Tag: Social Security
VIDEO: Scott Taylor Wants to Cut Social Security and Medicare
Sen. Mark Warner Urges Flexibility for Social Security Recipients Amid COVID-19...
Save Social Security and Medicare, Vote Democratic on 11/6!
After Voting to Massively Increase the Debt, Reps. Brat, Garrett Shamelessly...
It’s Time to Retire Dave Brat
7 Reasons to Vote for Eileen Bedell
Why We Can’t Reelect Dave Brat
On November 8th, Make Sure You Vote Against the GOP’s Entire...
Hey, Cantor, the “Deficit Crisis” Doesn’t Exist
Eric Cantor is back home from voting a 40th time to overturn "Obamacare," with a pit stop at Fox News where he spouted the latest right-wing talking points about how we have to cut "entitlements" to get the House to fund the government for the next fiscal year because of the "deficit crisis." But, guess what? There IS no run-away budget deficit. In spite of the do-nothing GOP House of Representatives and the filibuster-loving Senate GOP minority, the deficit is under control. This deficit reduction wasn't done the right way, nor was it done in a way to actually improve government efficiency. Atlantic magazine this month explains just how deficit management was stumbled into, in spite of the Republican-caused gridlock in Washington.
The first step to lowering the deficit was the fiscal-cliff deal the president got Congress to agree to before the first of the year, the deal that raised income tax rates on wealthy Americans. Then, because Congress refused to act to stop a ridiculous sequester that was so extreme no one figured it would happen, another $1 trillion will be lopped off the deficit by the end of the next decade. Those combined actions, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, are sufficient to stabilize the U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio. That means the debt is no longer growing faster than the U.S. economy. The deficit crisis is over. As the economy slowly regains momentum after the Great Recession, the improvement in the deficit picture will become even more pronounced.
It's time to declare victory in the deficit war and work to replace the idiotic sequester with more reasonable and sustainable budget constraints. Plus, Congress needs to raise the debt limit and pass a budget. However, Cantor and his tea-poisoned majority in the House now insist that Social Security and Medicare have to be slashed. Since neither one caused the deficit in the first place, it would be foolish to agree to whatever cockamamie scheme Cantor and company have planned to wreck the social safety net for seniors.
By His Own Definition, Paul Ryan is a “Looter”
Photo credit: C-Span
People receiving Social Security paid for their benefits throughout their working years. They did so with their own payroll deductions. There is an employer's portion as well. But the worker essentially pays for that portion too, by receiving lower pay. In other words, ALL of it comes out of the workers' hides (err paycheck) during their working lives. There is, however, a portion of Social Security which is not based on work the beneficiary has done. I speak of survivors' benefits. Survivors' benefits are based upon the work record of a deceased person. I am not here addressing whether or not that is a good thing, though I think it is (a good thing). This portion of Social Security assures that parents of young children left without a breadwinner get the a benefit for each child until each turns 18.
Paul Ryan received such a benefit. And then he has the nerve to call Social Security recipients as looters (for using the very old age insurance they paid for during their working lives). Why does Paul Ryan hate old people?
I would like to say, how dare he, he who benefited from a system he had never put into at that point? The man talked like this vilifying essentially every American, for nearly every American will one day take Social Security, assuming that we do not allow Republicans and a few Blue Dogs to destroy the program.