Reply #7: Absolute

[ProSense]

The point is completely accurate The nature of Social Security funding is fundamentally changed.
It will be tied to the congressional budget, subject to the whims of whoever is in control.
Between the Republicans and the DINO's, you could end up paying for a dead horse because S/S could possibly not exist because of lack of funds when you retire. Is that what you want?

...nonsense. By that logic, Republicans were right all along by claiming that Social Security adds to the deficit.

After years of claiming that the government is raiding (or even wiping out) the trust fund with IOUs, why is this initiative suddenly being portrayed as damaging? Unlike raiding the trust fund, this is a much-needed relief program that does not impact Social Security funds.

What's the point of hyping speculation about what Republicans might do in the future by misrepresenting an initiative that preserves Social Security?

If $1 is collected instead of $1.25, the fund gets the full $1.25. That has nothing to do with the structure of Social Security related to the budget or deficit.

Dean Baker, September: The Payroll Tax Cut Did Not Cost Security Revenue

The NYT wrongly told readers that the payroll tax cut cost Social Security, "resulted in $67.2 billion of lost revenue for Social Security in 2011." This is not true. The tax cut was fully offset by money from general revenue so that the trust fund was unaffected by the tax cut.

The fund is "unaffected." The nature of Social Security does not change. Stop pushing the lie!

Still, for those who feel compelled to help the Republicans out with their RW argument, try adding a progressive counter in with the concern.

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That aside, Sargent has another point, that this is another set up from Republicans to argue that it's the Democrats who are trying to undermine Social Security, and that they, the Republicans, who are the true defenders of the program.

Well, here's a suggestion to combat that, and to actually strengthen Social Security in the long run. Democrats should embrace this new found concern among Republicans for the program, and up the ante by coupling the payroll tax holiday with lifting the payroll tax cap. Right now, income over $110,000 is exempt from the payroll tax. Do away with that cap, and you help make sure that the lowered contributions from people who will never have more than $110,000 in income in a year don't get hit now. It's a win-win.