Most people slept through it, but yes, the United States government shutdown for several hours last night. Yesterday, in something of a throwback, the two parties struck a deal and came out with a bi-partisan spending bill. Great news, right? But Republican and libertarian Rand Paul had to make a point: Republicans no longer care about deficit spending. Rand wanted … Read More
Obama’s Chained CPI Idea Is Bad
Obama, in attempting to show that he can "give" a little when it comes to cutting the deficits, is about to propose a thing called "chained CPI" when it comes to Social Security benefits. Basically, it sets Social Security benefits to the inflation rate. Bad. Bad. Bad. For one thing, Social Security isn't in trouble. It's well-funded for the next … Read More
Facebook Changing Privacy Controls AGAIN
The announcement will be at 1 pm today (ET). Apparently, the backlash has been too great, and Facebook is going to fix it for the better: (CNN) — Facebook, in a rare move, is expected to reverse itself Wednesday on changes to privacy settings after sustained backlash from users worried about how their private information is being used. The announcement, … Read More
Who Wants To Get Rid Of Social Security?
I think many of the Teabaggers, especially the elder ones, will be surprised to learn that it isn't the Democrats who want to take away Social Security, Medicare, and the other programs of FDR. It's the Republicans… …and they're starting to talk openly about it.
Another Economic Thought…
When George Bush and Republicans talked about privatizing social security a while back, they were talking about putting it in the hands of Merrill Lynch, Citibank, and the other financial geniuses behind the current economic crisis. Aren’t we glad we didn’t do it?
United States Government Debunks Bush
Even as Bush is going out trying to sell gullible midwesterners about how grrrrreat it would be if Social Security were nothing but private accounts, the United States government’s social security website clearly indicates how ill-advised Bush’s scheme is: Q: I think I could do better if you let me invest the Social Security I pay into an Individual Retirement … Read More
You Go, Seniors!
The good news is that Bush’s social security privitization scheme hasn’t worked. The better news is why it hasn’t worked. Jon Chait explains: The main reason is that the public is not quite as selfish as the conservatives thought. The privatizers’ weakest assumption turned out to be their belief that the elderly would support privatization if they knew they wouldn’t … Read More
Worthless IOUs
From The American Street: Next time you hear some trained Bush monkey echo Bush talking points and claim that the Social Security trustfund is stocked with nothing but a bunch of worthless “IOU’s,” pull out a $20 bill like this one: A worthless IOU. Explain to them that if the United States Bonds and Treasury Bills that make up the … Read More
Old Folks
Yglesius gives George Will the heel of his boot on social security: George Will, like many other conservatives, is positively irate that old people won’t get behind the president’s plan even though the president has promised not to cut their benefits. In response, it’s worth noting first and foremost that senior citizens may have concerns about this subject other than … Read More
I’m a Racist
… because I oppose Bush’s privatization of social security idea. Well, that’s what the President says. Pretty amazing. Here’s what he said yesterday: And so there are guidelines as to what you can invest in. I was being somewhat facetious on the lottery — but really not. There’s a proper risk reward, a portfolio that will allow you as a … Read More
If It Walks Like a Lame Duck…
From the Washington Post: The Senate’s top Republican [Bill Frist] said yesterday that President Bush’s bid to restructure Social Security may have to wait until next year and might not involve the individual accounts the White House has been pushing hard. …."In terms of whether it will be a week, a month, six months or a year, as to when … Read More
Bush’s Social Security Reform Is Dying
And badly. It seems the more he talks about "fixing" Social Security, the less convincing he is. Some leader. Some mandate. And who is telling us that Bush is actually losing support on Social Security, the more he talks about it? Our friends at Gallup: Only one in three Americans approve of President Bush’s handling of Social Security, his lowest … Read More
From the Producers of “The Swift Boat Veterans for *cough* Truth *cough*”…
… comes the latest in surreal conservative propaganda. And it is a doosy. AARP: Anti-military. Pro Gay. Therefore, we should privatize social security. This is a copy of the the ad being run by USANext, the conservative alternative to AARP (when you click the actual ad, you are taken to USANext‘s home page). There’s no article or argument as to … Read More
Rose Colored Glasses Beyond Belief
This is a true exchange. It happened in Omaha last Friday, when Bush was taking his dog-and-pony show on the road: THE PRESIDENT: Good. Okay, Mary, tell us about yourself. MS. MORNIN: Okay, I’m a divorced, single mother with three grown, adult children. I have one child, Robbie, who is mentally challenged, and I have two daughters. THE PRESIDENT: Fantastic. … Read More
Never Tired Of Being Wrong
According to a July 28th, 2000 article in USA Today, back in 1978 when President Bush was running for congress in Texas, "he predicted Social Security would go broke in 10 years and said the system should give people ‘the chance to invest money the way they feel’ is best." (Source) And back in 1999, he again said that Social … Read More