Republicans plan to “rein in” social security and Medicare if they take control of congress

[Anonymous]

Manchin lining up to take a chainsaw to entitlements because that would benefit his WV constituents so very much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Manchin lining up to take a chainsaw to entitlements because that would benefit his WV constituents so very much.

He doesn't care about them, his WV constituents would probably vote him back in no matter what he did; anyone who has it out for them is probably better, seems to be the logic.

My relatives in Virginia, who live on *only* Social Security, will be voting for Republicans, in order to have their benefits cut, because "black people." Hope they realize I don't plan to make up the difference because they are bad at looking out for themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All my MAGA Aunties and Uncles would be FURIOUS if the Rs cut their SS/medicare. Maybe Pps are right and they'll only cut it for people they calculate aren't voting R anyway.

A large chunk of SSI/Medicare/Medicaid users are people who arrived here in their old age through family immigration, and never paid a cent into the system. They were brought here by wealthy kids who came through work migration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All my MAGA Aunties and Uncles would be FURIOUS if the Rs cut their SS/medicare. Maybe Pps are right and they'll only cut it for people they calculate aren't voting R anyway.

A large chunk of SSI/Medicare/Medicaid users are people who arrived here in their old age through family immigration, and never paid a cent into the system. They were brought here by wealthy kids who came through work migration.

Parents get benefits from their children? I didn't know that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'd be happy to talk about Social Security and Medicare right after we have the discussion on the defense budget. We spent $320 million a DAY in Afghanistan for 20 years. Has there been any public discussion of pulling back or meaningfully re-programming those funds.

We need to do both. And we need to increase tax revenue. The budget deficit is out of control right now, and the only sustainable path is to attack it from all sides, as well as by inflating the currency to reduce the effect of the debt. This is all necessary to insure the future solvency of the republic. Not sure why people don't understand this or why neither major political party is willing to make a national issue out of balancing the budget (despite all kinds of hand-waving, the Republican party has done nothing meaningful about deficit reduction in the last few decades).

And, yes, this includes cuts to SS and Medicare because those are two of our three largest spending progams (the third being the military). The current situation is unsustainable, and all other spending is trivial by comparison.

Exactly. Dummies vote against their self interest. There is no cure for stupid.

This isn't stupid. I've voted against my self-interest many times, on principle alone. More people should do this, and vote for the best long-term policies for the country, rather than in their own short-term interest (i.e. voting themselves money).

And, to be clear, I'm no fan of the Republican party (especially its current incarnation), but these are discussions that we need to be having, and I will support anyone who makes an honest attempt at balancing the budget and paying down the debt. I am skeptical that the Republican party will actually do this, but we shall see.

Social security, healthcare, education - this IS where we should be investing as a country. We need more support for these elements of our “infrastructure”, not less. Cutting back on social security when the living wage in this country has plummeted in real terms (while of course the rich get richer) further decimates any safety nets. Pensions barely exist anymore and not every employer offers 401k - let alone not every worker has any money left over to pay into an account. So we further demolish any semblance of middle and working class? Either you’re rich or you’re in the gutter.

+1. Functioning governments and countries use their tax revenue to shore up their social safety nets, not tear it down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All my MAGA Aunties and Uncles would be FURIOUS if the Rs cut their SS/medicare. Maybe Pps are right and they'll only cut it for people they calculate aren't voting R anyway.

A large chunk of SSI/Medicare/Medicaid users are people who arrived here in their old age through family immigration, and never paid a cent into the system. They were brought here by wealthy kids who came through work migration.

I think you have to go a step further, and they start a company and put them on payroll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'd be happy to talk about Social Security and Medicare right after we have the discussion on the defense budget. We spent $320 million a DAY in Afghanistan for 20 years. Has there been any public discussion of pulling back or meaningfully re-programming those funds.

We need to do both. And we need to increase tax revenue. The budget deficit is out of control right now, and the only sustainable path is to attack it from all sides, as well as by inflating the currency to reduce the effect of the debt. This is all necessary to insure the future solvency of the republic. Not sure why people don't understand this or why neither major political party is willing to make a national issue out of balancing the budget (despite all kinds of hand-waving, the Republican party has done nothing meaningful about deficit reduction in the last few decades).

And, yes, this includes cuts to SS and Medicare because those are two of our three largest spending progams (the third being the military). The current situation is unsustainable, and all other spending is trivial by comparison.

Exactly. Dummies vote against their self interest. There is no cure for stupid.

This isn't stupid. I've voted against my self-interest many times, on principle alone. More people should do this, and vote for the best long-term policies for the country, rather than in their own short-term interest (i.e. voting themselves money).

And, to be clear, I'm no fan of the Republican party (especially its current incarnation), but these are discussions that we need to be having, and I will support anyone who makes an honest attempt at balancing the budget and paying down the debt. I am skeptical that the Republican party will actually do this, but we shall see.

Social security, healthcare, education - this IS where we should be investing as a country. We need more support for these elements of our “infrastructure”, not less. Cutting back on social security when the living wage in this country has plummeted in real terms (while of course the rich get richer) further decimates any safety nets. Pensions barely exist anymore and not every employer offers 401k - let alone not every worker has any money left over to pay into an account. So we further demolish any semblance of middle and working class? Either you’re rich or you’re in the gutter.

+1. Functioning governments and countries use their tax revenue to shore up their infrastructure and fund institutions like healthcare, education, retirement, for the common good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All my MAGA Aunties and Uncles would be FURIOUS if the Rs cut their SS/medicare. Maybe Pps are right and they'll only cut it for people they calculate aren't voting R anyway.

A large chunk of SSI/Medicare/Medicaid users are people who arrived here in their old age through family immigration, and never paid a cent into the system. They were brought here by wealthy kids who came through work migration.

You are clueless. That doesn’t happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, I’d pay more taxes to ensure there were things like universal healthcare for those who wanted it.

You are missing the point. We cannot pay for the services that government provides _now_. Just to continue these, and balance the budget, you will need to pay significantly more in taxes (in the 50-100% more range). This does not get more services, does not get universal health care, or anything else. If you want that, you will have to pay even more (and convince the rest of the country to do that, too).

This isn't politics--just math.

And anyone who doesn't understand this is either innumerate or is happy to pass current expenses to future generations and put the future of the republic at risk.

Yes, I understand math. I’m saying + to taxes for billionaires and from corporations and (-) for corporate loopholes and subsidies. I’m also saying (-) for defense spending (with parameters). Take those + / - and spend towards critical assets like healthcare, safety nets, and education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, I’d pay more taxes to ensure there were things like universal healthcare for those who wanted it.

You are missing the point. We cannot pay for the services that government provides _now_. Just to continue these, and balance the budget, you will need to pay significantly more in taxes (in the 50-100% more range). This does not get more services, does not get universal health care, or anything else. If you want that, you will have to pay even more (and convince the rest of the country to do that, too).

This isn't politics--just math.

And anyone who doesn't understand this is either innumerate or is happy to pass current expenses to future generations and put the future of the republic at risk.

Well raise taxes or cancel an aircraft carrier or two.

X 10000 and also close one big tax loophole. Just one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, I’d pay more taxes to ensure there were things like universal healthcare for those who wanted it.

You are missing the point. We cannot pay for the services that government provides _now_. Just to continue these, and balance the budget, you will need to pay significantly more in taxes (in the 50-100% more range). This does not get more services, does not get universal health care, or anything else. If you want that, you will have to pay even more (and convince the rest of the country to do that, too).

This isn't politics--just math.

And anyone who doesn't understand this is either innumerate or is happy to pass current expenses to future generations and put the future of the republic at risk.

They could undo the unfunded 2017 tax cuts and it would cover a lot of what is being discussed.

This

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All my MAGA Aunties and Uncles would be FURIOUS if the Rs cut their SS/medicare. Maybe Pps are right and they'll only cut it for people they calculate aren't voting R anyway.

A large chunk of SSI/Medicare/Medicaid users are people who arrived here in their old age through family immigration, and never paid a cent into the system. They were brought here by wealthy kids who came through work migration.

Citation please.

Everyone I know on SS / Medicare has great great great grandparents who were American citizens, so I call BS. I'm sure there are some, but a large chunk?

I don't want my MAGA idiot aunts and uncles eating cat food and going without health care because a much smaller number of immigrants happen to get benefits.

[Anonymous]

They just need a small.slice from the DoD budget. Pull everyone out of Saudi Arabia and shut down the bases there as revenge for the last oil price hike right before the election. We could save enough money to help SS and get out of the crapshow in the middle east.

[Anonymous]

They just need a small.slice from the DoD budget.

Actually, no. Looking at 2019 federal spending (because COVID spending was weird and not representative of normal economic activity), we could cut 100% of defense spending ($676b) and there would still be a deficit (of over $200b).

See here:

https://www.cbo.gov/publication/56324

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, I’d pay more taxes to ensure there were things like universal healthcare for those who wanted it.

You are missing the point. We cannot pay for the services that government provides _now_. Just to continue these, and balance the budget, you will need to pay significantly more in taxes (in the 50-100% more range). This does not get more services, does not get universal health care, or anything else. If you want that, you will have to pay even more (and convince the rest of the country to do that, too).

This isn't politics--just math.

And anyone who doesn't understand this is either innumerate or is happy to pass current expenses to future generations and put the future of the republic at risk.

Yes, I understand math. I’m saying + to taxes for billionaires and from corporations and (-) for corporate loopholes and subsidies. I’m also saying (-) for defense spending (with parameters). Take those + / - and spend towards critical assets like healthcare, safety nets, and education.

+1 I completely agree.