You might remember that just about the day after Donald Trump won the presidential election, Paul Ryan started bleating about privatizing Medicare. He couldn’t wait. Nobody was talking about privatizing Medicare during the election, but Ryan acted as if the election gave him a mandate to do so.
Now Republicans are going after Social Security already. They aren’t even waiting to seat the next Congress.
A key House Republican on the issue of Social Security introduced a bill Thursday that would impose major cuts to the program. The bill, the Social Security Reform Act of 2016, was introduced by Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX), the chair of the House Ways and Means subcommittee on Social Security.
It would, among other things, gradually raise the retirement age from 67 to 69 on Americans 49 or younger at the present. It would change the formula that determines the size of a retiree’s initial payments. And it would switch the program to a less generous formula for raising payments according to cost of living increases. …
… The cuts in the bill lean more heavily on high income-earners, but most workers would see cuts — some of them drastic — if Johnson’s bill became law.
They want to make Social Security more “solvent” by cutting it. Raising funds, such as by raising the cap on Social Security taxes, is not even considered in this bill.
If you’re a Republican, you screw old folks. It’s just what Republicans do.
See also How The GOP Social Security/Medicare Doomsday Machine Works
This is my world. This is my world every day. The total lack of any sort of grass roots understanding of how, why, what should, what is, how can we afford, who’s job is it, what is may duty, what is their job, what is the government’s responsibility to take care of old people.  Who makes the hard decisions, who decides what is just stupid expensive worthless treatment. Who says and trains people how to talk properly to one with dementia. Who even has enough sense to know that all dementia is not Alzheimer’s.Â
We all know what is coming. Perhaps not gas chambers but close. Ryan and Agent Orange will find ways toward the final solution. It is way too important to make sure that the elite have status trinkets than to worry about some poor slob who worked hard all their life.  They have their yacht and villas. They have bigger problems. Their maid stole their new expensive perfume. They have to chose which party to attend. And no one seems to understand what a horrid existence they have and how no one seems to understand all the good they do for the country and how hard their life is.
They are quick to tell you about the relative they had to fund and take care of. How expensive it was and how horrid the help were. What they will not say is how much work they did. They will not say how they did without.  They will not say how hard it must be on people with lesser means to do the same thing. They will tell you that they want power and control over all old people’s destiny.Â
I want to see them wipe a few butts. I want them to spend the time I do every week taking care of old people. I want them to do what many of my friends have to do, work, pay for, visit, care for, check in on, advise, assist, the venerable old people of this country. When they can do these things they are worthy of being leaders of this great country. Until then they are just another problem we have to work around. We already have too many problems like that.Â
They want to go big I guess. As long as a bunch of Joe Lieberman’s don’t jump out of the Democratic woodwork, I think this will be tough for Republicans to pull off. However, Democrats, progressives, and just people who care have to not get distracted by Trump tweet shiny objects. This oughta be big news and they can make it so.
“We all know what is coming. Perhaps not gas chambers but close.”
Jesus Christ, you people. Maybe you should read the text of the proposal or even the Social Security Administration’s review before starting in with your usual tendentious nonsense. This proposal increases benefits for low-income Americans and limits cost-of-living adjustments for higher-income people. Isn’t that the left-wing solution for every thing under the sun?
Take a breath, dummies.
Explanations about these things must be made simple enough, and repeated often enough, for the busy common working man to finally understand. Counters to the inevitable wingnut noise must be equally simple and repeatable.
I truly hope that the Republicans won’t be successful in hurting Social Security and Medicare as so many depend on it (we do.) My husband is in the middle stages of Alzheimer and I am his sole caregiver, 24/7, with no outside support of any kind. It is very difficult, isolating, physically and emotionally exhausting. Compared with Europe and also Japan, the US is already providing very little if anything to help caregivers’ burdens, many die before their sick patients because of related stress problems. As it is, Medicare does not cover nursing homes for Alzheimer’s patients – here in Georgia the average monthly charge is $5,000 a month. Communities are ill equipped to help sick seniors. I am not surprised that life expectancy for men in the US had dropped to 76.3 years – how many die because they can’t afford their medicines and good care? (Life expectancy in my country (France) is 82.57 years, but the health system there is much better – even though people around here believe the US has the best health system in the world …)
I recall earlier in the campaign, Trump saying he felt social security should be expanded. This and other statements he made that went against the granny-killers in the GOP, was the reason why many of the conservative OGs like Viguerie were dead set against Trump. Many of his voters supported Trump for that other things the GOP finds anathema.
Trump is trying to keep the base riled up on hate and fear, to distract them as he goes against promises like this to serve that deal with the devil: let me enrich myself GOP congress, and I’ll sign off on whatever you want while keeping the base distracted. And doing that is as easy as a 2:00 AM tweet.
But how long will that work? A lot of these Trump voters are dumb as doorknobs, but I don’t think hate and fear will be enough at some point, for many of them. Question is, can the democrats exploit it, and will it be enough to make a difference?
The Malignant Donaldcist campaigned with a 5 point plan for ethics reform (drain the swamp) including 5 year bans on various former government officials from lobbying. And now Rep. Peter DeFazio (D) has introduced a Drain The Swamp bill which calls for doing some of that.
Not bad. More of that please. The more Mr. RandomActsOfSwamp is proven to be the con artist he is, the better.
What a huge surprise: my comment was purged from the liberal echo chamber.
This is why nobody cares about anything the Left says anymore.
Here’s the dichotomy that’s breaking this country apart:
-Democrats can govern, but have a hard time getting elected.
-Democrats are, while far from perfect, far, far, better for working people, the unemployed, the young, students, the old, the disabled, minorities – even business. Yes, BUSINESS!
But the Democrats can’t “message” for shit! The present real-life titles for real-life problems and their solutions.
-Republicans can’t govern at all, but, for a variety of reasons, have an easier time getting elected (*gerrymandering – cough, cough!* Also too, MSM fecklessness!!! Also three – their OWN Reich-Wing TV, radio, internet, and newspaper/magazine empires!).
-Republicans only wamt to coddle the rich. They want to further oppress the oppressed and give more money and benefits to the rich and powerful – further pamper the already pampered. They are horrible for ALL age groups, and ALL races, colors creeds, nationalities, and religions – except, of course, for white Evangelical “Christians.”
-But damn, while the Democrats can’t sell space warmers for Eskimo’s, the Republicans can sell them ice-cube makers! They name absolutely horrible policies that are the exact opposite of what they want to accomplish (Example: The Clear Skies Act – which cleared the skies of birds, since it was designed to all for MORE pollution.
We’re screwed – unless the Democrats have an epiphany and grow two spines at the same time.
And if there’s ever a time – IT IS NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
McCain and Graham want investigations as well. Damned nobodies.
This is why nobody cares about anything the Left says anymore.
Well, if Paulie Ryan has his name attached any part of this scheme than be mindful of the old caveat…Beware of Geeks bearing gifts.
Oh, I left out the word “to” in my comment above.. That’s another affliction that affects the elderly..conjunctionitis. Nothing to worry about though. When I start leaving out conjunctions in my speech then I’ll start, or my children will start, to look a little closer at what kind of benefits Medicare is offering.
Swami,
Imo, that should read, “Beware of geeks bearing grifts.”
Eric:
” This proposal increases benefits for low-income Americans and limits cost-of-living adjustments for higher-income people. Isn’t that the left-wing solution for every thing under the sun?”
No. The whole point is that everyone is in Social Security equally. That’s always been its big selling point. Except that most people didn’t realize there was a cap. The sane and sensible way to deal with any presumed shortfall is to eliminate the cap to equalize the percentage those with higher income have to put into it, since they are paying less now. Simple.
At least Trump understands that we don’t need to raise taxes or borrow to fund Social Security or Medicare, since the government cannot run out of money. It can always print it. 🙂 Remember how it printed Greenbacks to help fund the Civil War? Dick Cheney (!) said, “Deficits don’t matter.”
Social Security and Medicare are under attack because Wall Street wants to skim money off the top.
Oh, yes, Cheney was wrong. Deficits do matter. Right now they may well be too low.