Seniors Unite Against Simpson And Obama

[NorthCarolina]

The fact that President Obama picked Alan Simpson as co-chairman of the budget deficit commission is a tip off that Obama has already written off not only the progressives but also seniors ~ which will come back to haunt him in 2012.

Simpson has called seniors "greedy geezers;" described lower-income Americans as "lesser people in society;" and complained that he is frustrated hearing from retirees who "live in gated communities and drive their Lexus to the Perkins restaurant to get the AARP discount". Well, Mr Simpson ~ I happen to be a proud senior who is still working, making a difference, not living in a gated community or driving a Lexus and if it wasn't for social security ~ I, like millions of Americans, would fall below the poverty line.

For your information ~the average Social Security beneficiary receives only $13,900 a year and has not received a cost of living increase for two years.
You're a crusty, entitled and mean 79 year old geezer, Mr Simpson ~ and it's pretty obvious why Obama chose you to chair his bipartisan commission on reducing the federal deficits ~so he could eventually cut social security benefits.

<---snip--->

Link: http://www.opednews.com/articles/Seniors-Unite-Against-Simp-by-Allen-L-Roland-100827-118.html

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Moral of the story: Don't mess with the Seniors.

[dflprincess]

1. The administration may find that throwing seniors under the bus

has more consequences than they've faced when they've tossed other parts of the base there.

[yurbud]

55. if an undemocratic sociopath like Bush couldn't privatize SS, why does a Democrat like Obama...

think he's going to be able to cut it?

[dflprincess]

59. Because when it comes to screwing the working & middle classes some jobs are so dirty

that only a Democratic can pull it off (think NAFTA).

It's no accident that the committee isn't going to report until after the November election. And with Pelosi promising the lame duck Congress will give the Commission's recommendations an an up or down vote a lot of people aren't even going to see this coming until it's too late.

[Name removed]

72. Deleted message

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[NorthCarolina]

90. Exactly correct.

I believe this intricate plan has been in the works for quite some time.

[readmoreoften]

114. +1

[xxqqqzme]

73. He thinks he's 'entitled'.

[Peregrine Took]

111. Its his "sister soljah" moment. He can prove to the right that he needs

their love more than our votes.

[T Wolf]

97. ...to quote Spock, "Only Nixon could go to China." Of course, that was a bad man doing a good thing

and this is the reverse, but the principle still applies.

[The Green Manalishi]

98. "only Nixon could go to China"

Only Clinton could gut welfare.

[juajen]

107. I don't agree with everything Clinton did, but from my examples of people

that I know or am acquainted with, welfare has not been gutted. I wish I knew how many unwed mothers are collecting welfare with no obvious limitations.

[frylock]

104. for the same reason that only nixon could go to china

[Cali_Democrat]

116. When did Obama say he wants to privatize social security?

Did I miss something? You got a link?

[NorthCarolina]

120. I think you misread the posters comment.

The poster questioned the viability of Obama's effort to "cut" Social Security in light of that failed Bush attempt to privatize it. S/He was not forwarding the claim that Obama was out to privatize. I think we all know that Obama's stand against privatization is the straw-man argument for justifying cuts and/or raising the retirement age.

[yurbud]

124. I said ''cut,'' but if you weaken a program to the point that people eventually lose faith in it,

it will make it easier to kill later.

[truedelphi]

117. See Nixon, China strategy.

Whatever party is assumed to be in charge of some aspect of a national policy, that Party gets the Green Light to make "advances" that ignore the traditional forms of the program.

Nixon, seen as being strong on Defense, could embrace the Red Commies in China precisely because of the Republican Party ownership of "Strong on Defense" issue.

So too, Obama, having the "Dems are all about enabling the low lifes to have some entitlements" meme as designating the Democratic Party's ownership of social and domestic policies -- can do whatever he wants. (Notice the "tit" in entitlements)

And just like occurred during the historic "Health Care 'Reform'" efforts, Obama and Rahm will meet with neo cons far more than they will meet with real Dems and progressives.

The far fetched premiums that almost all seniors have to pay for health insurance indicate that this Administration doesn't understand that we seniors VOTE!

[CLANG]

71. We are all either seniors or will be someday sooner than we like

We have relatives that are seniors, relatives we love and respect. When they mess with seniors, they are really messing with each one of us. DUMB DUMB DUMB political move...

[northernlights]

80. exactly. and even juniors can get the handwriting on the wall...

when gramps and gran are forced to move in with them...

[seafan]

2. AARP is calling for people to contact the White House to make their wishes known.

The only thing that will stop this theft of earned Social Security benefits is heavy public pressure.


Thanks for this article, DUer NorthCarolina.

[NorthCarolina]

3. Hard to believe DU'ers are unreccing this post. I guess protecting SS isn't a Dem concern anymore.

Thanks for posting your link to the AARP petition. There are several online petitions going in regards to this issue, I think I have hit about all of them.

[Autumn]

8. There are more important

concerns to protect. I don't get it.

[JDPriestly]

37. Social Security provides a subsistence income for millions and

millions of elderly Americans. What is more important than that?

[Autumn]

47. Oh, don't I know it

I should have put in a sarcasm tag. I find it unreal that so many people consider protecting the party, and our "leaders" more important than protecting the most vulnerable in our society.

[xxqqqzme]

74. Name One!

Oh, it's your money too, unless you are making over $106,000/yr.

[Autumn]

83. Please see my post

# 47. Oh, yeah it is my money and I am not happy about any threat to it, by anyone especially the Democrats and their sleezeball. No way in hell I can work till 70 in manufacturing. 65 would be stretching it.

[sce56]

35. Those unrecs must be from the silent FREEPER lurkers here!

[Lorien]

54. Why would Freepers unrec something they support?

Don't Freepers hate SS?

[awoke_in_2003]

99. the freeper lurkers...

joined up during the primaries and pretended to be democrats. They got their 1000th post within 3 weeks of joining, and caused quite a ruckus here during the primaries. They are still here, still pretending to be democrats. Many of them are the most vocal cheerleaders. Click on the profile and look at the join date- it is usually the only clue you need.

[Name removed]

53. Deleted message

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[Mojorabbit]

29. Yes and this will end up being his biggest mistake

Seniors vote and this is shaping up to be a huge issue with dozens of organizations mobilizing their members.

[jwirr]

86. Yes we vote but he knows we have little choice in who to vote for. And

seniors do not use staying home on election day as a weapon. I have voted in every election since JFK in the 60s. However, I didn't vote in the primary this year here in MN because I was willing to accept either Democratic candidate.

[NorthCarolina]

110. They can always

use the write-in feature to cast their vote for a true Liberal/Progressive.

[bvar22]

108. Yes. Seniors vote....but for whom?

What are they going to do?
Vote for a Republican?
Hahahahahahahahahaha!

[Jefferson23]

123. Hahaha is exactly right and the crux of this dilemma. Unless

AARP and progressives join forces and can reveal in a very huge public outing of the commissions intent, there is no political leverage regarding political parties. Exposure is the last hope imo.

Mass marches in the street of DC, the MSM is not going to pick up on this otherwise.

Fucking bastards, the lot of them.

[daleanime]

60. I now hate AARP....

no, I don't want to donate, yes I would like to leave now!

[Faygo Kid]

64. Curious: Why do you "now" hate AARP when they ripped Simpson?

They could hardly make a stronger statement against what he said. I know AARP gets no love (to put it mildly) here, but why do you "now" hate them for standing up for Social Security?

[daleanime]

65. Not that....

it was their Web Site, would not let me leave.:blush:

[Faygo Kid]

66. I hate those sites, too, but I just checked aarp.org, and was able to exit out easily.

Whatever, all the best. All of us have had it with Simpson. What a terrible choice for the commission.

[daleanime]

67. The whole commission is a terrible choice...

Cuts need to be make in public, after much needed debate!

[awoke_in_2003]

100. the only things we debate...

are things like the repeal of DADT.

[griffi94]

4. democrats can't afford to lose the seniors.

the democratic party will be marginalized ifthey lose the seniors.
they can hobble along without progressives and the GLBT....maybe, but if they lose the seniors
it's over.

[DURHAM D]

I assume you are joking about the GLBT?

They may or may not vote in the mid-terms but you won't be seeing our money at the usual levels and you won't see us out working in our usual numbers.

BTW, in case you don't realize it some of us members of the LGBT community are actually seniors.

[griffi94]

9. sorry not what i meant

throwing the GLBT under the bus didn't make the same amount of headlines.
sorry i wasn't clear i certainly didn't mean they were expendable.

[defendandprotect]

7. " hobble along w/o progressives and the GLBT . . ." ???

Is that a joke?

Meanwhile, it could produce one of the biggest ever anti-two-party system votes ever -- !!

[griffi94]

11. those 2 groups have already been told to sit down and shut up

so i would have to say the administration feels like they can do without them.
it's not my position, but it seems to be the administrations.
dicking with ss will generate a lot more press than snubbing GLBT or progressives did.
also they're running out of groups to throw under the bus.

[defendandprotect]

12. ... I understand Obama was thinking of cutting FOOD STAMPS--!!!

No -- the corporates never run out of new victims!!

[Nite Owl]

19. I think that was done already

it was part of the deal in the bill to give states money for teachers and unemployment. Maybe it was taken out but I don't think it was.

[griffi94]

21. you are correct

[Nite Owl]

23. Actually I was hoping I

was wrong. It was an awfully low thing to do.

[defendandprotect]

25. .. wow . . . this is so disgusting my heart is pounding in my throat ...!!!

What have we here ... a new Reagan???

[Nite Owl]

26. This was only a couple of months ago

but so much happens I'm not sure if it was Obama or the agreement reached in Congress in order to get the other stuff in the bill through. Either way we are dealing with a Democratic Party I no longer recognize. This isn't something that as a democrat I can ever imagine even being on the table. I don't know what they think they are doing, it's like they are asking to lose, they can't handle being in a majority.

[defendandprotect]

30. Understand -- and agree with you completely --

IMO, it's corporate control of the party -- and unfortunately, I think Obama has

been playing a little game with us --

As Pelosi put it ... "Obama was for a lot of things when he was campaigning . . .

that he is no longer for!"

Had I known Obama described himself as "New Dem" I would not have voted for him.

Certainly wasn't going to vote for DLC/Hillary either -- she's part of DLC leadership!

IMO, we need a new candidate in 2012 -- if there is anything left by then!!!

[Nite Owl]

32. It will be quite the party

machine to go up against. Intraparty machinations can be brutal, I've seen it on the state level. It's all about $$$$$.

[defendandprotect]

36. That worries me less -- much less -- than corporate $$ backing Obama ...!!

[awoke_in_2003]

102. and as far as the Pelosi quote...

she isn't any different- corporatist through and through.

[awoke_in_2003]

101. Obama's feelings on Reagan...

http://openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3263

Of course, I am probably taking it out of context :sarcasm:

[Hatchling]

119. I was accused of "poutrage".

When that interview aired I was aghast. Someone supposedly to the left of HRC hero worshiped Raygun!?

I was told to STFU, that I was a Puma (I was actually a Kootcher) and subjected to all sorts of rationalizations as to why Reagan was, in truth, a transformative President, even though I knew deep in my gut any transformation he created was a knife in the back to poorer Americans,

Auuughh I can't go on, I must go scream.

[awoke_in_2003]

125. "I was actually a Kootcher"

So was I- unfortunately, America is too stupid to elect someone like him to the presidency. That man is a fighter, just ask what used to be the Cleveland mafia.

[xxqqqzme]

75. food stamp cuts for unemployment

demands the rethuglicans.

[rucognizant]

105. Yes they did cut food stamps!

Moreover..........I have student loan debt. I just learned that if I don't sign on for, an income based agreement.......I will have my SS income garnished!
That means ANY EXTR PENNEY goes to the bank NOT to me....So I will be cooking with only 1 burner on my stove, cutting the grass with a weedwacker as my lawn mower is broken, running up the electric bill with my faulty plumbing. Until I drop over..............

I only went back to school at 57 to add computer graphic skils to my art skills, to increase the possibility of getting a job. WHO KNW+EW that the prejudice against hiring Seniors to do computer work was as strong as not hiring Blacks pre civil rights!

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

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[griffi94]

24. i have to think that as well

i mean at this point i don't even know how he would campaign.
that's part of the thing that makes me most nervous tho.
at the rate we're going the very last bits of the new deal will be toast by 2012.
then what.

[Vincardog]

87. If he does want to win in 2012 he needs to guarantee he runs against Sister Sarah and Mittens. Don't

let the Batshit crazy be the enemy of the awful

[truth2power]

50. I don't think Obama wants a second term. n/t

[Blutodog]

96. Whose going to vote for him?

He was put in to GUT entitlements for his Wall st. pals. He's a Corporatist "sheep in wolves clothing." His hatred amd contempt for the poor and the middle class is now so obvious. Any Dem. president wouldn't be doing the shit this klown has been doing and expecting he's get reelected.

[howmad1]

106. Sure as shit, I'm not voting democratic after 60 years.

Frankly, I don't give a flying fuck who gets elected in 2012. They're all beholden to corporations so it won't make a fiddlers fuck difference who wins. Where the hell is Dennis Kucinich when we need him so desperatly?

[truth2power]

121. I'm sorry to say I agree with you...

Would President Palin drive a stake into the country's heart? Absolutely! But so will Obama, only in slow motion, the only difference being we'll have more pleasant music in the background.

It's terribly sad.

[Peregrine Took]

113. If I live to be 1000 I'll never understand his mental processes.

He constantly dumbfounds me and just when I think it can happen again - it does and worse and worse. I feel like I'm having a nightmare as I had such hopes for this administration.

[txlibdem]

85. He gets a $196,000 annual pension anyway

I wouldn't want a second term either, too much grief and no additional pension. Don't you wish you could work for 4 years and get a lifetime pension?!?

He was a millionaire before election day from sale of his two books so I guess he switched sides overnight.

Now I'm thinking Dean in 2012.

[Name removed]

93. Deleted message

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[awoke_in_2003]

103. and the bus...

just had a lift kit installed.

[JDPriestly]

38. Obama has been aiming to please some sort of mythical "center."

Can't wait to see what his GOTV effort will look like now that he has completely offended progressives, union members of all kinds, teachers and now seniors.

Wonder how many precincts all his centrist voters will be walking for his candidates? This is a mid-term election. People have to be motivated to vote, and on top of that, they have to be reminded to vote. Who is going to be out there this year?

Are any DUers volunteering? I don't know how I can. I don't see how I can defend what Obama has done thus far. Yes, he has done some fairly good stuff, but I can't answer the questions I would get from the people in my area. There is just too much that I can't defend.

If you have ever done GOTV work, talked to voters in the days before an election as I have so often, you will know that you have to really believe in what your candidate stands for in order to do that. What does Obama stand for? I really haven't figured that out yet. So I certainly can't know whether I believe in it.

For example, I remember in 2008, I went to the home of a man who met me outside, tears in his eyes. His daughter had just returned from serving in Iraq. He told me he just wanted that war to end. Obama has announced the end of combat, but how do you explain that to the fathers and mothers of all the soldiers who are still over there but just not drawing combat pay?

[dflprincess]

27. Not just seniors

but the millions of Boomers in their 50s who are thinking about when they can retire.

[DURHAM D]

5. Why worry - Donna Brazile said the Dem party has a whole new coalition.

During the primary I forget who she included, other that the creative class and AAs, but seniors were not in the group. Someone needs to give her a call and ask her advice.

[defendandprotect]

6. Sad -- this is not only truth about Obama + Social Security .... it's the final straw

that has broken all trust with this administration, IMO --

If this doesn't wake everyone up, then we're not asleep ... we're pretending to be asleep!!

We have to move on, folks!!

Hope there is organizing and UNITING SENIORS . . . that can't be done fast enough!!

[DURHAM D]

10. If the seniors organize and save it they will be doing it for everyone -

that means for the non-seniors as well. However, from the unrecs I can tell that a lot of younger Dems are unable to understand the real issue.

In other words, they are not Democrats for reasons of public policy. Instead, they are just into one guy and they want to support him on one of his core campaign issues.

If they don't support him on this then they must accept that they made a mistake in judgment.

[defendandprotect]

14. They don't understand their STAKE in this because the necessary information not

only didn't appear to educate them - but they've been hit with decades of

right wing propaganda on Social Security confusing them.

Social Security used to send out speakers to inform employees of the value

of Social Security, what it costs, what it pays, and who it helps and how.

No longer!

Used to also be neighborhood Democrats who would circulate in telling people

about what's going on and the meaning of various programs -- no more!


Had no idea that thread was being UN'rec's either!! Wow!!

[napi21]

13. I think you're wrong about Obama. I don't know why he picked Simpson,

but I hear a clip of the Pres a few days ago when he was speaking to some group and he was talking about the some of the Pubs want to privatize SS & some even want to do away with it all together. He said"This will NEVER happen under my watch!" and I believe him. I sent an email to the WH just today telling him to fire Simpson and the reasons why, and he should tell his commissioners something they obviousy don't know! SS has NOTHING to do wih the deficit! it is totally funded by the people who are and have been paying FICA TAXES for YEARS! I also explaied that th Feds BORROWED from SS to fund other expenses, the same as they BORROW from China & JApan and others. Those LOANS are to be paid back, and if he though China would be extremely difficult to deal with if we tried to short them on thepayments due them, wait unil he sees what SS recipiants are like in that circumstance! Trust me Mr. President, you'll rather deal with China & Japan!

This is a dustup f Simpson's own making & if all the people complaining get a hearing, Simpson will be gone, one way or another! (No I'mnot threatening his life! All I meant was he will be fired, asked to resign, or quit on his own.)

[defendandprotect]

15. Seems clear why Obama picked Simpson ... do you think he didn't know he was a Repug???

Did we elect a Democratic president so he could put Repugs in charge of government?

Or corporate foxes like Baucus in charge of health care "deform"?

As Pelosi has said in cautioning us about Obama . . . "Obama was for a lot of things

when he was campaigning . . . that he is no longer for!"

and he should tell his commissioners something they obviousy don't know! SS has NOTHING to do wih the deficit

PLEASE tell me you don't really believe that his commissioners don't know what Social Security

is all about???

If anything like that is true, they should be informed, they should be FIRED, as well!!

And, if Obama doesn't fire Simpson -- we should fire Obama !!

[napi21]

33. OF course he knew he was a Pug, but the commission by design has both Pugs

& Dems. All the commissions ever established did have both. As I said, I think we all need to contact the WH about Simpson as a first start. MAKE them understand just how po'd we all are!

[JDPriestly]

40. It was wrong to make the commission's deliberations so secretive,

so private. The Repubs on the Commission like Simpson are leaking all over the place, but we aren't hearing anything from the Democratic side. That's really bad. Since Simpson has talked so much, Obama should free the Democrats to talk too.

[fasttense]

44. But if it wasn't so secretive,

how could they destroy Social Security? If they had a fair, honest and up-front discussion about the deficit, they would realize wiping it out, raising the age and/or reducing the benefits of Social Security would NOT reduce the budget deficit.

But of course no one says that.

You know what would reduce the deficit? NO longer paying Congressional retirement pay. If we stopped paying all those elected leaders' huge pensions, we could save a nice bundle.

[JDPriestly]

51. It's my understanding that Congress gets Social Security

like everyone else.

Prior to 1984, neither Members of Congress nor any other federal civil service employee paid Social Security taxes. Of course, the were also not eligible to receive Social Security benefits. Members of Congress and other federal employees were instead covered by a separate pension plan called the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). The 1983 amendments to the Social Security Act required federal employees first hired after 1983 to participate in Social Security. These amendments also required all Members of Congress to participate in Social Security as of January 1, 1984, regardless of when they first entered Congress. Because the CSRS was not designed to coordinate with Social Security, Congress directed the development of a new retirement plan for federal workers. The result was the Federal Employees' Retirement System Act of 1986.

Members of Congress receive retirement and health benefits under the same plans available to other federal employees. They become vested after five years of full participation.

Members elected since 1984 are covered by the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS). Those elected prior to 1984 were covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). In 1984 all members were given the option of remaining with CSRS or switching to FERS.

http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/congresspay.htm

I might be wrong, but I think the Federal Employees' Retirement System Act of 1986 is like a 401(K). I don't know whether the federal government, like some employers, matches in part or in whole employee payments into the Federal Employees' Retirement System.

[griffi94]

16. i'd feel a lot better about what he says

if he hadn't also said that any HCR bill with individual mandates would also have to have a strong public option.

[defendandprotect]

17. +1000% ---

[txlibdem]

81. + 1000 Million

[DURHAM D]

18. BS - Why did Obama accept Simpson's apology on behalf of 310M people.

Obama doesn't speak for me but apparently he forgot.

He should have canned his ass.

Its the usual. Obama is saying one thing and doing another. If anyone can still support him after he stacked the Deficit Commission with conservative SS haters and then when he had a chance to make some correction he failed to do so I would say to them that they are not policy Democrats anyway.

[MannyGoldstein]

31. Obama was careful to not say he wouldn't slash payments

Did you notice that?

Raising the retirement age to 70, which is what the commission members have been discussing in the press, would be a $42,000 cut in lifetime benefits for the average recipient.

[JDPriestly]

41. Raising the retirement age to 70 is unrealistic in this job market.

The US Census Department reported that about 53% of the Americans over 65 were disabled in 2000.

http://www.barrierfreechoices.com/whodis/who_1.html

[JDPriestly]

39. I remember when Obama claimed he was for the public option.

That was a couple of weeks before I learned he had already pretty much made his deals with pharma and hospitals. Obama says a lot of nice-sounding things. But it's just talk.

[eridani]

42. He said he wouldn't privatize it. He didn's say jackshit about not CUTTING it

--or raising the retirement age.

[scarletwoman]

52. That's just bait and switch. No one's pushing privatization anymore, not after the stock market

tanked.

Listen to what Obama's NOT saying. He's NOT saying "no cuts", he's NOT saying "no raising the retirement age" -- because THOSE are the things that the Catfood Commssion is going for.

Furthermore, Social Security shouldn't even be under discussion in a deficit commission in the first place -- it does not and never has contributed to the deficit. Implying otherwise is a LIE. But Obama approves of these assholes selling that LIE, which tells me all I need to know about whose side Obama is on. It ain't ours.

sw

[Buenaventura]

62. emails and petitions aren't gonna get rid of simpson -

'cause obama, in the spirit of "bipartisanship" or whatever, has already said that alan simpson is staying. simpson will die of old age, or simply atrophy, before he's off the catfood commission.

[nightrain]

68. the thing is--there are other ways to undermine and destroy Social Security besides privatization--

increasing the benefit age, as being proposed to 70!

eliminating the cost of living adjustment and consumer price index (COLA/CPI)--there has been no COLA adjustment/increase in SS payments for ?2 years now

reducing benefits outright.


These concerns were not addressed by Obama, interestingly...

[sabrina 1]

109. He didn't just pick Simpson. And why he did is a really good question

since everyone knows Simpson hates SS. He picked one of the most infamous anti-SS billionaires, Pete Peterson a man who would if he could, destroy SS completely or better yet, privatize it and then gamble with the funds on Wall St.

I heard his speech also. He has said many things, such as not intending to set up any Commission like this, which he called a 'stunt' when McCain proposed it, that he changed his mind about later. Like the PO, Offshore drilling, restoring the rule of law, etc. He is no longer someone whose word can be trusted, because his actions continually contradict his words.

He mentioned 'privatizing' SS only because he thinks that is the biggest and most well-known goal of the right that we are familiar with and they have already been slammed for even considering it.

The outrage over some of Simpson's earlier remarks caught them off guard once Simpson let the cat out of the bag about what they are planning. So they have backed off privatization a little, at least until after the election.

He also promised transparency, but like the HC debate, this Commission is operating behind closed doors.

I don't know how we can force them to back away from this because even if they promise to do so before the election, they can no longer be trusted.

The only way I would be convinced that SS is safe from their greedy hands, is if Obama disbanded this Commission completely as it is now totally illegitimate.

If he wants to go down in history as the anti FDR Democrat who stole the people's retirement fund for Republicans, no one can stop him. But that seems where he is headed right now, unless he ends this commission which he never should have set up in the first place and then stacked it with Republicans.

[corpseratemedia]

20. i read about some changes today this admin and congress made to

medicaid (picking on poorest of the poor again)..and i'm getting really sick of the scapgoating

people pay all their lives into SS..i don't know if it's triangulation or sickness to keep this truly disgusting slob on a commission that shouldn't even exist but honestly there is nothing left for what's left of the reaganites to pick off the public except this and medicare and medicaid and then we'll finally be third world country

maybe the rich *need* to create an untouchable class here too to not feel guilt about stealing so much

[jaysunb]

28. Your post saddens me

and I'm a "senior." Your post does not help or enlighten anyone on a supposed liberal website . I've yet to hear any proposed legislation regarding SS or any recomendations from the appointed committee.
Right wing innuendo and projection campaigns are now so good, the left participates in driving the narrative. :evilfrown:

BTW, if you have this much time on your hands, maybe you could help out w/ some GOTV activities. :shrug:

and yes...I unrec'd this.

[MannyGoldstein]

34. How about a wager on the commission's recommendations?

$10 says they recommend slashing benefits.

Are we on?

[eridani]

43. A comiission stacked with Social Security haters would never EVER damage the program

Maybe on your planet. How's the weather there? Do the unicorns bite?

[Enthusiast]

46. The unicorns poke.

:hi:

[NorthCarolina]

45. My post saddens me also. Just not for the same reasons you cite. eom

[JTFrog]

76. +1 n/t

[DURHAM D]

48. This news item needs to be cross-posted in General Discussion. nt

[chill_wind]

49. K & R. n/t

[Faygo Kid]

56. The Simpson appointment was a sure sign about the catfood commission.

An extraordinary move by Obama. If he doesn't get rid of Simpson, he will lose millions of senior or soon-to-be senior votes.

Can't wait to see who he will appoint for the consumer protection position. More likely Steve Forbes than Elizabeth Warren, if the Simpson appointment was any indication.

[Buenaventura]

61. he's already lost this one - even before simpson & ryan

[Faryn Balyncd]

57. K & R

:hi:



:kick:

[TBF]

58. I'd love to know whether Simpson is getting social security -

is there any way to check that?

[xxqqqzme]

77. He was in the Senate for 20 years

HIS pension is secure.

[TBF]

84. Sure - I just wondered if they can collect Social Security on top of that. nt

[LibDemAlways]

63. There are no longer two distinct political parties in this country - just

two heads on a single venomous corporate snake.

There is strength in numbers though, and if people would turn off goddamn American Idol and raise their collective voices in outrage over shit like this, the powers that be might back down. Not holding my breath though. Americans are like crime victims who are just grateful that the thief left them with cab fare.

[grahamhgreen]

69. Obama MUST fire Simpson and the rest of the neocons around him. They will destroy him.

[northernlights]

82. no they won't

he's ruined his presidency but doesn't care. He's doing their bidding. He and his family are set for life.

[pleah]

70. K&R

[peacetalksforall]

78. Want my opinion? My opinion is in a question. What are the chances we can get Sanders or Dean or

Grayson or someone who supports the people to run. Do you think that the barons would kill it because Obama is their man?

[yurbud]

79. are there ANY progressives on that commission?

[Vincardog]

88. NO

[eridani]

122. Actually there is one--Jan Schakowski n/t

[Name removed]

94. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[RedCloud]

89. Did our 2008 "hero" take us into an alternate universe?

[Blutodog]

95. It's looks that way doesn't it?

[MissDeeds]

91. K&R n/t

[NorthCarolina]

92. It appears the apologists have chosen to simply unrec and leave w/o comment

I anticipated that they would be all over this thread like white on rice. I guess they're keeping their powder dry until after the commission goes public with "the plan".

[russspeakeasy]

112. Earn my vote Mr. President

You can start by firing Mr. Simpson

[Peregrine Took]

115. 'wish ole "beady eyes" Simpson could meet my 86 yr old SIL who lives in a tiny

apt the size of a closet and she keeps getting her rent raised.

[TheEuclideanOne]

118. It would probably brind an evil smile to his face.