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Fox News, Conservatives, and Republicans bashed Obama throughout the presidential campaign for cutting 700 billion from Medicare.
Now with the fiscal cliff negotiations, the GOP says we must cut entitlement spending when they really mean Medicare. Why don't they just say, "We need to cut Medicare?"
When republicans say "entitlement" they include Medicare and Social Security. But then they deny it because it doesn't help politically and use unemployment insurance etc to deflect.
I'm hoping people have figured that out - but I'm afraid people are still thinking of those free 'Obamaphones" whenever the Repubs talk about 'entitlements.'
I'm hoping people have figured that out - but I'm afraid people are still thinking of those free 'Obamaphones" whenever the Repubs talk about 'entitlements.'
You didn't notice the change happening over the years ?
SS and medicare are now lumped in with TANF and other means tested programs.
They are all "entitlement programs" now whether you paid into them or not.
Americans are now "entitled" to government handouts and they blur the line defining programs you paid into vs programs you didn't. It's to eliminate the stigma of being poor you know.
FICA is a forced savings account. How dare I take my money out of my forced savings account each month!
And believe me, I'm laughing at all the libbys while I do it.
And for those still to braindead to have comprehended, each month, a portion comes out of my forced savings account to pay for Medicare. Is that easy enough to understand? For liberals probably not. Here...let me break it down:
SS Check: $1500
Medicare Deduction: $300
Net: $1200
See how easy it is?
Somehow, I still think liberals won't get it. 2+2 is way too hard for them.
FICA is a forced savings account. How dare I take my money out of my forced savings account each month!
And believe me, I'm laughing at all the libbys while I do it.
And for those still to braindead to have comprehended, each month, a portion comes out of my forced savings account to pay for Medicare. Is that easy enough to understand? For liberals probably not. Here...let me break it down:
SS Check: $1500
Medicare Deduction: $300
Net: $1200
See how easy it is?
Somehow, I still think liberals won't get it. 2+2 is way too hard for them.
The liberals have no problem with that. It is your Republicans, especially the tea partiers, who want to take away your Social Security and Medicare because you are no longer entitled to this entitlement. If the Republicans have their way, the funds you paid into these programs would be used for additional tax breaks for the wealthy.
Fox News, Conservatives, and Republicans bashed Obama throughout the presidential campaign for cutting 700 billion from Medicare.
Now with the fiscal cliff negotiations, the GOP says we must cut entitlement spending when they really mean Medicare. Why don't they just say, "We need to cut Medicare?"
Better yet why don't you just admit your own candidate and his appointees are saying that.
Quote:
Lawmakers should not delay addressing the long-run financial challenges facing Social Security and Medicare. If they take action sooner rather than later, more options and more time will be available to phase in changes so that the public has adequate time to prepare. Earlier action will also help elected officials minimize adverse impacts on vulnerable populations, including lower-income workers and people already dependent on program benefits.
And, gosh, what sort of republican could be so callous and thoughtless as to recommend such draconian cuts or taxes on everyone?
Quote:
Timothy F. Geithner,
Secretary of the Treasury,
and Managing Trustee
Kathleen Sebelius,
Secretary of Health
and Human Services,
and Trustee
Charles P. Blahous III,
Trustee
Hilda L. Solis,
Secretary of Labor,
and Trustee
Michael J. Astrue,
Commissioner of
Social Security,
and Trustee
Robert D. Reischauer, Trustee
And what does the SSA say about you feeling that you paid in and somehow it's yours no matter what anyone says?
Background to the Case:
Quote:
The fact that workers contribute to the Social Security program's funding through a dedicated payroll tax establishes a unique connection between those tax payments and future benefits. More so than general federal income taxes can be said to establish "rights" to certain government services. This is often expressed in the idea that Social Security benefits are "an earned right." This is true enough in a moral and political sense. But like all federal entitlement programs, Congress can change the rules regarding eligibility--and it has done so many times over the years. The rules can be made more generous, or they can be made more restrictive. Benefits which are granted at one time can be withdrawn, as for example with student benefits, which were substantially scaled-back in the 1983 Amendments.
There has been a temptation throughout the program's history for some people to suppose that their FICA payroll taxes entitle them to a benefit in a legal, contractual sense. That is to say, if a person makes FICA contributions over a number of years, Congress cannot, according to this reasoning, change the rules in such a way that deprives a contributor of a promised future benefit. Under this reasoning, benefits under Social Security could probably only be increased, never decreased, if the Act could be amended at all. Congress clearly had no such limitation in mind when crafting the law. Section 1104 of the 1935 Act, entitled "RESERVATION OF POWER," specifically said: "The right to alter, amend, or repeal any provision of this Act is hereby reserved to the Congress." Even so, some have thought that this reservation was in some way unconstitutional. This is the issue finally settled by Flemming v. Nestor.
In this 1960 Supreme Court decision Nestor's denial of benefits was upheld even though he had contributed to the program for 19 years and was already receiving benefits. Under a 1954 law, Social Security benefits were denied to persons deported for, among other things, having been a member of the Communist party. Accordingly, Mr. Nestor's benefits were terminated. He appealed the termination arguing, among other claims, that promised Social Security benefits were a contract and that Congress could not renege on that contract. In its ruling, the Court rejected this argument and established the principle that entitlement to Social Security benefits is not contractual right.
Well gosh, that's just embarrassing. Look how silly you and your cohorts look now having defended Obama all the way back to FDR as if they were your savior...
FICA is a forced savings account. How dare I take my money out of my forced savings account each month!
And believe me, I'm laughing at all the libbys while I do it.
And for those still to braindead to have comprehended, each month, a portion comes out of my forced savings account to pay for Medicare. Is that easy enough to understand? For liberals probably not. Here...let me break it down:
SS Check: $1500
Medicare Deduction: $300
Net: $1200
See how easy it is?
Somehow, I still think liberals won't get it. 2+2 is way too hard for them.
But it's not a forced savings plan. It's a social insurance plan that can be changed in anyway congress sees necessary or it can be abolished at anytime and no you do not pass go and you don't collect anything if that's done.
Last edited by BigJon3475; 12-31-2012 at 05:30 PM..
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