Reply #19: Point is: Nothing is getting "defunded", regardless of the lies spewed by GOP/Teabaggers...

[jefferson_dem]

That argument, which has been adopted by members of both parties and perpetuated by news outlets like NPR, has one problem: it’s not true. Each of the plans under consideration is fully paid for, replacing revenue the Social Security Trust Fund would have lost from lower payroll tax receipts with money made up from either alternative revenue sources or spending cuts. The earlier payroll tax holiday, set to expire this month, was also fully-funded, and the program has thus far “been held harmless” from the holiday, as Reuters noted today.

And while the opposition from Republicans may seem like an impassioned defense of a vital and popular program, a look at their history with the program shows it is not. DeMint has supported privatizing the program while Paul is a proponent of means testing — “solutions” that are both bad policy and unnecessary. Despite Paul’s $6 trillion assertion, Social Security actually has a $2.6 trillion surplus and is solvent through at least 2037.

And if Republicans truly want to use the payroll tax to shore up its long-term viability, there is an easy way to do that. The payroll tax is currently collected only on the first $106,800 in income; raising or eliminating that cap would make the program fully solvent for the next 75 years.

If Republicans have a cogent reason for opposing a tax cut for the middle class that is meant to stimulate the economy, they should provide it, because their current line — that such a tax cut will weaken a program many of them have sought to undermine for years — simply isn’t true.

Stephen C. Goss, the Chief Actuary of Social Security, said today that the Social Security Trust Fund “would be unaffected by enactment” of a payroll tax cut extension, according to a statement circulated by Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA). The Congressional Budget Office agreed, saying all lost revenue would be offset.

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/12/07/383989/republicans-payroll-tax-undermine-social-security/