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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe President's misguided Social Security ‘Reform’
"At the end of last year, just shy of the 11th hour in the fiscal cliff negotiations, President Obama made an offer that included a Republican-backed idea to cut spending by lowering the cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security benefits. The move shocked Congressional Democrats and dismayed Mr. Obamas liberal base.
The offer, however, was rejected by House Republicans who could not stomach the tax increases and other concessions that Mr. Obama demanded as part of the deal. The talks moved on, and when all was said and done, Republicans did not get the lower cost-of-living adjustments (known as COLAs) and Mr. Obama did not get the concessions he had sought.
But that is not the end of the story. As the next round of deficit reduction talks gets under way, the administration seems determined to include the COLA cut in any new package of spending reductions. Rather than using the issue as a bargaining ploy, the administration appears to have embraced it as a worthy end in itself.
Is it? In a word, no.
That is not to say that Social Security should be off the table. There are reforms that are eminently sensible, if only the political will could be found to enact them. But reducing the COLA is not a sound idea now and may never be."
I hope we can bring enough pressure to stop this.
Read the rest at the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/opinion/sunday/misguided-social-security-reform.html?hp&_r=0
Still Sensible
(2,870 posts)get on down the road.
alberg
(412 posts)Obama mentioned it throughout the campaign in 2008, but in recent years you never hear Democrats bring this up as an option. As negotiations start, it should be on the table front and center.
brentspeak
(18,290 posts)Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)alberg
(412 posts)bvar22
(39,909 posts)You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their rhetoric, promises, or excuses.
[font size=5 color=green]Solidarity99![/font][font size=2 color=green]
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