrorism put out by the government and the corporate media, Americans get this. A poll conducted earlier this year by The Hill, found that 49% of Americans supported cutting military spending to reduce the nation’s budget deficit, while only 23% favored cutting Social Security and Medicare. Meanwhile 69% said they opposed cuts in those two programs.
8 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
 

Scuba

(53,475 posts)
1. If we can't afford to educate our children, to heal our sick or care for our elderly ...
Thu Nov 21, 2013, 05:17 PM
Nov 2013

... just what is it the defense budget is defending?

The Democrats running in 2014 should have at least these minimum platform planks:

1. Expand Social Security (lower age, lift cap, tax capital gains)

2. Expand Medicare to include dental, optical and hearing aids

3. Infrastructure investment, especially education

4. Reduce military and spy spending to pay for it all

 

Egalitarian Thug

(12,448 posts)
2. Now, that's just crazy talk.
Thu Nov 21, 2013, 05:22 PM
Nov 2013

Spending people's money making life better for people?

I want some of whatever it is you're on.






















phantom power

(25,966 posts)
3. Will these poll numbers make politicians afraid to not do those things?
Thu Nov 21, 2013, 06:27 PM
Nov 2013

Liberal policies have historically and consistently polled quite well, if you just ask voters about them individually.

And yet... here we are, at the tail end of a 40-year conservative trend in politics and policy.

indepat

(20,899 posts)
7. TPTB don't give a diddle-dy-fu*k what Americans want: only what the MIC, large corporations
Thu Nov 21, 2013, 07:47 PM
Nov 2013

the uber-wealthy want.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Americans Want Improved S...