PamRotella.com

The GOP on Social Security: "Seniors, drop dead!"
[Posted 7 March 2005]

Last weekend I had a cable technician out to the house. As he fiddled with the cable box, the channel rested on a network with a Republican Senator talking about Social Security. It was the type of show I wouldn't waste my good time on, but suddenly I was forced to listen to the misinformation of an obvious right-wing shill on TV. First the Senator said that a budget problem existed, and that it was largely due to entitlement programs. Then he went on to attack Social Security, presenting Bush's private account plan as the only way to "save" it.

This must be why most Americans are smart enough to reject the plan -- because they can see right through the obvious lies used to take their retirements away. First of all, WHY is there a budget problem under Bush? There were budgetary SURPLUSES under Clinton, after all. But suddenly another Bush takes office, and yet again, the economy turns into a disaster area. So let's cover the three main reasons we're having any budgetary problems at all:

1.) Bush gave a huge tax cut to the wealthiest Americans, which immediately put the brakes on a healthy economy. As usually happens when a Bush is in power, the government's concern wasn't to fix the economy, but rather to loot the economy as much as possible before being kicked out of office.

2.) The wars, first on Afghanistan and then Iraq, are taking money by the hundreds of BILLIONS to support. I haven't checked to see the current total, but expect 2-3 trillion before we're out of there, at least. This is again, largely due to the Bush looting of the economy -- many of the corporations Bush and Cheney have affiliations with are benefiting from the war. That's why they don't really care about how many Americans die there -- they want the war to continue for as long as possible, to maximize their profits.

3.) Because Bush doesn't want to fix the economy, and really isn't smart enough to know how anyway, people aren't making as much money to pay into taxes. This is a big part of the reason for Clinton's surpluses -- he knew how to get the economy going, and suddenly the extra tax dollars started finding their way back to the treasury.

Then there's the issue of how Social Security is causing a drain on the treasury -- basically, it isn't. Social Security is a pay-as-you-go system, meaning the tax payments by both employers and employees have not only been paying for retirees' benefits, but a lot of other things too. That's because the government has been raiding the Social Security trust fund for years. Therefore it's PROVIDING money to the government, not taking it. And there's no reason to make adjustments for at least a few decades, when the FICA tax rates may need to be slightly raised for the baby boomers' retirement. But by then, it's possible that a non-Bush will be in office, and the economy will be good again. Who's to say that 40 years from now, there won't be a better non-war economy, with another huge surplus for Bush relatives to loot yet again?

And private accounts couldn't possibly "save" Social Security. They would only divert the money to Wall Street, and that's the reason such a nonsensical idea has been promoted by the Bush administration -- it's just more looting by the companies and supporters of Bush, Cheney, & company. The Bush cabal has already looted just about everything else they can get their hands on, and so now they're off to victimize seniors with Social Security "reform." Remember back during the elections, when Democrats were telling you that Bush was going to privatize Social Security, and Bush denied it? Well, as usual, you can believe anything bad that you hear about Bush -- it's all true!

I can't imagine being so heartless. After people work their entire lives paying into this retirement system (along with their employers, who match employee contributions by law), Bush wants to divert their retirement funds to the casino that is Wall Street. Some estimate this would cut Social Security benefits by up to half. As it is, many seniors have to live in subsidized or sub-standard housing because Social Security just isn't enough for today's prices. And they can't afford any frills in life, sometimes not even medication. But at least it provides something, so that seniors can have a minimum amount of security in their final years. But that's too much for the Republican Party, which apparently wants to throw old people onto the trash heap when they're unable to continue working. Good ole George W. Bush -- there isn't a person he wouldn't throw into the streets if he could make money from it. That's why the last 2 Presidential elections had to be rigged. Nobody wanted these hateful old creeps.

Barbara Boxer covered a memo to the effect that Republicans have wanted to deprive people of Social Security for the past 60 years:

Senator Barbara Boxer -- "Peace of Mind vs. a Gamble: The Social Security Debate"
(A speech given by Senator Barbara Boxer on February 11, 2005)

I've been impressed with Barbara Boxer lately. First she signed onto Congresswoman Tubbs-Jones' objection to the certification of Ohio's votes, and now she's defending our retirements. Maybe Boxer is starting to show this leadership because most of the Democratic Party isn't. Or perhaps she's contemplating a move to higher office. If this is what she's made of, she already has my vote! But like any Democrat thinking of a run for the White House, she'd better think of getting the voting machine fraud fixed, or she won't stand a chance.

Back to Social Security. I hope everyone will contact their Senator and Congressman to assert that it should remain SECURE, with full benefits for seniors when the time comes. The Republicans may threaten a collapse, but that's just looting behavior. Anyone who claims they can't "save" Social Security should step down and allow more competant, less heartless people to take their place. Too bad there's so much voting machine fraud, or we'd kick 'em all out in the next election...


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