Win One For The Gipper: Oppose Privatization
Win One For The Gipper: Oppose Privatization
Roll Call announced this morning that “the House Republican Conference will unveil today its latest prize for rewarding GOP lawmakers: the Ronald Reagan awards.” The honor “will be given to Members who excel at disseminating the party’s message on Social Security reform in their districts.”
There’s more to this story than the sad fact that conservatives now have to bribe lawmakers with made-up contest prizes to dredge up support for the president’s plan. What House Republicans are willfully ignoring: In 1983, President Reagan stepped away from privatization ideas to work with Congress to pass smaller, more manageable reforms which shored up the program. Washington Monthly’s Josh Green pointed out in 2003 that, during his time in office, Ronald Reagan “vastly expanded” the Social Security system. He signed into law a $165 billion legislative package which upped payroll taxes, brought new recipients into the system and “for the first time, taxed Social Security benefits, and did so in the most liberal way: only those of upper-income recipients.” It’s time for the right to stop trying to capitalize on The Gipper’s iconic status to maipulate conservatives into supporting President Bush’s plan.
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How about us establishing the “Zelie” award to be given to all those Dems who caucus with Reps and have no spine to stand up with the us? This is no joke people. We are in a cultural and political divide unlike any in recent history.
Let’s give an award to those who’d make Zel Miller proud!
Andros
PS>I’m available to be on the judging committee
February 9th, 2005 at 5:50 pmAs you indicated, Regan’s more manageable reforms just shored up the program for a limited period of time. We have time now to do something that will fix it permanently, but if we don’t do it now, then in 2018 or shortly after then, when expenses exceed revenues, will mean that the program may get cut altogether.
And if you think that all they have to do is tax the rich, SSA actuaries looked at this solution back in late 2003. See Table 2 (page 5) that would only extend the insolvency date from 2018 to 2025, and you know the next thing the left would try is limiting receipt of SSA benefits to “the really needy” which would mean that the people who paid the most would get the least.
February 10th, 2005 at 10:46 amSince 1983, members of the ‘baby boom’ generation have been paying increased payroll taxes to create a surplus in the SS trust fund to help mitigate the impact of our retirement surge on the system. The current administration is draining the trust fund to cover its monstrous deficit — a significant portion of which is the result of tax cuts that benefit the wealthiest (viz., those with income well above the payroll tax cap). Essentially, this administration is taking money that we have been contributing toward our own retirement through increased payroll taxes, and redistributing it to a wealthy few through tax cuts heavily skewed in their favor. In the business world, I believe the term for this is: EMBEZZLEMENT. This administration is robbing Peter and Paul (and me) to pay King George and his courtiers.
February 10th, 2005 at 8:09 pmRegarding the Zellie award for spineless Democrats, Josh Marshall on Talkingpointsmemo does this daily with his “Fainthearted Faction”.
February 12th, 2005 at 12:16 pmEmbezzlement of the Trust Fund? Indeed, the question everyone should be asking the President is:
Mr. President, will you redeem the Social Security bonds? If the answer is yes then there is no crisis. If the answer is no then perhaps China and Japan might want to read the fine print on their U.S. Treasury Bonds.
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March 16th, 2005 at 3:57 am09d550150c7b9655b60e927252b279d4 31e86dc7984c.
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March 16th, 2005 at 3:57 amקפה טחון
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