Morning In America and the Attack on Social Security

Sometimes an artist can show what's really going on better than any words or single image. Such is the Ligorano/Reese video below.

 

 

The speech is by the great Senator Bernie Sanders. Now we have a direct attack on social security under the guise of a manufactured crisis, raising the debt ceiling. The latest is the so called bi-partisan gang of six. Guess what is on the table to be cut and guess what isn't? Social security of course and taxes of course not. Economist Dean Baker:

The ability of Washington to turn everything on its head has no limits. We are in the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Even though the recession officially ended two years ago, there are still more than 25 million people who are unemployed, can only find part-time work, or who have given up looking for work altogether. This is an outrage and a tragedy. These people’s lives are being ruined due to the mismanagement of the economy.

And, we know the cause of this mismanagement. The folks who get paid to manage and regulate the economy were unable to see an $8 trillion housing bubble. They weren’t bothered by the doubling of house prices in many areas, nor the dodgy mortgages that were sold to finance these purchases. Somehow people like former Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan and his sidekick and successor Ben Bernanke thought everything was fine as the Wall Street financers made billions selling junk mortgage and derivative instruments around the world.

When the bubble burst, one of the consequences was an increased budget deficit. This is kind of like two plus two equals four. The collapsing bubble tanked the economy. Tax revenue plummets and we spend more on programs like unemployment insurance and foods stamps. We did also have some tax cuts and stimulus spending to boost the economy. The result is a larger budget deficit.

Below are more floor Speeches by Senator Sanders, who somehow manages to word, simply, the outright theft of the American people of their meager retirement, which they already paid for:

 

 

Are you aware what life was like in the United States before social security? 50% of old people in poverty and if you were disabled, tough luck, if you didn't have family you were out on the street, on your own.

EPI shows social security is the majority of income for 3/5th of Seniors. In other words, people need social security to survive.

Below is Bernie Sanders calling out Obama on his promise to not touch social security.

 

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Don't confuse the issue of the debt ceiling, which is real, with this never ending agenda to destroy Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid that has been going on for over 40 years.

The below is yet another speech by Senator Sanders, loaded with history and information on social security and the graphics, while poor, does have one message to Congress, back off social security.

 

 

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Comments

Excellent summary of a sellout

What's especially maddening is how some of the news pundits that supposedly should know better (eg Lawrence O Donnell on MSNBC) either mislead themselves or their viewers by claiming Obama is winning eg this debt ceiling battle;eg, that Obama is playing "3 level chess" while the Repubs are playing checkers.
It's obvious that Obama is playing instead to the same interests of the wealthy as the repubs (as are similar apparent sellouts like Sen Durbin D-IL). The lure of big money for the campaign and post-office bonanza can be apparently irresistible

Which is worser?

I see that Bush is still ahead in the 'Which is worser?' contest.

And it looks more and more like that our choice in 2012 will effectively be .... another Bush or more of the Bush-lite!

Let's see, which will I vote for ... Worse or Worser? Bush-like or Bush-lite?

Excellent review of a phony

What's especially maddening is how some of the news pundits that supposedly should know better (eg Lawrence O Donnell on MSNBC) either mislead themselves or their viewers by claiming Obama is winning eg this debt ceiling battle;eg, that Obama is playing "3 level chess" while the Repubs are playing checkers.
It's obvious that Obama is playing instead to the same interests of the wealthy as the repubs (as are similar apparent sellouts like Sen Durbin D-IL). The lure of big money for the campaign and post-office bonanza can be apparently irresistible

Lawrence O'Donnell is economically disabled

Seriously. He just spews whatever special interest he's interested in. Completely inane when it comes to anything immigration related, true economic fiction as well. Thinking Obama has some grand chess master strategy is a joke.

Looks almost like a psychosis occurring right on cable to claim that.

Obama is bought and paid for by special interests and that's the real problem. Starting out with special interest agenda items as a negotiation position with a whole gang that also is bought and paid for by special interests with one caveat, they want to see him as a 1 term President...

well, of course the ones who get screwed every single time are the U.S. citizens, American middle class.

gang of 6 budget details, it's bad, $1300/yr loss on SS

Think Progress has managed to squeeze out a few details and beyond what this post talks about, they are screwing Americans on social security, it looks like some of this is about accounting fake outs.

I'm waiting until I can gather enough details to write it up as a post.