The Folks Who Missed the Bubble Want Your Social Security

[nightrain]

http://www.truthout.org/the-folks-who-missed-bubble-want-your-social-security56930


The Folks Who Missed the Bubble Want Your Social Security
Tuesday 16 February 2010

by: Dean Baker, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed



<<snip>>
But the deficit hawks aren't interested in going after the pharmaceutical industry, the insurance industry, the highly paid medical specialists, and others responsible for out-of-control health care costs. They want to take away the Social Security benefits that workers have already paid for and cut their Medicare. Apparently, it was not enough to take away people's jobs and the equity they accumulated in their homes.

Fortunately, we can turn this budget debate around. The best way to reduce the deficit in the near-term would be a modest tax on Wall Street financial speculation. Versions of this tax have been put forward by Rep. Peter DeFazio in the House and Tom Harkin in the Senate. Such a tax could easily raise more than $100 billion a year, while leaving the vast majority of ordinary investors largely unaffected. It is a great way of making the Wall Street crew that caused the damage pay for the mess they have created.

A financial speculation tax probably will not be on the agenda at the deficit conclaves taking place around Washington this week, but that can be changed. The public can insist that instead of talking about cutting Social Security and Medicare, we start talking about seriously taxing Wall Street.

[midnight]

1. I have had a feeling that they would not stop with this economic terrorism

until they hit the social security funds....

[inna]

9. "Economic terrorism" is right.

I usually refer to it as "unilateral class warfare", but... this is starting to look more like terrorism. x(

[flamingdem]

2. I'm in nt

[BrklynLiberal]

3. Damn!!!!!!!!!!

[DJ13]

4. This was what the "deficit commission" Obama wanted was supposed to do

The beauty of that commission idea was it was set up to place politicians at arms length from the expected SS reductions so (in theory) they couldnt be blamed directly by the angry mobs that would result.

[nightrain]

15. Obama has said that he will create this "commission" by exec decision though..

[NoNothing]

5. Sorry to say

$100 billion is chickenshit. The federal government alone spends that much in 10 days.

[katandmoon]

6. Of course they do and Obama will fiddle while the country burns.

[lib2DaBone]

7. George and Jeb Bush talking to packed house tonight..

Topic: We Must Reform (Privatize) Social Security (they are coming for SS)

Also.....George W. and 'lil Jebby gave a talk on how... "Partisanship is ruining America" :rofl:


The party faithful packed the room at $200 a head to suck Bush ass.....


http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/feb/16/george-bush-jeb-bush-naples-visit/#comments

He and his brother – the state’s 43rd governor – addressed a crowd of more than 1,000 who purchased tickets to see them. Tickets to hear the duo speak started at $200.

The brothers had the crowd laughing, clapping and sighing with heart-felt emotions as they showed their more personal side. A few times, George W. Bush fought tears as he talked about the support of his wife in the Oval Office and how his decisions to send more troops to Iraq hurt families in the U.S. who lost their sons, daughters, husbands and wives to the war.


The moderator was veteran journalist Jim Angle, who covered both men while they were in office. He was named the senior Washington correspondent for Fox News in 2005.

Angle described the Bush family as “warm and loving.” The crowd gave the brothers a standing ovation when they were introduced.

[bertman]

10. Isn't it SPECIAL how the folks who have absolutely no financial worries are so ready to

strip away the few benefits that those less fortunate are entitled to.

BASTARDS!! SCUM!!

If there were really a God, he would smite those two sorry-assed motherfuckers with bolts of lightning.

[JDPriestly]

13. $1,064 was the average Social Security benefit paid in December 2009.

That's not a lot of money to live on. And even if you save, if you get sick at the wrong time or you lose money in investments or something else unforeseen happens to you, you can end up living on that income and that income alone.

Cut military spending, not Social Security.

[dkf]

8. If you want to tax Goldman sachs to oblivion just do it already and leave the rest of us alone

Stocks are down over the last 10 freaking years and you all want more of peoples savings. I'd have been better off spending like a drunken sailor than trying to save for a house that makes sense.

[troubledamerican]

11. Controlled Demolition.

[Bozita]

12. A lotta folks with canes and walkers can still carry a pitchfork or a torch

Mobilize them, Mr. President.

[WVRICK13]

14. Remind Me Again

why I should be patriotic and support this country?

[gulfcoastliberal]

16. Obama is obsessed with destroying social security & medicare. K&R

He's turning out to be a real monster.

[Uncle Joe]

17. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, nightrain.

P.S. As an aside, I've always read your handle as night train, until just now it occurs to me as being night rain.

[KoKo]

18. K&R!

[bvar22]

19. Maybe Obama can reach out to them....

...in a spirit of seeking a bipartisan consensus, and beg them to only take 1/2 our money?
.
.
.
.
Probably not.
"Seeking bipartisan consensus" now means giving the Republicans EVERY-FUCKING-THING and then blaming Joe Lieberman.
Oh Well.