Archive for March, 2008
Starving Social Security
Thursday, March 27th, 2008Just when you think conservatives might have run out of new ways to destroy Social Security, columnist Robert Novak joins the discussion today urging Presidential candidate John McCain to cut the payroll tax. How ironic that just two days after all the political posturing by the administration and conservatives on the Hill about the need [...]
No Surprises in Trustees Report
Tuesday, March 25th, 2008Social Security is fully funded for 33 years and Medicare is solvent for another decade. But don’t be surprised if those details are buried in any coverage you might read about this year’s Trustees Report. It just doesn’t fit with this administration’s “entitlement crisis” calls. This year’s trustees report confirmed what we already know about [...]
Media Perpetuates Social Security Myths
Friday, March 14th, 2008Social Security isn’t bankrupt. Unfortunately, too many in our national media just don’t seem to understand that basic truth. We’ve written about this before so won’t rehash it again (not too much, anyway). But the latest oversimplified, sky-is-falling and propaganda-laden coverage from Debra Saunders in the San Francisco Chronicle just can’t be ignored. And we’re [...]
Medicare “Dis” Advantage
Thursday, March 13th, 2008“If you want to provide more benefits to Medicare beneficiaries, it is more efficient to do it through traditional Medicare” rather than private Medicare Advantage plans.” Simple advice offered to the House Ways and Means Health subcommittee this week by Glenn Hackbarth, head of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, an organization created to advise Congress [...]
Maybe if We Don’t Call it Social Security Privatization No One will Notice…
Monday, March 10th, 2008That appears to be the continuing strategy for Senator Jim DeMint and other congressional privatizers intent on passing Social Security private accounts, whether the American people support them or not. You have to wonder, if privatization is such a great idea why do supporters go to such lengths to hide their true goals? The latest [...]