Bill Maher's drunk the SS kool-aid.

[bunkerbuster1]

Saw him on Larry King Live the other night and wanted to throttle the weenie. Anyway, a transcript of the program is now available:

http://cgi.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0502/14/lkl.01.html

and I quote:

"I must say, on the other side of the aisle, look, I don't think people probably have in their minds the actual facts about Social Security, which is every time you get a paycheck, your employer takes out 6.25 percent, and you lose 6.25 percent to Social Security. They put it in an account that gets 1.6 percent interest. There just has to be a way -- come on just on a common sense level. Your money can do better, especially over you're life time, over 50 years you can't get better than 1.6 percent interest? If my broker called me up and told me that's what my money was getting, I would fire him the next day.

"Now, if he said, lets put it in some high risk stuff that gets 20 percent. But there's got to be something between 1.6 percent, which is way too safe. And also they're only suggesting that they take one- third of your contributions, so, you know, it's not the worst idea in the world.

"And also the Democrats were touting this five years ago, just like the Democrats were all over the idea of spreading freedom in the world. Woodrow Wilson, make the world safe for democracy. John F. Kennedy, pay any price, bury a burden. Somehow when Bush takes over these Democratic issues, the Democrats have to remember, OK, don't work backwards from "I hate George Bush." So now we're against the things we were always for? You know, if he stole your issues, that's your fault for not backing your issues to begin with."

[bryant69]

1. Hmmmmmm

The problem is that you aer moving from a defined benifits program (which is what Social Security is now) to a defined contribution program--Social Security isn't an investment, in the traditional sounce. It's a pension program intended to be part of a person's retirement (along with company pension plans / 401Ks and personal savings).

Also what Clinton proposed was putting some of the Social Security Trust fund into more high risk / high reward investments. It wouldn't have changed the basic nature of the program.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[papau]

12. Amazing how Bill Maher has a Soc Sec comment that is free of any truth!

But then fact-free is the way for the Bush tolerating Maher.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. Bill Maher is a Libertarian. It's just taking all you fans a little time

to absorb what that means. He's true to his stripes.

[skypilot]

3. I have never liked Bill Maher.

It wouldn't surprise me one bit if he turned out to be the next Dennis Miller.

[Doctor Panacea]

4. Libertarian

I love his show.

But Bill Maher is a rich libertarian. For him Social Security is just a financial nuisance.

He also has, well, quaint ideas about healthcare. He seems to believe that, if you just take care of yourself, you will not get sick. This is a commonly held notion among people who have had the good fortune, so far, not to develop any kind of serious illness.

[President Jesus]

5. not agreeing with him, but it is consistent with being a libertarian...

...(which he's always claimed he's been) to favor a concept like 'personal accounts' than governmental control.

What is fundamentally misunderstood by nearly everyone is that SS is an insurance program, not a retirement plan. It's always been an insurance which guards this nations against its elderly and infirmed from living in abject poverty, which many were prior to the 30s. The second we start talking about it in terms other than an insurance program (which is precisely what the right-wing wants us to do), we start to lose libertarians and independents.

The government already has a terrific tax-free program for personal account retirement plans. They're called IRAs.

[bunkerbuster1]

7. He's a libertarian, which is to say he's a tool.

I never cared much for him, although obviously it's fun to hear the side of him that dislikes GeeDuhbyah and the Pugs.

I disagree with the (implied) notion of yours that that he has a "misunderstanding" about SS being an insurance program, not a retirement plan. I think scumbags like him are well aware of the distinction, and deliberately ignore it.

[papau]

13. true :-(

:-(

[Modem Butterfly]

6. Bill Maher's funny, and he's right about a lot of things.

But this isn't one of them.

[Demit]

8. He pointed out quite accurately that SS is an insurance program, not a

pension plan, earlier in that transcript. Why he chose the 1.6% interest figure, instead of the 3% interest figure, I don't know. Everything I've read says 3%.

And just as an aside: I don't know who transcribes Larry King's shows, but the "bury a burden" transcription of "bear any burden" thing is highly annoying.

[NewJeffCT]

9. He may claim to be a libertarian, but he also supported Ashcroft

And his policy of detaining Muslims in Guantanamo Bay... and, a year or two back, when King asked him who his ideal president would be, he said Colin Powell.

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. His obvious genophobia after 9/11 was very disturbing.

Especially after I read "Against All Enemies" and discovered that Terry Nichols had spent time in an area later known to have Al Qaeda operatives and that he learned how to makes bombs after he left the place. If Bill Maher had his way, the Airport security guards would be checking every dark skinned American, and letting the Terry Nichols, Timothy McVeigh types get through.

Bill Maher isn't all that smart.

[JI7]

11. Bill Maher has always leaned towards the right on economic issues

this is no surprise.

[DemonFighterLives]

14. I usually like him

But his arrogance has caused him to say stupid things from time to time.