Saving Social Security: Stopping Obama's Next Bad Deal

[LongTomH]

Excellent post by Dean Baker at Huffington Post:

President Obama insists that he is a really bad negotiator, therefore the deal he got on the 2-year extension of the Bush tax cuts and the 1-year extension of unemployment benefits was the best that he could do. This package also came with a 1-year cut in the Social Security tax.

This cut will seriously threaten the program's finances if next year, the Republican Congress is no more willing to end a temporary tax cut than this year's Democratic Congress.

Baker goes on to repeat the usual arguments: Social Security has been self supporting until now; but, the reduction of payroll taxes in the tax cut deal will cause it to run a deficit fairly soon.

In order to avoid this train wreck, supporters of Social Security and Medicare have to restructure the options. They have to push President Obama to announce in advance that he will never sign a debt ceiling bill that includes cuts to Social Security and Medicare, the countries two most important social programs.

These programs are crucial to the financial security and health of tens of millions of people. If there are to be changes in these programs then they should occur after a full public debate in the light of day, not as the result of Republican trickery and parliamentary game playing.

This would be a hugely popular position since not only Democrats, but also independents and even Tea Party Republicans overwhelming support Social Security and Medicare. Furthermore, the gun, in the form of a potential debt default, is actually pointed at the Wall Street banks, not the public.

Dean Baker believes raising the prospect of a default on US debt is actually more of a threat to the big banks than to the rest of the economy and to us. He believes Pres. Obama could use that as a lever to get Republicans to agree to a debt ceiling bill - without the 'necessary adjustments to entitlements' that Republicans will be clamoring for.

[Name removed]

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[DrDan]

2. ". . . announce in advance that he will never sign a debt ceiling bill that includes cuts to Social

Security . . . "

announcements and speeches are what he does best.

What we need is to have a President that will actually do it.

[doc03]

3. I think Obama has sent two plain signals to the

Republicans that he is open to cuts in SS. Number one he appointed the catfood commission and never said any of their recommendations were off the table. Second he agreed to the payroll tax cut. We all know the Republicans will claim it is a tax increase when it comes time to reinstate it. That will cause the SS to resort to taking money from the general fund to pay benefits and will give the Republicans the ammunition they need to say SS is causing deficits. Obama started by setting the bar low in the health care debate and we got a piece of crap bill nobody likes. Obama signaled the Republicans that he was going to give in to the Bush tax cuts and they got even more than what they could have dreamed of..

[right2bfree]

5. Will these atrocities to we the people never end? After all, we PAID into SS

all of our lives, and its NOT an entitlement program, like the R's claim it is.

I guess they wont care even when we are all starving in the streets.

F### the Repukes !!!

[DrDan]

8. there certainly seems that there are D's who share the same SS goals as the R's

[Citizen Worker]

4. This train wreck of cuts to Social Security and Medicare will continue to rumble down the tracks

gaining speed unless we get out in the streets and make demands. When will people understand that to remain quiescent is the same as acceptance? Power concedes nothing without demand and we have demanded nothing.

[right2bfree]

6. Why do they protest in the streets of Europe, while US citizens do nothing? nt

[avaistheone1]

7. I don't think most people understand how Obama is undermining Social Security.

I hope people will wake up and act soon so that we don't have a disaster with Social Security like we had with NAFTA.

[right2bfree]

10. Very doubtful at this point. We let NATFA slide by and look what happened. nt

[Enthusiast]

9. President Obama

can not redeem himself in my eyes. He created the Deficit Commission. He agreed to the payday holiday. These actions were done in the interest of dismantling social security. These are an attack on social security. These were purposeful actions. It should be obvious to all that Obama has no interest in preserving social security. That means he is no better than a filthy Republican. I will vote against President Obama in 2012.

[right2bfree]

11. Unless things change, so will I. This mess cannot continue on for long. nt