Washblog

Tell the person who answers the phone:

You are a voter/constituent living in [your state]. I am calling to tell the Senator - NO TO SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFIT CUTS! HANDS OFF SOCIAL SECURITY.

ACT NOW! Your voice needs to be heard.

Call your Senators RIGHT NOW at 1-866-529-7630. After providing your zip code you'll be given a choice of which of your state's two senators to be connected with. Call BOTH if you have the time. It only takes a minute each.

Please take the time for this very important effort today. This is for you, your children and your grandchildren. Don't let politicians in Washington cut OUR Social Security. Act today.

What the Catfood Commission has proposed so far (11-18-2010)

There are three preliminary drafts that have been issued
*    Co-chairs of the Deficit Commission Simpson and Bowles are proposing major cuts in Social Security and Medicare
*    Member Alice Rivlin (with Pete Domenici) is proposing less severe cuts, but recommending stealth privatization of Medicare
*    Member Jan Schakowsky proposing controlling the deficit by cuts in areas other than Social Security and Medicare.  There would be Medicare savings from mandating bulk purchasing of drugs and introducing a robust public option

What Simpson and Bowles Have Proposed for Social Security
*    Raising the retirement age to 69
*    Raising the age at which you can begin Social Security payments to age 64
*    Those age 65 would see their benefits cut by 17% if their wages average $43,000 over their working lives, by 30% if their wages average $69,000 over their working lives, and by 36% if their wages average $107,000 over their working lives, according to the Social Security Chief Actuary. The proposed cuts would apply to retirees, disabled workers and their families, children who have lost parents, and widows and widowers.
*    Adjusting COLA formula to cut benefits for current retirees. This will result in a 3.7% cut in benefits after 10 years in retirement beginning at age 65 and a 6.5% cut after 20 years.

Simpson and Bowles have also proposed CUTTING TAXES on the rich!
*    Their proposal cuts taxes from 35% to 23% for the highest taxes bracket
*    The corporate tax rate, now 35 percent, would be reduced to 26%
*    These massive tax cuts would not reduce the deficit, and would be paid for by slashing income for those in the lowest tax brackets

The Rivlin-Domenici sneak attack on Medicare
*    They propose converting Medicare to a premium support program.
*    "Premium support" converts Medicare from a defined benefit to a defined contribution plan.

Why is premium support and defined contribution bad?
*    Premium support places a limit on the amount that the government contributes toward the Medicare beneficiaries' premiums, exposing individuals to the increasing costs of health care. It then uses the leverage of higher individual premiums to encourage "voluntary" purchase of less expensive private plans in the marketplace.
*    Since private plans have much higher administrative costs, they can achieve lower premiums only by reducing benefits or increasing out-of-pocket costs for the beneficiaries. Instead of overpaying private plans as with the current Medicare Advantage program, premium support underpays the private plans but allows them to obtain the balance from the Medicare beneficiaries.
*    It is really a plan to privatize Medicare that can have only disastrous consequences for Medicare beneficiaries