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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: JohnM who wrote (267370)	1/7/2015 5:04:02 PM
From: JohnM	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 541777

More on Warren's comments on the attack on social security. ------------------------------------------ Warren: ‘The GOP is inventing a Social Security crisis’ 01/07/15 04:36 PM By Steve Benen House Republicans, literally on the first day of the new Congress, quietly went after Social Security last night, and as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) put it, GOP lawmakers are “inventing a Social Security crisis.” Here’s the deal. Social Security doesn’t just provide benefits to seniors once they retire; the system also includes a disability-insurance program for those who want to work but can’t due to health reasons. Over the course of the last several decades, when the disability-insurance program runs short on funds, Congress transfers money from elsewhere in the Social Security system to prevent benefit cuts. It’s never been especially controversial – in fact, it’s been done 11 times over the last seven decades. And, with the disability-insurance program facing a shortfall next year, Social Security proponents expect this Congress to do what previous Congresses have done. The system’s trustees have seen this coming – it’s largely the result of demographic changes – and the fix should be pretty straightforward. Not only do congressional Republicans oppose the fix, as Dylan Scott explained, GOP lawmakers also took steps yesterday to make the solution almost impossible to pass. The incoming GOP majority approved late Tuesday a new rule that experts say could provoke an unprecedented crisis that conservatives could use as leverage in upcoming debates over entitlement reform. The largely overlooked change puts a new restriction on the routine transfer of tax revenues between the traditional Social Security retirement trust fund and the Social Security disability program. Republicans didn’t prohibit the transfers, sometimes called “reallocation,” but the new policy does say that transfers must “improve the overall financial health of the combined Social Security Trust Funds.” And as TPM’s report added, “While that language is vague, experts say it would likely mean any reallocation would have to be balanced by new revenues or benefit cuts.” And that’s a problem. At first blush, a provision that says it want to “improve the overall financial health” of the Social Security system may sound great, but the devil is in the details. For one thing, transferring funds to the disability-insurance program would have little discernible effect on the system’s financial health, so it’s not as if Republicans can say their new policy of theirs is somehow intended to “protect” Social Security. For another, this little unannounced stunt in the House floor last night seems to clear the way for proposed Social Security cuts, which would be consistent with congressional Republicans’ larger goals. And finally, if the disability-insurance program doesn’t get the resources it needs, households that rely on these benefits – which is to say, people who physically cannot work – will face drastic Social Security reductions. When looking ahead to the more contentious fights of the 11th Congress, many of us, including me, hadn’t given much thought to Social Security. As of last night, that changed.

To: JohnM who wrote (267370)	1/8/2015 1:15:58 PM
From: Suma	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 541777

Makes one hate all Republicans doesn't it ? They based their campaign on Immigration, abortion, homosexual rights and Obama being a Communist. The FOX listeners an ignorant bunch bought it all. The real issues were never brought up about how they have voted for tax increases for the middle class and reductions for the wealthy. Now we have those B's back in charge again after the disaster they created with the 2008 Depression. They are pawns of the very wealthy and companies who finance their elections..... and they prey on the poor and middle class.... I am reminded of G.W Bush whose speech I heard again the other night on a Progressive Radio Station. Yes, you need a WIFI radio to get other than right wing lies...and he was saying how we all should stand for Human Rights and do away with Torture all the while knowing that is exactly what our CIA was doing...... abroad and paying the country that it was being accomplished in money for doing it. Who can TRUST a member of this Party? And an ECONOMIC RECOVERY . Mitchell finally admits that there might be one. Who did it ? Obama and his administration and now who wants credit. Why the Republicans of course... Liars liars all.