"What happened??"

[kentuck]

There will be millions of Americans asking that very question when they wake up one day and find that Social Security and Medicare are gone. What happened? Where was I when this was going on?

More than likely, they were watching FOX TV or listening to Rush Limbaugh on their radios? And they won't even know it happened.

How could the Democrats have let it happen? What are we paying them for? Aren't they supposed to be looking out for our interests?

Of course, these millions of Americans were not too busy to watch Monday Night football or American Idol on their big-screen televisions. They knew about Sarah Palin and Rick Perry.

How could something so important as Social Security disappear and so many Americans not know about it? How could they do this to us? I thought it was only "politics as usual". I had no idea the Republicans were going to screw us like that. What happened?

Are there a lot of Americans this oblivious to what is possibly happening to them?

[Ohio Joe]

1. Yes, there are tons of them

The repugs openly admit they want to get rid of both and yet the rank and file repugs still do not get it.

[moondust]

2. Americans voted to self-destruct.

It started about 30 years ago.

[Curmudgeoness]

3. An even sadder commentary is the large number of people

who know what they want to do to these "entitlements", and are cheering them on.

[Claudia Jones]

4. no

It is not so much that people are oblivious, rather they are being lied to and are not hearing anything to counteract the propaganda. Let's not blame the everyday people. A weak, corrupted and complicit "opposition" to the right wingers is the cause, as well as decades of brutal suppression of the political left. The most domineering and influential voices within the Democratic party relentlessly spread the lie that it is the political left and the general public that are to blame, while they cheer on politicians who move the party to the right and sell out to the opposition. Odd approach they take there - they say that the way to move to the left is to attack the left, and that the way to gain public support is to blame the public for everything. It is "the enemy within the gates," as FDR said, that we should worry about the most

[kentuck]

9. Bingo!

Unless they hear something to counter this propaganda, how can we expect them to know what is happening? If the Democratic Party is unable or unwilling to do that, who will??

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. There are lots of us who know what is going on but have no power to stop it.

LOTS of us who are Dems, who do not watch, much less buy into, the Fox/Reich wing meme, who see it coming,
but also know there is no effective representation in Congress who will speak for us.
Be careful of that broad brush....Dems and Republicans who depend on Soc. Sec. are going to get screwed by the coming privatization.

[spedtr90]

6. They will direct their anger at Democrats for not saving them.

They can get all macho and righteous with Palin, Perry, and Bachmann and bash the poor and the "takers", but when they wake up they will blame the left. They are like teen-agers who went to a party that is exciting and just a bit scary. They stay for the fun, but expect Mom & Dad to fix it if things go to far. In the meantime, Mom & Dad are just stupid party-poopers who don't understand anything.

[hfojvt]

7. that's almost like a song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzPA-FrVu3I&ob=av3n

[TBF]

8. Down here in TX it seems that being republican is a lifestyle choice -

I don't think many understand what they are voting for at all in economic terms. They are simply republican like everyone else - and they also listen to country music, watch FOX news, go to church every Sunday, and drive trucks. Nothing wrong with any of those things, but it is more "this is what we do down here" than anything else. That is what we're up against.

[moondust]

11. Enforced conformity.

A cornerstone of small-minded, egocentric, intolerant conservatism. Lots of talk about "freedom" and "liberty" but you're really only free to "be like us" and "go with the flow" (or else be shunned/excommunicated or worse).

[TBF]

14. Exactly - free to be like them and freedom to be oppressed. nt

[jwirr]

12. That is down right scary. It will take a real collapse to bring them

out of that, if then. That is a little like a milder form that I ran into in Nebraska when working for McGovern. Waste of time to talk.

[johnd83]

10. The town halls this year give some hope

that people are asking that question before they are totally gone.

[DCBob]

13. Nice hyperbole. Social Security and Medicare are not going away.

If anything gets passed at all it will be just tweaks to the system.

[Little Star]

15. Once those programs are on the table how do you ever...

think they will not stay there forever till they are completely abolished? Tweaks my butt!

Everyone needs to put on their thinking caps!!!!!

[DCBob]

16. they will not be abolished.

you need to put on your reality cap.

[Little Star]

17. Nice hyperbole yourself! hagn