Question regarding SS & The Deficit......

[Little Star]

I was watching Dylan Ratigan earlier and he said something about SS being part of the deficit.

Got me thinking, why do some keep including SS as part of the deficit. Do you think maybe they say that because of the money our politicians borrowed(stole)from SS? Is it because they have to pay it back? Is that why?

[sabrina 1]

1. If he said that, he is lying.

SS did not cause the deficit in any way.

But I do think the thieves who used the surplus to fund their illegal wars and pay for their tax breaks do not want to pay it back.

They also want to keep that fund growing so they can keep spending it on more wars and more tax breaks and more bail-outs. And that is why they want to cut benefits by raising the retirement age and other cuts.

The more money in the fund, the more for their corrupt wars.

The Bush tax cuts added billions to the deficit without any benefit to the American people. And now they are extended, adding more to the deficit.

[Little Star]

5. That was my point sorta...

I think that is way they are (Pols & Media) feeding us that line. Is it now looked at as part of the deficit because they owe SS the money (its a debt)? Is that is how they are doing their math? If it is then we need to speak up. Frigging crooks!


If I'm wrong how do they justify saying it's part of the deficit?

[sabrina 1]

10. It is simple really. The reason they keep feeding us this line

is because they have no problem lying to the American people. The same way they lied about the War in Iraq having anything to do with 9/11. They had no problem telling that lie either.

When they want something and they can't get it by telling the truth, they lie.

Is it now looked at as part of the deficit because they owe SS the money (its a debt). Is that how they are doing their math?

Yes, I suppose they feel 'entitled' to our money. That fund belongs to the American people. But it shows the disdain these people have for the people that they believe that after borrowing from US, they decide that they will make US repay the debt for them.

If this president goes along with this, then what can be said about him? He knows the facts, he talked about them in the campaign. There is no way he can tie the deficit to SS truthfully. Even by implication, which he does.

SS should never be mentioned in the same sentence as the Deficit. But they do it all the time, knowing that people who are not that well informed will assume that SS does have something to do with the deficit. It is deliberate and it's very disappointing to see Democrats doing it.

[Little Star]

11. And now they are going to give us a holiday by...

borrowing more from SS. They just need to stop borrowing from SS! Find some place else to borrow from for this frigging holiday and pay that other place back! Why should SS lend them any money when they have not paid back their first debt to SS!!!

Grubby fingered crooks!

[DesertFlower]

9. exactly. nt

[jody]

2. Deficits are caused when any entity spends more than it can reasonably repay. Since fed govt is

ultimately responsible for all fed debt it is understandable to combine all obligations into one single debt package.

[mmonk]

4. But since ss is the only spending with a dedicated tax to cover it, blame

for the deficit can't be placed on it in a singled out fashion.

[jody]

6. I care not who to blame but IMO govt can repudiate SS debt. n/t

[oldlib]

3. For years I have heard that

SS is running out of money. The truth is that for years SS had a surplus, until our legislators started borrowing money from that surplus. The truth is the government is running in a deficit, while using all the money borrowed from SS.

[Little Star]

7. To bad they can't just be honest about this. It is their...

fault and their problem, not ours. They can find another way to repay SS instead of double dipping on it. Cut some where else!

[DesertFlower]

8. the government doesn't pay into social security.

the only cost is managing it. i tend to think it's about the money they borrowed (stole).

[Warpy]

12. Social security payments have generated a surplus for 30 years

and the payments were always supposed to be insurance payments, pay as you go for the cost of the program and out of the general fund.

Putting it into the general fund not only allowed the surplus to be robbed year after year to fatten the rich, it also masked the true nature of the program as a government old age, disability, and survivor's insurance program.

This is more smoke and mirrors and stinking bullshit from Republicans, who have wanted to kill the program since it started in the 1930s. Their rhetoric has never changed. The only things that have changed are the things that made it an easier target: including it in the general fund and robbing everybody who pays payroll taxes to support it.

[slipslidingaway]

13. Obama says the same thing about SS being part of the deficit ...

and in 2009 before the inauguration he said that our deficit would have to be reduced mainly through entitlement spending. A more recent example from another thread ... of course we could not have the Medicare discussion during the HC debate.

:(

http://www.npr.org/2010/12/10/131949362/transcript-obama-on-taxes-economy-and-start

"OBAMA: Actually, I think that if you talk to economists, both conservative and liberal, what they'll say is the problem is not next year. The problem is, how are we dealing with our medium-term debt and deficit, and how are we dealing with our long-term debt and deficit? And most of that has to do with entitlements, particularly Social Security and Medicaid..."

[Hello_Kitty]

14. The affluent political class also doesn't want to touch Medicare

Because while their own nest eggs may be large enough to withstand the loss of SS benefits they may not have enough to self-insure old age health care for themselves and their families.

I am so not kidding about this. They are self-interested to the core.

[slipslidingaway]

15. I can believe that, especially having gone through some expensive medical ...

procedures this last year, Medicare and health insurance for the boomers will be the real problem. This is why the Dems should have leveled with the American people and allowed a national, not for profit system into the discussion, instead of passing a bill allowing subsidies to private insurers. Honestly not sure where we go from her when the boomers start retiring in greater numbers.

:shrug: