Another billionaire bailout is felonious....but the assault on SS is a crime against humanity!

[Faryn Balyncd]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9710606&mesg_id=9710606






:kick:




(Thank God for Bernie.... Maybe we can stop before the cliff.)

[provis99]

1. I'm sure we can compromise on social security.

We can raise the retirement age, privatise it, raise the payroll tax to offset tax breaks to billionaires, cut benefits, cut eligible beneficiaries, and other wonderful compromises. Compromise is what Democrats do best!

[FrenchieCat]

2. Hyperbole and fear tactics....

just like Republicans.

Congrats!

[blue neen]

4. Always.

It's amazing.

[Faryn Balyncd]

3. This "deal" was a "two-fer" for regressives, and a "Lose/Lose" for progressives.

[Individualist]

5. K&R

[Statistical]

6. What assault? There is no change in SS funding.

Notice the deficit cost of the 2% payroll tax reduction is $120B?

How would not paying 2% in SS trust fund cost the deficit $120B? Think about it. Here is a hint: The defict is the amount required to balance the general fund (i.e the budget).

Thats right the legislation calls for the general fund to replace the funding not contributed by payroll taxes.

Thus:
2% SS tax holiday - $120B in SS funding for 2011 + $120B funding from general fund (paid for by an expansion of deficit by $120B) = $0 change in SS funding.

[madrchsod]

7. i`m drawing my money from the time america still had an industrial base

my kids will be drawing social security from an america that has tens of millions of unemployed or under employed. how will their socials security be funded?

it won`t be funded by an industrial base....

[leftstreet]

8. K&R

[gratuitous]

9. This is true

Because once enacted, it will be impossible to return to previous withholdings. Every time the reduction is about to expire, Republicans will begin their ersatz populism about how the Democrats are trying to raise everyone's taxes! Naturally, the media echo chamber will amplify the bullshit, and all the usual suspects will wring their hands about how mean the Democrats are.

Then the new trustee's report will come out, and *horrors*! if the system's projected solvency is reduced by five years or so. This will lead to the nice-sounding solution of "means testing" social security, reducing or eliminating benefits for the wealthy as a means of "saving" social security for those who "truly need it." Following that, social security will become identified as a poor person's pension, instead of the universal insurance program it is meant to be. And as we've seen with tiresome regularity, anything for the poor is the first thing to face more cuts.

This "holiday" will be the next step on the way to ending social security. Remember the Republicans' silence as the holiday is proposed, and compare it to the fake populist tone they will adopt when it's scheduled to end. That will be your "tell."

[inna]

10. k&r and thank you so much for your posts on SS, I really appreciate them

(and I'm sure I'm not alone).

:yourock: