U.S. will become "a second-rate power if we don't mess with Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security"

[Better Believe It]

Behind Closed Doors, An Attack on Social Security
By Jane Slaughter
August 25, 2010

When President Obama named his Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform this spring, he chose 18 wealthy members for whom Social Security will make up only a tiny fraction of their retirement income. The commission is charged with reporting back December 1 with recommendations on how to decrease the ballooning federal budget deficit.

The commission’s chairs and many of its other members seem to have been chosen for their hostility to Social Security. Co-chair and retired Senator Alan Simpson, a Wyoming Republican, told CNBC, “A lot of blood, hair, and eyeballs have to lay on the floor before we finish.”

Erskine Bowles, who was President Clinton’s chief of staff, warned that America will become “a second-rate power…in my lifetime” if we don’t “mess with Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.”

The commission is meeting behind closed doors. Its proposals will be voted on after the November elections by a lame-duck Congress, on a fast-track basis—no hearings, no amendments.

http://www.labornotes.org/node/3000


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Bowles Says Deficits Will Make U.S. ‘Second-Rate’
By David Mildenber
March 9, 2010

Erskine Bowles, co-chairman of the commission on U.S. deficit reduction, said entitlement programs such as Social Security will turn the nation into a “second- rate power” if their costs aren’t reduced.

“We’re going to mess with Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security because if you take those off the table, you can’t get there,” Bowles said today in a speech to North Carolina bankers in Greensboro. “If we don’t make those choices, America is going to be a second-rate power and I don’t mean in 50 years. I mean in my lifetime.”

“All of our revenue is completely consumed by entitlements,” Bowles said. “This is today, not some forecast into the future. Every dollar we spend on the military, homeland security, transportation, education and research is borrowed,” and half of that comes from foreign sources, he said. “That is a recipe for disaster.”

Bowles said. “We’re going to have to make some very tough decisions and we aren’t going to come out of this very popular.”

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-09/bowles-says-entitlements-may-turn-u-s-into-second-rate-power-.html

[mike r]

1. Put the focus on jobs, jobs, jobs, stupid. Leave Soc Sec alone.

Always working on the wrong priority...

[JuniperLea]

2. “All of our revenue is completely consumed by entitlements"

What nonsense. We need to stop funding war first. If that isn't enough, we need to seriously cut back on money we give to other countries.

You can't cut the American people off at the knees.

[villager]

4. But they will....

... daring the American people to do anything about it.

[Caliman73]

8. Exactly.

Entitlements? Social Security and Medicare are paid into by workers and their employers. It is what workers have earned after long productive lives.

Why should defense contractors, security contractors, and building contractors be entitled to our money when they produce things we do not need, things that are over budget, and poorly constructed. We need to cut our imperial presence all over the world before we look at cutting the social safety net.

[indepat]

11. Just watch where these MFers are about to cut off Americans' legs

:P

[glitch]

26. If they can't maintain their empire without stealing our entitlements we should dump their empire.

IOW

[mmonk]

29. He forgot about the 54% going to the military.

[TheKentuckian]

3. Translation: We can't maintain the empire and take care of our citizens

Seeing that we are the only "first rate" power that seems like a fine exchange to me.

Let some other suckers provide the global corporate police and occupation force.

[DJ13]

5. Translation: They wont be able to continue the worlds largest military

if they are unable to force Grandma to eat cat food.

[Orsino]

6. Translation: we are going to become a second-rate power...

...because we steal from the social safety net.

[Enrique]

7. now let's talk about those tax cuts for the rich

extend, baby, extend! :party:

[indepat]

9. GD, MF'in MFs like Bowles: we have already become a second-rate power by failing to require most

large and profitable corporations to pay income taxes and requiring Warren B's secretary to pay a higher percentage of her total income to Uncle Sam than Warren, though very willing, is asked to pay. F U MF'in Bowles and all of your ilk, your heirs, and your assigns at least throughout eternity. End of rant. :P

[JDPriestly]

10. Obama should be ashamed of himself for appointing that committe.

What was all that cheap talk about transparency in government?

Why is the Cat Food Commission meeting behind closed doors? Because they don't want voters to hear what they are cooking up, that's why. Does Obama seriously think that kind of sneaky behavior will cause people to trust him? Not for a minute.

What other secret commissions has Obama appointed? Makes you wonder doesn't it.

I regret the day I campaigned for Obama. Convince me that McCain/Palin would have dared to do worse.

[glitch]

28. Appointing these nasty old men was a brilliant chess move to expose the thieves.

:spray:

[OHdem10]

12. Just this am on Morning Joe: A reporter commented that this

Commission appears not to be able to reach consensus
on the Mandate from Obama. They were assigned to balance
the budget. They cannot do this so they decided to
go after SS. They will tell Obama they did SS as a good
faith effort to show they were trying.

What a Deceptive Commission.

Social Security should not have that much affect on the
budget. It has its own fund.

IMO, this has been one big lie---to get the SS TRUST FUND
to use for balancing the Budget.

If they cannot meet their mandate---Balance the budget,
then admit it. Leave SS alone.

[corpseratemedia]

13. enjoy your second credit debt explosion bowles as people on ss stop paying your friends cc bills

gutting all these programs will make americans spend even *less*

katrina and the wars of choice proved to the world that the US is teetering on 3rd world country status

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

14. A "second rate power" like Sweden, Norway, Germany? Go for it!!

What a horrible fate! Spending our money on education, health care, infrastructure instead of useless weaponry and lost wars and acting civilized? Oh, NO!!

[Hawkowl]

16. +1000

I would like to sign up for second rate status please!

[Vinca]

15. Maybe they ought to simplify things and starting euthanizing

those of us who are old, poor and sick. It would be more humane them sending grandma into the street to die of starvation.

[county worker]

17. Bowels is a liar. “All of our revenue is completely consumed by entitlements,”

We pay for Medicare and Social Security with payroll deductions. It is not in the same class as military, homeland security, transportation, education and research. Those are paid for with other taxes not FICA and Medicare deductions unless you use that money for other things.

We should not be comparing social security and medicare with military spending as if it is a zero sum game! If you cut military spending and raise taxes on the wealthy you can solve the deficit problem without touching social security and medicare.

We need to sue the commission because we are not fairly represented in the discussions. It is law making without our having elected the participants!

[fasttense]

18. President Obama has to give in to Social Security Psychotics like Simpson

because he needs Wall Street bribes/campaign contributions to defeat RepubliCONS. So, if he gives our Social Security to Wall Street he may be able to get some money from them. See the bailouts and million dollar bonuses funded by our tax dollars was not enough for the insatiably greedy banksters.

And it will never be enough until they own every human in America.

Unless normal people go out in mass to protest, it will only get worse.

[Hannah Bell]

19. damn right they're entitlements. the people who paid are entitled to the benefits they paid for.

[WinkyDink]

20. Next: "Social Security Queens." "Medicare Pill-Poppers." "Entitlement Frauds."

[global1]

21. If This Upcoming Lame Duck Congress Messes With SS ........

even though recommendations will have come from a 'bipartisan' commission - the electorate will know that the changes came under a Dem administration - and the Dems will be toast far into the future and the Repugs will realize Rove's dream of Repug superiority.

Obama seems to have been posturing recently for changes - with his comment the other day that (something to the effect) he may be a one term president - but he's not concerned of the present - he is making decisions that will benefit future Americans.

If Obama and the Dems know what is good for them they should hear this out: Social Security is sacrosanct. Don't mess with it. Don't touch it.

If you want to make it solvent way into the future - lift the caps and make everybody pay into on every cent they earn. That is the only fair thing to do.

It was interesting - I was listening to Robert Gibbs WH Press Conference yesterday and he was asked about Simpson and Simpson's remarks that set off this controversy about the commission. He was asked if they would ask Simpson to resign the commission or fire him. The answer was the answer that the WH put out the other day - that they regret Simpson's remarks, but he did apologize and they accepted his apology and he will remain on the commission.

I was shocked that their was no other follow up questions on this. Nothing about the Commission. Nothing more about Simpson. Nothing at all about them potentially messing with Social Security.

I think the press was told to stay away from the topic. The MSM will be complicit in any reductions of SS benefits and raising of the retirement age.

It's interesting - last year at this time - the biggest topic in this Labor Day recess of Congress was HCR and it was the topic of all the Town Hall meetings the Sens and Reps held around the country.

It seems to me this Social Security issue is as volatile if not more so - and it is not drawing any attention. This is the time to voice one's opinion with one's Congressional representatives. But 'slight of hand' was magically performed and the whole country - people and MSM is focused on the "mosque at ground zero" (which really isn't a mosque and it isn't at ground zero) and the furor against Muslims.

So much for Social Security. We know what is coming and it ain't gonna be good for those readying to retire.

[backwoodsbob]

25. agree 100%

if they would put a 1% ss tax on dividends/capital gains we would see ss in the black FOREVER.we wouldn't even need to lift the cap beyond it's yearly adjustment

[femrap]

22. We're already a

second rate nation. Younger generations have been dumb-downed by a failing educational system (on purpose). We have 'people' like O'Reilly, Beck, and Limpballs on television and they are taken seriously.

We have fanatic religious people demanding a theocracy.

We've shipped all of our manufacturing overseas so to exploit workers there. Even lawyers in India are doing what our just-graduated law students should be doing.

They are no jobs.

Pray we can continue to grow corn, wheat, soybeans....w/o Monsanto ruining our soil with weird seeds and chemical brews of toxic fertilizers or Mother Nature deciding it's time for a drought or a flood.

All we export is death and destruction.


We're over.

[RainDog]

23. BULLSHIT

the top 5% in this nation have been working to turn the U.S. into a banana republic since FDR was elected.

Look at western European nations if you want to see what strong democracies look like - they have strong middle classes and active unions.

I am SO SICK OF THIS FUCKING PROPAGANDA.

The truth is that the J.P. Morgans and the DuPonts and the Kock suckers are the problem, not social security.

If Democrats cannot stand with the American people on social security, they can kiss my ass. They will deserve all the hatred they get from this sort of action - and they will play into the hands of the Republicans (yet again) by screwing over the middle class to suck the balls of the rich.

[tsuki]

24. Millionaires sitting around a table like they know something other than how to cheat and steal. nt

[glitch]

30. Business as usual.

What, you thought they wore masks and carried guns?

[Better Believe It]

31. Shouldn't people be just as loudly demand the firing of Co-Chair Erskine Bowles?

And go beyond by demanding that President Obama terminate the Deficit Commission.

[glitch]

32. Absolutely. Bowles is more dangerous, just as rabidly anti-ss but not as stupid about it.

Simpson actually seems ill to me.

I want the deficit commission to continue, it's providing quite the learning moment for those of us paying attention (and this is waking more people up). I want this kabuki exposed. And if Congress passes their recommendations lame-duck status will not help them.
They'll have to leave the country.

[Better Believe It]

33. And don't forget the big cuts they will propose for Medicare and Medicaid.

[bluethruandthru]

27. Has Obama said he's going to do what these jokers say?

I'm imagining they'll recommend raising the retirement age to 95 and then Obama will look like a good guy when he says no...we'll only raise it to 80! And not just Obama...but many of our dem leaders are saying the same thing. I think these speeches and interviews that this panel is giving are being done purposely to soften us up to the idea that they're going to take a hatchet to those dreaded "entitlements'...those awful handouts that are breaking the back of our military...that welfare for old people and sick people!

:sarcasm:


I just hope we're strong enough and united enough as a country to put a stop to this madness.

[Marr]

34. Obama's a chess player, alright.

But he seems to be playing *against* us.