Say NO to Social Security Cuts -- National Call-In Day –- Tuesday, January 19, 2010

From a retiree newsletter:


Say NO to Social Security Cuts
National Call-In Day – January 19, 2010

On Tuesday, Jan. 19, AFT Retirees, the Older Women’s League, Alliance for Retired Americans, and a number of other seniors, labor and women’s groups are calling on their members to flood the Senate with phone calls opposing a proposal sponsored by Senators Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) to reduce the national debt by creating a special fast-track commission whose primary mission is to cut Social Security and Medicare. The two senators are holding up other legislation until the Senate votes on their proposal. Debate begins on January 20.

Call your Senators Jan. 19 at 800/998-0180. You will then be connected to the Capitol switchboard. Ask to be connected to your Senator’s office.

Tell your Senators to vote against this runaway commission that makes a mockery of the democratic process. Social Security does not contribute to the national debt. It is insurance that workers have earned through their hard work. Social Security is fundamental to the economic security of all Americans, particularly women, seniors, minorities, the disabled, children who lose a parent, people who lose a spouse, and veterans.

The average Social Security recipient receives $13,860 annually, even less for the average female recipient. The sponsors were in favor of allowing billions in Wall Street bonuses. Robbing grandma to reward Wall Street fat cats is hardly sound economics.

if it were ONLY for the people who collect it but do not need it.

Case in point: I GUARANTEE you that Bob Hope didn't need a dime of it, yet collected it every day of his life that he was eligible. I don't care if he DID pay into it.

into do they? Wondering.

If you want social security to prosper, it has to cover everybody. If it is based on need, the whole concept changes, and it would be relegated to another "welfare" program. We don't want that.

You will find the group with in the topics forums (just in case you didn't know where it is).

Thanks in advance

This seems to be working out really well for wall street. Not so much for some of us other lesser folks.....

P.S. Forgot to say I will be calling my Senator....

WHEREAS Wall Street billionaire Pete Peterson has recently hooked up with the Washington Post, which has agreed to host his “news Network” intended to “jointly produce content focusing on the budget and fiscal issues,” which amounts to writing editorials and attempting to pass them off as news; and

WHEREAS in his first “news” dispatch Peterson has proposed that Congress create a special commission of eighteen senators and representatives empowered to make the “tough” budget decisions politicians do not want to make about slashing Social Security benefits, raising payroll taxes or both; and

WHEREAS Obama's budget director Peter Orszag once co-authored a “reform” plan that would raise the payroll tax on young workers and cut benefits for older people near retirement; and

WHEREAS Senate bill S.2853 would set up a bipartisan commission to design and propose a new set of spending constraints, requiring Congress to consider the proposal on a fast track and vote it up or down, with no power to amend it, thus removing major budget and funding decisions from the normal congressional process and depriving the public of opportunity to impact the bill; and

WHEREAS it has been rumored (so far without substantiation) that Senator Reid and Representative Pelosi are prepared to go along with this ploy;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the 11th LD Democrats demand that Senator Reid and Representative Pelosi publicly clarify their positions on this issue; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we demand that President Obama and our Washington State Democratic delegation take a public stand against this proposed unelected “commission”; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we reinstate taxes on the wealthy and institute taxes on short term financial transactions in order to deal with our budget shortfall; and

THEREFORE BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that since all Democrats, even the most conservative Blue Dogs, remained united in their defense of Social Security against the Bush administration in 2005, all Democrats should maintain that unity against a similar potential attack under a Democratic administration now and in the future.

Submitted to the 11th Legislative District Democrats for endorsement at its meeting of January 19, 2010.


Reference
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100111/greider