Obama's historic mission on behalf of capital: Destroy Social Security

[Karmadillo]

http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn12242010.html

Making the Rich Happy
By ALEXANDER COCKBURN

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It was a deal of refined cynicism, containing the poison pill of what has been billed as a generous gesture to working people - a $120 billion reduction in Social Security contributions by labor – reducing the rate of contributions to the Social Security pension fund from 6.2 per cent of wages to 4.2 per cent. But in fact this is a tripwire, setting up an onslaught on Social Security a year down the road as underfunded and going swiftly bankrupt and ready to be auctioned off to Wall Street.

The prime constant factor in American politics across the past six decades has been a counter-attack by the rich against the social reforms of the 1930s.

Twenty years ago the supreme prize of the Social Security trust funds – the government pensions that changed the face of America in the mid-1930s - seemed far beyond Wall Street’s grasp. No Republican president could possibly prevail in such an enterprise. It would have to be an inside job by a Democrat. Clinton tried it, but the Lewinsky sex scandal narrowly aborted his bid.

If Obama can be identified with one historic mission on behalf of capital it is this – and though success is by no means guaranteed, it is closer than it has ever been.

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[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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[blindpig]

2. Anyone who think's this will be recinded in two years is deluded.

We see how well that worked with the Bush tax cuts.
k&r

[RKP5637]

6. They will all become permanent. Americans are clueless and believe all of

the propaganda. Frankly, the masses are also powerless. Only really big money talks in this country, we get proof of that over and over and over. The rest of us just talk. The youth of this country are inheriting a real mess. And we will have another financial meltdown. Nothing has really improved. Most citizens live in servitude and will be in debt their entire lives, that is the way the system is rigged. Most will be working retail crap jobs peddling imported goods and/or flipping burgers and the like.

[blindpig]

7. The masses are a sleeping giant...

those fools are intent upon waking it, they will be sorry.

[whattheidonot]

10. solution.

Elect someone who stands up to this. This has to be a total outside job. Very tough task , but can be done with great organization. The masses do not understand how all this works. There are choices. The parties right now are beholden to the rich. Only a peacful organized revolution will change this. Nothing short of revolution is going to change things. If you work at todays salaries and chase debt you are screwed. That is what the powers want.

[truedelphi]

24. + My household. n/t

[Mimosa]

12. ^ That's sadly true ^

People in America are passive as long as they can get the credit to buy their wii's, playstations and TVs.

[DeSwiss]

3. K&R

DLC = Poison Pill

[nashville_brook]

4. they've already raided this cookie jar -- they're fighting to not have to put the cookies back

Thanks for the link -- going to read the whole thing.

[PoliticAverse]

28. Exactly n/t.

[Angry Dragon]

5. I will go on record

You will see some tweaking of SS in the next two years, not sure exactly what.
In the following years you will see further and further tweaking, until SS is not recognized.

Obama has stated that he will concentrate on the deficit in the next two years. He is planning to use tax dollars to pay for the 2% cut in SS funding. He adds to the deficit and then plans to cut the deficit. Something big is going to have to give to do that.

[Hawkeye-X]

20. Obama better not touch the SS funds

It's fine the way it is. The payroll tax holiday is NOT necessary. Obama should have simply removed the earnings cap and for 2012, increase COLA by 25%.

Hey Obama, listen up - you want your base back? End the fucking wars. Both of them. And by summer of 2011. Get all the troops home.

Then you begin cutting the defense which is WAY overbloated and in a MASSIVE need of major cuts (up to 90% works fine)

Anything less than 50% cut on the defense budget is unacceptable.

Hawkeye-X

[RKP5637]

25. He could move the whole country, well much of it, in his favor if he did these

things and the R's would also be put back in their box. He needs to rally the people by doing some of these things. I heard there is a shakeup in the WH staff and the new lineup will be annc'ed in Jan. I think he's realized IMO that some of the advice he's been getting has been a disservice.

[Starry Messenger]

8. recommend.

[somone]

9. It's going to be deficit deficit deficit 24/7

and Obama will be leading the chorus

[Enthusiast]

22. Obama is going to sound like Chris Christie.

It's all part of a well designed plan to end social security. Has Obama said "Social security does not add to the deficit."? No he has not. It is clear where he stands.

[sarcasmo]

23. When it should be jobs, jobs, jobs 24/7

[WinkyDink]

26. Don't forget: "Think of the CHILDREN!" As if they would then have a decent future.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[socialist_n_TN]

16. Yeah it's pretty obvious to anyone with eyes

Cheer up though! We might get marijuana decriminalized!

[Hawkeye-X]

21. And I'm hoping all of them will be correctly filibustered and

dead on the Senate side..

Permanently.

Catfood commission recommendations is completely and utterly rejected by the people of the United States.

[Fumesucker]

13. K&R, thanks for posting..

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[SidDithers]

18. Bookmarking...

oh, and Alexander Cockburn is an ass.

Sid

[ProSense]

19. Imagine that, a Green Party person spinning nonsense.

Is Nader running again?

[eridani]

27. The bill to destroy Social Security has already been written

--based on the Catfood Commission recommendations

[Still a Democrat]

29. Counterpunch? Seriously?

The general fund is $14 trillion in debt, $4 trillion of it owed to Social Security That is the threat, not the holiday.

The false attack line of social security being broke has been going on for years.