General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGOP may work next on welfare, Medicare, Social Security
We knew this would be their next step: GOP may work next on welfare, Medicare, Social Security:
............snip
The idea that "we must fix entitlements" has become part of the 'common wisdom' on the hill and in the media. We can't let them get away with this: Every time they talk about 'Entitlement Reform,' come back with:
"They're Not Entitlements, Goddammit!!! They're Earned Benefits!!!! I Paid Into These Programs All My Working Life!!!!"
greeny2323
(590 posts)Sadly, we constantly have to fight the press on these issues. They just repeat Republican propaganda as fact. And not just the likes of Fox News but all of them.
underpants
(182,877 posts)1954
"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes that you can do these things. Among them are a few Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or businessman from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid.
https://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/ikesocial.asp
workinclasszero
(28,270 posts)moriah
(8,311 posts)The same 6.2% low income earners pay in isn't going to break people who make more than the cutoff on payroll.
A self-employment tax directed to Medicare/SS, even just 3%, on investment income over $120k a year (so retirees who might have to report "investnent income" aren't taxed unless they're withdrawing quite a bit each month, and that's higher than the earnings threshold for having to pay taxes on SS income too), should fix the rest.
The idea for those cutoffs was that people who made that much wouldn't choose to use Social Security or Medicare. But even high-income retirees are applying for their paid-in benefits, especially because of fear of market volatility. Therefore, there IS no rationale for not taxing those earners, unless we're going to say you can't collect benefits you paid for if you have more than a certain amount saved. That wouldn't encourage people not to use SS, but to invest less in private retirement.