Let there be no doubt: Rand Paul et al are coming after Social Security, Medicare

[Faygo Kid]

And I don't mean for those 25, I mean those 55 and 65. They will make eliminating it - or privatizing it, and sending every dime to Wall Street - a top priority.

This will be fierce. Gird thy loins.

[redirish28]

1. My wife fears those items are the beginning.

[Turbineguy]

2. According to CNN

47% of Seniors backed Teabaggers.

I think funeral providers and cemeteries may be good investment areas.

[w8liftinglady]

7. It was like 99% in my area.I couldn't believe it.

[glinda]

10. Huge senior turn out with them voting conservative.

[glinda]

9. Mnay seniors are choosing cremation because they cannot afford the other.

[SammyWinstonJack]

3. Eliminate Medicare and privatize Social Security IS the goal.

:grr:

[Turbineguy]

8. When I was young

I did not think that SS would be around for me. I may turn out to be right after all.

[SammyWinstonJack]

12. By design, it probably won't be.

x(

[Iris]

37. Check out the Top Five Social Security Myths

http://pol.moveon.org/ssmyths/?id=22141-17295776-EfCy5px&t=1

[Turbineguy]

42. All this is true

except if they give the money to Wall Street.

[maryellen99]

4. And don't forget they want to filibuster against raising the debt ceiling

they have every intention of destroying the world economy. I'm truly worried.

[treestar]

14. There is no filibuster in the House

[polly7]

5. Have any of them exposed their secret alternative to Social Security

and Medicare, or are all these people just going to be expected to live on ..... nothing? I honestly don't understand what they're thinking.

[cbdo2007]

6. No they won't. They were in charge 5 years ago and didn't do any of this stuff.

They also know they can't get anything accomplished right now without the Senate or the President supporting them, so it's not like they're going to try to push through these crazy ideas any time soon.

Also, Seniors are scared to death about their Medicare. If any politician so much as mentions anything about Medicare between now and 2012 it is a death sentence for them.

The only plans out there for privatizing Medicare would actually RAISE copays and change the eligibility years. Obama just lowered all their copays and even is giving them a bunch of "free" visits for preventative screenings. There's no way anyone would do anything to RAISE rates or anything.

[treestar]

15. Yep. They are just against expanding it to others

[Enrique]

16. Bush tried really hard

and he could have succeeded. It was Harry Reid more than anyone else, as I saw it, who stopped Social Security from being privatized.

And imo it's Paul Ryan, as head of the budget committee, who is more of a threat than Rand Paul, who's a freshman senator who's head of nothing.

[pipi_k]

22. And I think they knew this...

and counted on Harry Reid to be the one to stop the whole thing that they probably didn't really want to happen.

Because I do believe that they know one thing...whichever party touches Social Security or Medicare will probably be dead meat for a very long time.


so basically, they were counting on someone to appear to stop them from doing something they really didn't want to do.

Theatrics...that's what it is. All of it.

[zbdent]

11. Need a cartoon where the Atheist worshipper has his jackboot on the neck

of a senior citizen with a "Social Security" label ...

[guitar man]

13. They want to get rid of Social Security

They want to let the "free market" work for my retirement? Fine, I'll take it all back and invest it myself, every cent I've put in over the 32 years I've been in the work force. If they can't give my money back they better make damn sure SS is there when I retire.

[Zenlitened]

28. Bam!

If they can't give my money back they better make damn sure SS is there when I retire.

:thumbsup:

[guitar man]

30. There is nothing more dangerous

Than people who have nothing left to lose. Especially old ones who have lived their lives and are nearing the end of the road. They would do well to remember that. ;)

[LawnLover]

17. THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING

Especially Rand Paul. He'll be a back bencher for quite some time, and no matter what the House may try, the Senate will slap them down or the President will veto. That's the beauty of our system.

Why does everyone forget this?

[walldude]

39. Thank you... all this hand wringing is pathetic

the absolute worst that will happen, is... nothing. Nothing will get done. Of course there are the investigations into the Presidential Penis, those should be fun :)

[ScreamingMeemie]

41. "Why does everyone forget this?"

Because they still got their way when they had NO power. That's why. :hi:

[Bitwit1234]

18. I really don't believe that the Democrats in the senate will let them do it.

remember if the house makes a bill,it goes to the senate and right now the senate does have a majority. And Obama has promised, and this is one I hope he keeps, not to touch social security.

[uncle ray]

19. that's what we're counting on.

two years. we made it through eight, we can make it through two. the more crazay they bring, the better we'll do in '12.

[lpbk2713]

20. They're gunning for the "entitlements".

As they see it, the middle class has no right to any money at all. Only the
rich and powerful deserve money. Simply because they are rich and powerful.

[Naturyl]

38. The muddled class will be fine.

It's the poor who are going to take the brunt of this, as they always do.

[MadHound]

21. Don't worry, Obama's Catfood Commission and Congressional Dems will take care of those problems

They'll get that messy problem all "cleared up" in December so that Paul won't have to worry about it.

[LiberalCatholic]

23. I say BRING IT ON!!!!!!!

I can't wait to see the s@#$ hit the fan!!!! When the seniors realize that the the party that they backed is really a wolf in sheep's cloak then they will leave like a bunch of rats jumping ship. Dems will have to stand up and fight for their core values and hopefully will find their voice and learn to force the Republicans to go on the defensive (something that we fail miserably at, I always wondered why we don't have sound bites like borrow and spend Republicans, sly as a Fox media, and my personal favorite- crotch Christan's ).

Another problem- too many Americans feel that their government help was not government help and someone else's is a handout (ie get your government hands off my Social security). People don't realize that government benefits everyone, but in different amounts and at different times in their lives. And THAT is the biggest problem in our country. We are no longer working together to create the common good (a CHRISTIAN VALUE that Jesus spent His life preaching on- you know, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, visit the prisoner...fyi to the Freeper lurkers). I can respect a debate over how much government should help people vs how much private donations should do (I feel that government is more efficient but will leave gaps that private organizations can fill, personally). But we have to realize that we are ALL dependant on each other and have to be able to give as well as receive. And in this country we all receive (public schools, roads, police, fire, water, defense...). I think that a Social Security and Medicare debate will really draw lines in the sand. And I think that a lot of people will have to examine their beliefs about the two major parties. I would be SHOCKED if either program is destroyed. Even Republican sound bites won't be able to manipulate the fact that a pillar of retirement is going away.

But all that being said, what you say in a campaign is not necessarily how you govern...remember, less than 14 months till the Republicans have to face re-election....

[Faygo Kid]

34. +1, and welcome to DU

Well said.

[LiberalCatholic]

24. I say BRING IT ON!!!!!!!

I can't wait to see the s@#$ hit the fan!!!! When the seniors realize that the the party that they backed is really a wolf in sheep's cloak then they will leave like a bunch of rats jumping ship. Dems will have to stand up and fight for their core values and hopefully will find their voice and learn to force the Republicans to go on the defensive (something that we fail miserably at, I always wondered why we don't have sound bites like borrow and spend Republicans, sly as a Fox media, and my personal favorite- crotch Christan's ).

Another problem- too many Americans feel that their government help was not government help and someone else's is a handout (ie get your government hands off my Social security). People don't realize that government benefits everyone, but in different amounts and at different times in their lives. And THAT is the biggest problem in our country. We are no longer working together to create the common good (a CHRISTIAN VALUE that Jesus spent His life preaching on- you know, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, visit the prisoner...fyi to the Freeper lurkers). I can respect a debate over how much government should help people vs how much private donations should do (I feel that government is more efficient but will leave gaps that private organizations can fill, personally). But we have to realize that we are ALL dependant on each other and have to be able to give as well as receive. And in this country we all receive (public schools, roads, police, fire, water, defense...). I think that a Social Security and Medicare debate will really draw lines in the sand. And I think that a lot of people will have to examine their beliefs about the two major parties. I would be SHOCKED if either program is destroyed. Even Republican sound bites won't be able to manipulate the fact that a pillar of retirement is going away.

But all that being said, what you say in a campaign is not necessarily how you govern...remember, less than 14 months till the Republicans have to face re-election....

[blindpig]

25. And they will have plenty of help

in the name of 'responsibility' and austerity.

This fight can only be won in the streets.

[Edweird]

26. Obama is the one with the catfood commission, remember? Bush tried and failed.

[Catherina]

27. Like Obama's Catfood Commission wasn't already on it. Unrec for blindness. n/t

[Faygo Kid]

29. Hey, I agree.

The Catfood Commission is a stacked deck.

Sorry you had to unrec. No blindness here, though.

[Catherina]

35. Then I'm sorry and wish I could change that to a rec

I thought this was another of those "look the other way" posts we keep getting to try to keep us in line.

Really, I'm sorry because you're right, they will but it's gonna be another bipartisan, planned, effort :( Forgive me.

[and-justice-for-all]

31. Social Services haa always been their number one target...

I hope they openly talk about it on the M$M and all those people who voted for those fuckers, shit their pants and realize what the hell they have done by voting for those fascist brown shit basterds.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

32. You bet.

The dismantling of the FDR security net and government in general will begin in earnest. And there may be some Dems perfectly willing to go along with that plan. :(

We will have to be on our otes 24/7 for the next two years.

[avaistheone1]

33. Screw Rand Paul and his stompers at every turn

[Rex]

36. They will scream MANDATE even as they pry the last amount of

pocket change from grandma's dead cold hands! Laugh at your own peril.

[Strelnikov_]

40. And it will be their Waterloo

just like it was for the Bush GOP.

His SS 'reform' tour was the beginning of the big slide, and Katrina finished him, and the GOP, for the 2006 cycle.