The Latest Republican Attempt To Gut Social Security

The reactionary Republican/ New Confederate/ Stupid Party is still, after 80 years, trying to gut the most successful social safety net program Americans have ever known, using a phony crisis as a pretext:

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) issued a stark warning to supporters: Republicans are willing to create a crisis pitting "America's seniors against America's disabled" in order to gut Social Security. 

"We’ve known for years that Social Security Disability Insurance is set to run low in 2016, and most people assumed that another bipartisan reallocation was coming," Warren wrote in an email to supporters on Wednesday evening. "But now, thanks to the Republican ideological war on our most important national safety net, disabled Americans could suddenly face a 20% cut in their Social Security checks next year." 

House Republicans quietly passed a rule change last month that would block Congress from being able to make routine tax revenue transfers between the Social Security retirement and disability funds, commonly referred to as reallocation, unless the program's overall solvency is improved. [snip]

Republicans' claim that this is about budget balancing is nonsense, Warren said.

"Republicans want to pretend this fight is all about dollars and cents. But at the end of the day, this is about a lot more than accounting: It’s about our values," Warren said. (our emphasis)

Our progressive values:  Maintaining a financial safety net for the poor, disabled and elderly.  Their Republican values:  I got mine, Jack;  more tax giveaways for the 1 percent!  (Keep in mind Sen. "Ayn" Rand Paul's (R-Galt's Gulch) saying half of the people on disability are essentially "faking it.")

Here's what such a cut would mean for many:

At a Senate Budget Committee hearing focused on the fund, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) asked what would happen to people with significant injuries if the program is not sustained. 

“I don’t want to be dramatic, but I’ve worked with this population my whole career. I think we [would] give them a death sentence,” acting Commissioner Carolyn Colvin said. 

The disability fund is projected to be exhausted by the end of 2016, and lawmakers are divided over how to deal with the shortfall. If Congress fails to act, beneficiaries would receive a nearly 20 percent cut in benefits. (our emphasis)

Not that Republicans care one whit, living as they do in their libertarian Galt's Gulch bubble. Whether it's gutting Social Security, or declining to expand Medicare under the Affordable Care Act, or fighting health insurance subsidies every step of the way, or taking away voting and reproductive rights, Republicans have shown for decades that their operating philosophy is one of ignorance, inhumanity, selfishness and cupidity.

(Photo:  Sen. Elizabeth Warren)

McBush Touches Third Rail, Survives

The Atlantic's Matt Iglesias picked up on this bit of wisdom from Sen. McBush about Social Security:

"Americans have got to understand that we are paying present-day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers in America today. And that's a disgrace."

We suppose McBush, who has been covered by the Federal retirement system (Navy and Senate) for most of his life and who married into wealth, has not had much interest in, or knowledge of, Social Security. Our taxes went to pay for our parents' Social Security, and we think that's the honorable thing, considering all that the previous generation did. The social compact between generations says that the generations help each other. Amazing that he doesn't understand that, but then he's OK with staying in Iraq indefinitely too.

And the reaction from the "liberal" media?
*crickets chirping*