That's great, Mr. President, but the REAL issue now is: Will Democrats allow SS to be GUTTED in Dec? [View All]

It's certainly good to hear you state that you will not cave on SS privatization of SS. :toast:

But the immediate present danger to Social Security is NOT immediate privatization.

The immediate danger is the plan to ram through this fall's lame-duck session after the November election, without legislative input, the Simpson/Bowles Commission "reform" now being ginned up behind closed doors.....




The REAL issue is:

Will Democrats allow the GUTTING of SS benefits (by fraudulent rigging of CPI/COLA calculations, as well as by changing the retirement age) for Americans who have in good faith paid for these benefits (and seen their surpluses raided for decades by Republicans to finance wars, corporate welfare, and tax cuts for the wealthy) with decades of hard earned payroll & self-employment taxes?

While everyone's eye is on the retirement age, the really big money is in the CPI and COLA calculations. Paul Craig Roberts has pointed out, but few are talking about, the fact that the CPI has ALREADY BEEN RIGGED (by the Boskin Commission in the 90's) to underestimate inflation, for the specific purpose of stealthily cutting SS benefits.

But Allan Simpson & his cronies are spreading the lie that COLA's overestimate inflation & are gunning to further rig the CPI calculation. This is complex, and by fraudulent accounting Simpson et al aim to gut SS benefits through COLA chicanery to a much greater extent than any delay in retirement age.

Privatizing SS is not the issue presently on the table.

The RW figures that if they can let future inflation destroy the value of Social Security benefits, they will win the battle by stealth.




What we need is a president, and Democratic Congress, that will commit to not gutting the benefit calculations for those that have in good faith paid a lifetime of payroll, and self employment, taxes.

That is the pledge we need you to take, Mr. President.


http://news.firedoglake.com/2010/08/16/social-security-...






:kick: