Going to keep on this topic from Michele Swenson, author and activist:
Dear Mr. President,
Wall Street, media, Republicans and some Democrats (that includes both of Colorado's senators for now - ed.) have succumbed to lavishly-funded efforts by the likes of Wall St. billionaire Peter Peterson to refocus political dialogue away from jobs onto deficits.
The false deficit narrative has become excuse to cut and ultimately privatize Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid in order to pay for continued tax breaks for the wealthy and the decades-long transfer of wealth upward. To that end, Peterson has helped finance "Fix the Debt", with the backing of more than 80 CEOs to promote ever larger tax breaks for the wealthy on the backs of the working and unemployed.
Mr. President, you were re-elected to stand for working people, not wealthy special interests. You know the remedies for general inflationary health costs that affect Medicare and Medicaid.
...
Wall Streeters eager to privatize Social Security to line their pockets with substantial fees for privatized accounts incorrectly cite Social Security as a contributor to the deficit. (She's talking about you, Mr. Udall. - ed.)
The separate Social Security Trust Fund can be made solvent well into the future by lifting the cap on income above $110,000 for Social Security taxation, as you proposed in 2008.
There's more at the link.
It's a simple message and a simple solution to a highly exaggerated problem. The fact that our leaders still won't acknowledge this while using the phrase "fiscal cliff" to scare the citizens means we'll have to keep repeating it and repeating it until they know we aren't buying their scare tactics.
UPDATE: Udall and Bennet colleague Senator Mark Begich has proposed a senate bill that will make Social Security solvent with miniscule adjustments to paycheck deductions:
Says Social Security should be taken off the table in fiscal cliff debate
As the Senate returns to Washington to debate how to reduce the federal deficit and avoid severe automatic budget cuts, Sen. Mark Begich announced a new bill to strengthen the Social Security program while making clear the federal budget should not be balanced on the backs of America's seniors by cutting or privatizing Social Security. ...
I can cut and paste with the best of them, so the message will be repeated...... |
