Wait...these aren't actual CUTS to SS, they are a reduction in INCREASES... [View all]

[renie408]

Or are they cuts because if increases do not keep pace with inflation, it results in a defacto decrease?

AND...is there NO risk to SS if we go over the cliff? Because while there are no actual provisions for cutting SS in the sequestration, there are cuts to every other damn thing and tax increases for everybody. My mother lives with us. If WE get hit, SHE gets hit. Also, is there not a risk that doctors and other health care professionals could deny care to Medicare patients if Medicare cuts payments?

I am trying to winnow through all the hysteria to figure out what the hell is at stake here. Both sides are running around like chickens with their heads cut off, which makes it hard to figure out what is REALLY going on.

My personal take is that this is a complex issue where we might have the White House, but we definitely are not even close in the House, which means some kind of compromise. Unfortunately, in any compromise, SOMEBODY is going to be pissed. In this case, it looks like EVERYBODY is pissed. If we feel like the chained CPI is something we are not willing to offer as part of the compromise, what is? We are going to have to put something else on the table. What would that be?

I KNOW we could probably solve everything by doing some presto changeo tax deal where everybody over $250K goes back to 39% and we close corporate loopholes. But the House isn't going to allow the solution to be made up solely or even mostly of revenue increases. WE are going to have to have skin in the game. I am just trying to figure out which hunks of skin we can live without in the long run.