Liberals don't like the prospect of the Bowles-Simpson plan becoming the starting point of deficit reduction talks, because it is too centrist to offer Democrats a strong bargaining hand. But if you look more closely, it's far worse than that. Bowles-Simpson is Ryan-lite.
Appearing on Fox News this morning, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Rand Paul (R-KY) acted like their plan to means-test Social Security and raise the retirement age was the most genius thing since sliced bread. But however attractive these options may at first seem, means testing and raising the retirement age are very bad policy. Click here for a comprehensive take-down of raising the retirement age, and here for a rebuttal of means-testing.
There's been so much noise about what Paul Ryan's budget plan does to Medicare and Medicaid that the damage it does to Social Security has gone unnoticed.
Ah.... my fellow Americans, be very, very, afraid of the terrible Social Security crisis that will sink us as a nation. According to Government projections, we won't be able to pay full Social Security benefits, in 2037 and beyond, unless we cut benefits now, because the Social Security “Trust Fund” will be short of money. more »
By now you have heard that the Majority Leader Eric Cantor said that Social Security "cannot exist if we want America to be what we want America to be."
At least they are out in the open about their plans. more »
The nation’s greedy corporations and insatiable wealthy are fattening themselves on workers. There’s no trickle down. It’s the opposite; the rich have been sucking the economic lifeblood from the middle class for decades. more »
Diligent reporter that I am, I got up yesterday morning to do a bit of fishing for a story, and as so often happens, I’ve caught something a bit unexpected.
Now what I have for you today starts out as a bit of insider information that came to me on background—but it turns into a chance for those of us who support Social Security to very much get in the faces of our members of Congress, for more »
In the big budget fight going on right now in Congress, the Tea Party conservatives rightly point out that $61 Billion in spending cuts is just a drop in the bucket compared to the $1.6 Trillion predicted deficit, and they react with a great deal of moral fervor to the suggestion that they ought to compromise on $33 Billion in cuts in order to avoid shutting down the Government. more »
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