Sigh. RE: Social Security & The Cat Food Commission - Guess It's Time To Post This AGAIN...

[Hissyspit]

http://pol.moveon.org/ssmyths/?id=22234-17495421-xqsP.xx&t=1

Top 5 Social Security Myths

Rumors of Social Security's demise are greatly exaggerated. But some powerful people keep spreading lies about the program to scare people into accepting benefit cuts. Can you check out this list of Social Security myths and share it with your friends, family and coworkers?

Myth: Social Security is going broke.

Reality: There is no Social Security crisis. By 2023, Social Security will have a $4.3 trillion surplus (yes, trillion with a 'T'). It can pay out all scheduled benefits for the next quarter-century with no changes whatsoever.1 After 2037, it'll still be able to pay out 75% of scheduled benefits--and again, that's without any changes. The program started preparing for the Baby Boomers retirement decades ago.2 Anyone who insists Social Security is broke probably wants to break it themselves.

Myth: We have to raise the retirement age because people are living longer.

Reality: This is a red-herring to trick you into agreeing to benefit cuts. Retirees are living about the same amount of time as they were in the 1930s. The reason average life expectancy is higher is mostly because many fewer people die as children than did 70 years ago.3 What's more, what gains there have been are distributed very unevenly--since 1972, life expectancy increased by 6.5 years for workers in the top half of the income brackets, but by less than 2 years for those in the bottom half.4 But those intent on cutting Social Security love this argument because raising the retirement age is the same as an across-the-board benefit cut.

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[asdjrocky]

1. People have been lied to for so long, by both sides, most of us can't see the truth. nt

[Hissyspit]

5. It's like the "Iraq was CIA/Intelligence Failure" revisionist meme.

Media deliberately or negligently let it become gospel, despite the fact that it simply was not true.

[Enthusiast]

12. Exactly

This is a full on, full time misinformation machine ramped up and running on all cylinders.

[Enthusiast]

11. The smoke screen is

so thick that it obscures the truth.

[WCGreen]

2. Big Recommend....

It's important to disprove the myth....

[DeSwiss]

3. K&R

No SS crisis. No SS connection to the deficit either. Doesn't matter.

- When they come for the money, who will stop them??? Obama???

[NobodyHere]

4. Just from reading the OP

A 25 percent drop in benefits seems like a pretty big deal.

[gratuitous]

14. Yes, a projected drop in about 28 years

I'm not sure there's anything guaranteed to last for the next 28 years. A projected 25% cut in benefits more than a quarter century away does not seem like the stuff a crisis is made of. The simple expedient of removing the cap on social security earnings would probably guarantee the program's solvency into infinity.

[rfranklin]

6. Yes, but now the "realists" are saying, well the money was spent...

and it's not there while they ignore the fact that it is owed by the Treasury to the Trust Fund. Kind of, "Yeah, we promised to pay it back but we're broke so we gotta cut your bnefits." Never is there a mention of making the ultrawealthy pay up--after all, our SS contributions have funded the general budgets for thirty years while they enjoyed low taxes. And never is there a mention of maybe cutting back on the endless military occupation and invasions. Sigh....

[w8liftinglady]

7. Thank you,Hissyspit-I may make this the topic of my next editorial

bookmarked(My population is 75% over 65)

[Enthusiast]

8. K&R

The propaganda machine is running overtime to prepare us for cuts. Every word I've heard on TV repeats proposals by Simpson and Bowles with no contrary argument whatsoever. Their objective is to scare citizens into accepting slightly less severe cuts without so much as a whimper. This is a well designed plan of action more than likely formulated by the same strategists that designed the HCR debacle.

In the meantime the nation continues to throw money at the military industrial complex and any most favored industry like big oil and pharmaceuticals. This is criminality pure and simple.

[Solly Mack]

9. K&R

[Bozita]

10. K&R

[Starry Messenger]

13. k&r

[me b zola]

15. K&R

[Hissyspit]

16. guess it's time to kick this again...

[Individualist]

17. K&R

[HCE SuiGeneris]

18. K

R

[somone]

19. A manufactured crisis - deja vu

Same old shit

[Jefferson23]

20. I am waiting for Obama's speech with all those points directed at Simpson. n/t

[mmonk]

21. You have to keep posting it because propaganda is so persuasive.

[Hissyspit]

22. One last kick nt