The Wall Street Journal and other media are reporting definitively on the Obama deficit plan to be announced on Monday. The big news: the President will not propose raising the Medicare eligibility age. So the millions of older workers and unemployed people now desperately trying to hold on until they reach age 65 will not end up resenting Democrats for trying to make a difficult life even more difficult. And young people without pensions will enjoy a little more confidence that one party is on their side.
After today, the policy choice will be even clearer: Almost all Republicans voted for the Ryan plan to dismantle Medicare. And now Democrats can clearly say they will fight any attempt to cut Medicare benefits or raise the Medicare eligibility age.
Coming after the President's $447 billion jobs plan, unveiled in his September 8 address to a joint session of Congress, many progressives were worried that the President in Monday's speech on deficits would break his jobs momentum. We feared Obama would revert to the offers he made to Republicans in a futile effort to reach a "grand bargain" during negotiations over raising the debt ceiling.
Organized under the banner of the Strengthen Social Security campaign, hundreds of groups representing labor, women, African-Americans, Latinos, youth and policy advocates,had previously managed to get the White House to assure them that Social Security -- which contributes not a dime to the deficit -- will not be on the list for cuts, even though the President had previously made the Republicans an offer to tamper with the index by which annual benefit cuts are calculated in a way that would cut Social Security benefits. But those same groups kept the pressure on, demanding no structural changes to Medicare -- or damaging cuts to Medicaid.
If reports are accurate, the President now has a plan he can take to the American people, not just Washington pundits or the Super Committee. The President has listened to the people. He is pushing for jobs and growth now -- the number one priority of Americans. You can question whether his economic recovery plan will do the job, but there is no doubt that his jobs plan goes generally in the right direction, compared to the bankrupt conservative program. Now that he is not trying to placate conservative "entitlement hawks," he is now more free to talk about deficit reduction in a way that prioritizes growth and putting people to work -- and turning the unemployed into taxpayers. Obama and his aides are very clear that tax increased and spending cuts should come only after economic growth and job creation is firmly established.
The President can now join with Congressional Democrats to strongly defend Social Security and Medicare. Combined with his jobs proposals, the new Obama economic message makes sense and deserves our praise. Over the longer term, America must further reform a wasteful health care system, but the President knows that the country would end up paying more for healthcare if we allow conservatives to cut Medicare benefits or raising the age of eligibility.
Combined, the President has laid about a program that he can take to the American people - and if the Super Committee does not embrace it -- there is now a much better chance that it will make sense to the voters in 2012.
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Dean Baker: Is Social Security a Ponzi Scheme? Is the Washington Post a Criminal Enterprise?
As Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "Presidents are selected...NOT elected," As a past few Presidents and leaders such as Eisenhower, JFK and Martin L. King recognised and had the courage to warn us, of the invisble power, more powerful than this nation itself, who controls the government. It's an elite group/cartel with extreme wealth who own the Wall Street banks, manufacturing industries and corporations with the "True Power" running this country by huge donations and their lobbyist throwing the money at politicians and choose our President and members of Congressmen/women.
They just rotate between Republicans and Democrats who follow their "agenda."
I won't be duped again by slick campaign slogans and empty promises by either parties. It's a "private club" and 99% of the American people aren't in it. People had better wake up real fast.
It's fairly easy to defend SS but Medicare is a beast and nothing the President has put out nor the feeling that Medicare works adds up . . .
Consider an average-wage, two-earner couple together earning $89,000 a year. Upon retiring in 2011, they would have paid $114,000 in Medicare payroll taxes during their careers.
But they can expect to receive medical services -- from prescriptions to hospital care -- worth $355,000, or about three times what they put in.
The same hypothetical couple retiring in 2011 will have paid $614,000 in Social Security taxes, and can expect to collect $555,000 in benefits. They will have paid about 10 percent more into the system than they're likely to get back.
http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2010/12/114000_that_2011_retirees_paid.html
To my fans who will read this comment: There are several very worthy links I like to follow as well as HP. The radio hosts are terrific and the topics you won't hear about in the MSM. Today's drshow had a wonderful discussion about Pres. Garfield and a new book about him. Most of these links give historical insights you will lovel.
http://uprisingradio.org/home/2011/08/10/kill-the-messenger-the-media%e2%80%99s-role-in-the-fate-of-the-world/
http://www.rnw.nl/english/dossier/thestatewerein (amazing news stories you won’t hear or see in the MSM)
http://thedianerehmshow.org/ (great, great host and guests)
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/
http://www.npr.org/search/index.php?searchinput=news+corps
http://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/
http://sciencefriday.com/
http://www.wpfwfm.org/ (Jazz and Justice … one of my favorites)
Lest you have an apoplectic fit, I am close to retirement myself and have no interest in living nearly forever by sucking up funds that should go to younger people. A nice healthy retirement for 25-30 years and I will be happy to sail off into the west.
Medicare for all (single payer) would alleviate the problems. No more private insurance and the high overhead and ever increasing premiums. No Medicaid. And its proven cheaper by every country that has such a program.
Social Security & Medicare NEED major overhauls
But they need to be handled on their own
. . . NOT AS ANY PART OF A BUDGET-CUTTING BATTLE
============================================
Both Social Security & Medicare need to be Restructured in a Major Way
These restructurings need to have major input from the PUBLIC
to insure that restructures are approved by the public, not just sprung on them
somehow the public should vote on the planned tradeoffs to ensure it's legitimately
TWO MOST IMPORTANT CHANGES
1- 100% SELF-FUNDED 70-year solvency
2- Programs need to be regularly & routinely readjusted every 10 years, instead of waiting until it is crisis time, when the changes need to be huge
==================
MUST BE ADJUSTED
Contribution Rates
Elilgibility Ages
Benefits, Rates, & COLAs
CURRENT STRUCTURES LEAD TO CERTAIN DEATH
Social Security only needs a lifting of the cap on payroll taxes.
There, feel better now?
I will be pulling the lever for Obama in 2012.
But President Obama hasn't convinced me NOT to vote 3rd party yet either.
Convince me Mr. President,...
Let's get real people.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/09/17/us/politics/20110917_poll_results.html
The Times’ recent poll shows low numbers for self-identified liberals (questions 78 & 79)
Economic issues:
7% very liberal
15 somewhat liberal
36 moderate
25 somewhat conservative
12 very conservative
4 don’t know
Social issues:
10 very liberal
20 somewhat liberal
31 moderate
22 somewhat conservative
14 very conservative
3 don’t know
America had its greatest expansion of the economy in the 1950's and 60's with 70% marginal rates for the superwealthy.
IMPO.........The man largely responsible for the divisiveness and partisanship we see destroying our governments ability to function today?
"We are trying to change the tones in the state capitals -- and turn them toward bitter nastiness and partisanship."
A man who quite frankly, seems to want to destroy our government.
"I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub."
Working to CHANGE government, to make it more responsive, more effective, more efficient, is an admirable goal.
Working to DESTROY it?
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." - Abraham Lincoln -
Why fight wars half way across the globe, when there are those who want to destroy our government being elected here at home?
If Republicans want Americans to be more "personally responsible" and held accountable for their actions, then it follows that Americans SHOULD hold Republicans accountable for theirs.