As conservatives relentlessly demand more and more spending cuts in their crusade to impose austerity on our economy, they have fixated on cuts to benefits offered by Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security -- the core pillars of family security.
"One particularly noxious idea is the "chained CPI." Conservatives like it because it would cut Social Security benefits immediately for everyone in the system -- if we let them replace the more scientific index we have used for years to make sure benefits keep up with the cost of living. And some Democrats like it because it's a way to give deficit hawks real spending reduction -- while pretending it is simply a "technical fix" -- not really a benefit cut."... the chained CPI is a political trick, not a technical fix. It is a hidden benefit cut that would shackle seniors with lower benefits and thus less security over time. |