..."ONLY PRACTICAL WAY TO GENERATE SAVINGS OF THAT MAGNITUDE WOULD BE TO REPLACE TRADITIONAL MEDICARE WITH A VOUCHER FOR THE PURCHASE OF PRIVATE INSURANCE AND TO CONVERT MEDICAID TO A BLOCK GRANT, AS THE RYAN PLAN WOULD DO." (Source : http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3471)
As for Social Security, it is estimated that current beneficiaries and those approaching retirement would see fairly substantial benefit reductions. As the 'Boomers' begin collecting Social Security, this act would trigger even further reductions to meet the 20.6% trigger. Increasing Social Security revenues, either through raising the earnings level subject to the Social Security payroll tax or by raising the retirement age to receive full benefits--WILL NOT prevent enormous benefit cuts, because these options do not affect whether total federal expenditures meet the spending cap. The spending cap TRIGGER mandated in the Corker-McCaskill CAP Act would begin in 2013, immediately after the Presidential and Congressional elections. The House 'companion' bill, namely the 'Cut, Cap and Balance Act' is waiting in the wings, should the CAP Act fail. Either bill is a treasonous surrender of our RIGHTS, namely Social Security and Medicare.
Balancing the budget and the spending cap on the backs of
Social Security and Medicare are NOT WELFARE. These are social insurance programs which produce a defined benefit for retirees, and as such are not under the auspices of presidential, judicial or congressional whim, under a LEGITIMATE government. For members of congress to retool the program and divert our money set aside for retirement amounts to grand theft. CONGRESS HAS NO RIGHT TO REWRITE THE SOCIAL SECURITY PROGRAM FOR THE MAJORITY OF STOCKHOLDERS which is the American public. Congress and the President have no right to divert funds from Social Security by using it as a corporate piggy bank.
Lie #4 : Increasing taxes proportionally to earnings level will kill business investment and destroy jobs....
This has to be the most insidious of all the myths, having no basis in fact or history. In fact just the opposite is true. The largest gain of jobs leading to the creation of a giant 'middle class' for the first time in our history occurred due to an equally giant infusion of monies into public infrastructure works, beginning with the administration of FDR and continuing through the subsequent administrations of Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and yes--even Nixon.
Highways, bridges, schools, electrical power grids, were examples of improved infrastructure. This improved infrastructure made it less expensive to do business, for corporations and small Mom and Pop stores. This was dubbed ..."the great expansion," as it grew the largest middle class in our history. As a rule, Americans understood the maxim..."you have to spend money to make money." Instead of demanding the 'rock bottom' price--Americans understood the link between reasonable pricing and a living wage for workers. Rather than demand 'something for nothing' we demanded economic justice for both business owners and workers.
The expansion of jobs and economic stability for a majority of Americans continued until the eventful Reagan regime. From Reagan on through Bush I, Clinton, Bush II and now the Obama administration--economic prospects for the average American have dwindled to little more than 'wage-slavery.'
Tethered to a system which denies healthcare to anyone not covered by an employer backed 'group' insurance plan--workers remain in jobs they hate, taking any punishment metered out, in a desperate attempt to retain healthcare coverage which does not exclude 'pre-existing conditions.'
As workers became more desperate--employers discovered outsourcing those same jobs. Workers in Asia for example would produce goods for pennies of a true living wage. American workers were told to compete against workers making literally pennies--an obscenely unfair labor practice-- reminiscent of a drowning man being given the choice of either swimming with sharks or piranhas. Even the Clinton administration, usually heralded for leading our country to a large surplus--sacrificed our manufacturing sector on the altar of Milton Friedman's 'open markets', via NAFTA. Since then, a series of 'free trade' treaties have resulted in furthering what historians have titled--'The Great Contraction,' heralding in an era of massive job losses and the highest rate of childhood homelessness since the Great Depression. (Source: )
Now the 'free trade' gurus under the auspices of the Americans For Prosperity ( a tea party 'advisory group) , the US Chamber of Commerce, the official GOP and yes--the Democratic Leadership Council--are feverishly blaming the present economic meltdown on the poor, the middle class and the elderly in a concerted plan to destroy our paltry 'social safety net,' namely Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid. We are told to 'trust' the very financial sector that caused this economic train wreck--with our retirement and health benefits. The financial services (ie. Banking, Insurance ) industries have proven to be as dependable as believing that 'doing it' for the first time--won't get you pregnant.
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