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Boehner Is Wrong. Americans Don’t Support Social Security Cuts
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Listen up, John Boehner: The public doesn’t like your plan to cut their Social Security so your rich friends can get another tax break. In fact, according to a poll released today by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, 68 percent of probable voters oppose cutting Social Security and Medicare to reduce the deficit. The poll was commissioned by the Campaign for America’s Future (CAF), MoveOn.org, AFSCME and SEIU.
Robert Borosage, CAF co-director, put it this way in a press conference call this morning:
Republican leaders get this exactly wrong. Last week, John Boehner was on television calling for continuing the top-end Bush tax cuts and for raising the retirement age for Social Security to 70. But as [the poll] noted, the vast majority of Americans, including two-thirds of Republicans oppose raising the retirement age and a broad majority, uniting Democrats and Independents, are for ending the Bush tax cuts.
Those conservative politicians who want to use concern about deficits as an opening to go after Social Security or Medicare risk a backlash at the polls.
To help voters understand whose side the Republicans are really on, CAF is joining with MoveOn.org Political Action to launch a major campaign to enlist candidates who will promise to support Social Security and to oppose any cuts in benefits, including raising the retirement age.
Check out the Greenberg poll here.
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25 Comments
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It is excellent that the AFL-CIO has staff writers to research and produce articles such as this. There is also a large network of pro-labor Blogs who are also producing this vital information essential to the political education of all working people, not just union members.
The vast majority of working people are not affiliated with unions. Thus most working people never hear information, news analysis, commentary that is critical of corporate agendas and perspectives on current affairs.
Pro-business, corporate agendas have for decades completely controlled the private mass media as well as public media such as PBS and NPR.
These corporate agendas have become the agendas of both Democratic and Republican Parties. These corporate agendas are forever to promote the profit maximization of the corporations, their owners and stockholders.
Invariably these corporate profit-agendas have resulted in a virtual class-war attack upon the public social and economic institutions that are now essential for all working people, organized and unorganized, for their survival.
The attack upon Social Security is just the latest of attacks upon the economic well-being of working people. From the chart above, many people understand how these attacks are destroying working people, that are looting the economy for the benefit of the super-rich and their corporations.
PROPOSAL: That the AFL-CIO create a new mass-media programming initiative, raising and devoting the necessary millions of dollars, to the creation of one-hour news and commentary programs to present the economic perspectives and interests of working people to counter the unchallenged and incessant pro-corporate propaganda on the many issues now facing working people.
Perhaps an hour on PBS television, to counter the MANY HOURS of indoctrination routinely dished out in supposedly “objective” news programs, programs to challenge “The McCloughlin Group”, programs from the BBC and Deutsche Welle which present the corporate perspectives from these countries.
(Never discussed are the vast austerity programs in Britain and Europe which are impoverishing workers in these countries, much the same as in this country.)
ON NPR National Public Radio (NATIONAL PRIVATIZED RADIO in reality), the more affluent and college educated are further indoctrinated with a mass of biased programming. The commentary programs of the past year, for example, forever discussed the nuances of Obama’s Health Care Reform, but rarely even mentioned Single-Payer Medicare for All Proposals killed in the Senate without even discussion.
The Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan discussions are all framed around ;the tactical problems of the wars, the differences among the Generals on how to wage war, etc. BUT NEVER ANY DISCUSSION AT ALL ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE ONLY CREDIBLE MOTIVATION FOR THESE WARS IS TO SECURE VAST PROFITS FOR CORPORATIONS INVOLVED IN THESE WARS.
The vast majority of Americans are opposed to these wars because they now realize the billions and trillions in war are being taken out of public education, public health, and all other essential public needs.
IF NECESSARY THE AFL-CIO SHOULD SUE PBS, NPR AND THE FCC TO SECURE EQUAL TIME FOR PROGRAMMING FOR NON-CORPORATE PROGRAMMING THAT SPEAKS TO THE INTEREST OF WORKING PEOPLE.
IF NECESSARY, THE AFL-CIO SHOULD SUE THE FCC, FOX NEWS, RUPERT MURDOCK, FOR EQUAL TIME TO COUNTER RUSH LIMBAUGH AND GLEN BECK AND OTHER PROPAGANDISTS WHO HAVE MADE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN PROFIT WHILE DESTROYING ANY POSSIBILITY OF OPEN DEMOCRATIC DISCOURSE ESSENTIAL TO THE VAST MAJORITY OF WORKING PEOPLE.
By educating the mass of working people on a daily basis, the foundation for organizing more working people into unions, for organizing a new anti-corporate political party that works for the economic betterment of working people and society, will be established.
Boehner and all his cohorts need to cut their own salary, they are paid way too much for doing way to little, other than the destruction of AMERICA.
Wide eyed innnocent pose Boehner needs to answer why social security is owed billions that have been pilfered from it, and never repaid by the Republican governments. He can also tell us why the war cost wasn’t listed in the Republican administration…and why the RNC web page is a closed door, and why they have to spend soooooooooooooo much money spinning their good ole greed views.
Jerry Wells, you are angry with Fox news, angry with PBS, angry with NPR. Can any news organization satisfy you? Fox and NPR are the antithesis of each other. As a conservative, Fox is the only news outlet I care to listen to because the others don’t share any of my work ethics or my Christian values. You can be anti-big business all you want but in the IBEW big business is our bread and butter. To prove my point, in 24 years as a union member I have never worked at a pipefitters house, sheet metal workers house, plumbers house, or firefighters house. Further, I pay all my own bills without asking for a hand out and I do not appreciate my tax dollars going to anybody who is unwilling to work, Regardless of skin color. If you want equal airtime then get wealthy Democrats to throw their money down the drain on a talk show no body wants to listen to. It was called Air America, it went bankrupt because nobody wants to hear about the virtues of killing an unborn baby especially the full term baby, called partial birth abortion. I call it murder. Nobody wants to hear how higher taxes will bring you prosperity. Nobody wants to hear how you owe your hard earned money to a welfare case who won’t work for themselves. Nobody wants to hear how bigger government will improve their lives because history proves the opposite. For a union note, history proves the working class is always hurt the most by a big government. Nobody wants to hear about single payer health care being forced on us or any other form of forced purchase of health care. No TRUE American wants to hear about someones admiration of the creep Castro, Chavez, or Chairman Moa as some in this loser Administration have done. These Liberals have made building a Nuke power plant or any other power plant nearly impossible to build which hurts union jobs. Not only building them but maintaining them as well. How many union jobs have we missed out on because of these environmental waco’s. We can’t build a refinery which hurts a lot of union tradesmen. Most, if not all refineries are union maintained. So tell me, How many union jobs have these so called working mans friend Democrats cost Union Labor?
“As a conservative, Fox is the only news outlet I care to listen to because the others don’t share any of my work ethics or my Christian values.”
This rant is a good example of why it is imperative for organized labor to sponsor programming in mass media to promote the economic and social interests of all working people. This person has no understanding of economic reality today.
” I do not appreciate my tax dollars going to anybody who is unwilling to work,” The billions and trillions of dollars being looted from the economy are indeed going to those are “willing” to work! Their “work” as corporate gangsters is to minimize their taxes destined for public education, public health. Their “work” is to promote wars so their companies can make profits from war-making, make outrageous profits from those wealthy enough to pay, etc.
Meanwhile, MILLIONS of workers, not only “willing” to work but are DESPERATE FOR WORK, are unable to work, because their jobs have been “outsourced” to China.
NPR, PBS are not that different from FOX, with Rush Limbaugh or Glen Beck, in the “bottom line” indoctrination to listeners. These media are faming their news and information to a college-educated audience, which requires a more sophisticated approach.
It is impossible to change minds in a mere “reply” such as this. In your own personal lifestyle, if you and your children and grand-children are living a good life, perhaps even being employed due to the unending wars destroying the rest of us, not much more can be said.
For a perspective for the rest of us, perhaps reading daily the World Socialist Web Site http://www.wsws.org is an essential escape from the corporate insanity of Fox News.
IBEWleming you really should consider turning in your card and follow the leadership of your faux news idols. For your information, in Southern California, The Refinery workers are the only unions allowed to work there, The Refineries are Built and maintained by Non Union companies. Now I cannot speak for All refineries, but I can Speak for BP ARCO in Carson, CA, Tesoro Refinery in Wilmington, CA The RAT Valero in Terminal Island, Conoco Phillips in Wilmington and Carson
Re. IBEW Do you do any research? Where is your “Christian” outrage at the abuse and KILLING of the US military in wars for huge corporate expansions overseas and the DEATH of people who were once innocent babies? Where is your “Christian” outrage at STEALING by huge corporations who outsource and insource jobs to escape paying taxes, workmen’s comp, retirement and health care? (Deport them to the countries where they relocated businesses, and strip them of US citizenship.) Where is your “Christian” outrage at the DEATH of innocent children and others who will die as a result of NUCS because the status quo old boys are too greedy to turn to challenges of renewable energy grids and electric cars? Where is your OUTRAGE at STEALING by banks and corporations who GAMBLED that you would fail after PREDATORY CROOKED LOANS? Where is your CHRISTIAN OUTRAGE over the corporate WELFARE we now give to the bunch of bandits. Many of them should be in jail instead of walking out with pensions on top of their crimes. As for objective news. There isn’t any. Even public news is being sought by huge corporates. If any of you care about capitalism, then it must be regulated. As far as deficits are concerned, it never was placed in the national budget in Republican years. So, guess who has to show it as part of the deficit…. Your grandfather’s Republican Party of Small Business is dead. It was killed by the New Age Corporate Republicans….and their paid lobbyists.
Honestly…..while I am against changes in SS benefits right now, I do support increasing the payroll deduction to keep it solvent.
Let’s face it, people weren’t living to be 80-90+ when it was initiated. So it’s time we, wage earners plan for our country;s future allottment.
And while we’re at it, let’s bring in a Medicare for All health care system, also funded partly by an increased payroll tax by employees and employers.
Then we will have rejoined the civilized world!!
Sea Star, The scary part is that they are “laying the groundwork” for it to be segued into a private 401K. How is that? One way is to raise the retirement age for the young ones to age 70. The increased longevity of our children does not mean they will not suffer the aches and pains of old age. No one should HAVE to work to age 70. Don’t let these creeps get away with it! If we allow them to raise the retirement age to 70, SS will be seen as a supplemental income, and if ours kids HAVE to work till that age, their kids will NOT have the job pool REPLENISHED as often. Older people working longer does not help young people entering the job market. Raise the payroll deductions, yeah perhaps. Turn in on our badge as the “policeman of the world?” Yes! Put our people before war profit.
US LABOR PARTY.
I am NOT for messing with SS as it stands now…neither the age, nor certainly not the privatization.
But I would support a Medicare increase if it provided a Medicare for All health care system.
The Labor movement needs to challenge with huge lawsuits ANY attempt by the Republicans to delay retirement… or make you pay any larger percentage toward retirement. The government needs to REPAY social security all that it has robbed from the fund.
Why would a sixty-five year old laborer be any LESS needy of retirement in future years than in the past???? The lawsuit needs to be titled: “DISCRIMINATION against the younger American workers…by huge corproations and their armchair investors: who squander social program funds by their extreme greed, war expenses for their gain, corporate welfare, and disloyalty to small business and laborers. Kick these Republicans OUT of office.
VOTE.
There is simply no need for congres to pilfer more S.S.A. funds. It has been one of Congresses favorite watering holes for many years. The almost crushed a very solvent fund. I say keep your paws off it You need money fast? Start deporting the illegal aliens . They are the best example of ” freeloaders” I can think of.They receive a minimum of $2400/ month and allotments for each anchor bay that we pay birthing and hospitalization for. There isn’t a senior citizen out ther who wouldnot love to get that per month.
Congress will spend billiions of our dollars to aid and abet illegal aliens and they will go after the citizens. Another kick in the head from your government. Stop stealing and start managing the country within it’s means. Don’t give away money that cpould be used st home. Tell the State Department not fund Muslim good will tours (Imam Raud) I have as much good will toward Islam as they do toward all Infidel’s. The government is makingAmerican’sd tighten their belts ,but continues to waste our money in incredible amounts!
The average taxpayer is just starting to feel the pinch of the ECONOMIC disaster the Congress ,big business and the stock market have perpetrated on us all. If ignorance is no excuse then why is their blatant incompetence, greed and dereliction of duty going unpunished; oh ,yeah, they make thec laws and hey break the laws. I almost forgot that corporations run the government ,not the prople
This administration did not start the illegal alien problem ,but they have in a direct and purposeful manner ignored the laws of the land and failed to uphold our Constitution by securing our borders and deporting all illegakl aliens, yet indeed helping them to live comfotably here. They should all be shot for treason for even letting it leak out about ” AMNESTY ” for all. That goes beyond aidinf and abetting, it is encouraging the trespassers to come here for a piece of thr FREE PIE that we pay for.
Steal from us while you can. I think we will be saying goodbye to most of you dishonorable miscreants come election day. People are wise to your lies and legal mumbo jumbo talk. English should be our official language and because some senators brother prints product labels in three languages, costing me billions a year, too bad. The people are seeing how much your goofey mandates really cost them when the well goes dry. Here is our MATH. The Fed stops paying the State and the State stops paying the County and the County stops paying the Town; NOW my tax goes up my assesment gose up because I have to support the governments bad habits, mandates and false bottom budgets.
Remember ,no bad deed goes unpunished in heaven , but you crooks are off the hook where you are headed. You pork barrel monkey’s will have to answer to the people before God and by God; there I said it twice and in God I trust ,not you lot of self serving whiners.
It must be bad to Boehner, Mr., that the majority of the American
People are against his diatribe and instructions from every Organization including his own Republican Club and the Chamber
of Commerce, the Manufacturer’s group that must be busy sending
letters to “American” Manufacturers that have deserted the U.S.A.
to go to China, Mexico, etc., and still wave the American Flag! Cong.
Boehner’s Group continues to smash, to cripple the American Workers
even in his own State of Ohio by their attempts to cripple or do
away with Social Security, Medicare, and any other Plan that
helps the American Worker and Veteran that brings us back to
1920. The graveyard of American Workers is not and never will
be! So, Cong. Boehner, every time you flow that gooey filth from
your mouth, your stature gets smaller, smaller, and dirtier!
For the sake of our children I hope and pray that Labor Leadership lobby, cajole and fund an initiative by our Sisters and Brothers in the National Eduction Association to include LABOR EDUCATION in the core curriculum of our public schools. This would sow the seeds of better days in these increasingly difficult times. It would counter the mainstream media as well as the Chamber of Commerce. These courses should be offered side by side with the various business courses. Now more than ever.
US LABOR PARTY.
J.W. you are a hopeless socialist, give me your address and number in your family and I will be glad to buy you a one way ticket to Cuba. I am sure $17 a month will be a vast improvement from what Capitalism has to offer you. Did I mention you will have free health care, I hear all the wealthy of the world flock there for their exceptional care.
There is a sizable number of Americans that like having their toney health care deal at the exclusion of others, their doctor at their beck and call, their class-based waiting room free from the ‘others.’
Then there are those that are raking in dividend returns and capital gains as their corporate capitalists deny Americans patient care.
One wonders how these two groups sleep at night!
Jerry Wells Thank You and please continue to speak truth to power!
John of Orange: Care to tell your parents or elder relatives that Social Security should be cut. I’d be careful at the thanksgiving dinner.
As a product of the California system losing my duplexes, all real property in divorce actions being in the Dairy distribution business working long hard hours, I was put out on the streets. Without my Social Security pension which I paid into all my life, I would now be destitute and homeless. As a WW11 combat veteran, I have excellent health care but my SS pension keeps me eating and gives me a place to sleep, Please do not allow the politicians to attack the Senior citizens continuously.
The person claiming Fox News as his only source of information is here under false pretences. He is a right-wing/tea party plant. No person who would give Fox News even a first glance and who refers to anyone else as a Socialist suggesting that the true pro-worker, pro-Americans here ought to have a “one-way ticket to Cuba,” is no supporter of this union and no supporter of Social Security. His only purpose here is to pretend that he is the only true patriot in this discussion. He prostitutes God by cynically suggesting that the rest of us are Godless if we are anywhere to the left of Atillah The Hun. He feigns patrotism (God and country, neither of which truly mean anything to him), are on his list of RNC/tea party “talking points”. His true reason for being here is to do exactly what the RNC website has instructed. His instructions are to use cultural issues which have nothing to do with the issue at hand in an attempt to divide us. He is here to poison the proverbial well my friends. Please don’t let him do it. He calls himself “ibewman.” Your best bet is to ignore him. He is a hopeless tool of the radical-right.
ibewman, one beauty of the democratic system of government is the right to express ourselves regardless of our ideaology. Discounting ones analysis of the facts because they have a difference of opinion is not evaluating and using what knowledge is shared that may be worthwhile. It’s like only listening to Fox news because you agree with them – it makes you a pawn of one point of view. Self -righteousness blinds one to new and perhaps better possibilities. It also creates bitterness and isolation that is used to destroy union solidarity. Ask yourself: Am I a bitter old electrician who wants to be a “field engineer”? Am I willing to take what I believe to be right that I cannot tolerate any opinion not my own? Am I using labels to try to discount others so I don’t have to look at the possible validity of their point of view? In any case, you have a right to your own point of view but not your own facts or the right to deny others their own point of view. Personally, I think socialism has some pretty good aspects -like sharing as opposed to greed.
To the Reagan democrats who think the rest of us are socialists – just bear in mind that far and away the biggest welfare recipients in this country are corporations. Most of the big ones pay NO INCOME TAXES AT ALL, yet they are on the take for tax breaks and other concessions from every layer of government. If they fail, they have to be bailed out at taxpayer expense, because they’re “too big to fail,”but somehow never too big to be dismantled (a la the old phone company) for the good of the country. The tiny pittance handed out to the poor in the U.S. is nothing compared to the tax-funded bonanza going to the corporations.
Also – despite the steady mantra in the media Social Security is NOT, repeat NOT broke – or anything close to it. The politicians from both parties have been taking money from S.S for years and replacing it with government bonds. There are enough assets to pay S.S. benefits for the next 75 years. Saying S.S. is broke is like saying a $10 million lottery winner is broke – because he will stop getting lottery payouts in 20 years.
AMERICANS MUST WAKE UP TO FACTS OF WHAT BOTH PARTYS ARE PLANING WITH OUR SOCIAL SECURITY!
THEY WERE SHORT 60 BILLION LAST YEAR ON MONEY TAKEN IN , THINK ABOUT IT 23 MILLION ILLEGALS ON WELFARE DOUBLE DIPPING MAKING CASH MONEY AND BEING ON WELFARE AND WORKING THE SYSTEM AND TAX PAYERS PAY FOR IT ! THE POLITICAL SYSTEM IS TALKING ABOUT PAYING FOR ALL THE SPENDING GOING ON NOW WITH OBAMA , THAT THEY WILL USE THE SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM TO PAY ITS DEBIT BY 2016 0R 2017 ITS COMING , WAKE UP AMERICA ! WITH NO ACCOUNYABILITY , TRANSPARENCY AND HONESTY IN WASHINGTON AND WITH THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS AND SENATE RUNNING THE SHOW WHAT DO YOU THINK ? THEY HAVE 4 YEARS IN CONTROL OF CONGRESS AND THE SENATE , ITS TIME FOR THEM TO GO !!!!!!
FIRST THING OBAMA AND PELOSI SHOULD HAVE DONE IS CREAT JOBS FOR AMERICANS ONLY !!!!! INSTEAD OF HEALTH CARE . 125,000 FOREIGN BORN WORKERS EACH MONTH COMING INTO AMERICA TAKING AMERICAN JOBS FROM AMERICANS AND ALL THE ILLEGALS OUR TAX DOLLARS GO TO WITH NO RETURN , WHY OUR WE HAVING ALL THESE PROBLEMS WITH THE ECONOMY THE CORRUPTION OF DEMOCRATS THAT HAVE BROUGHT THIS WHOLE ECONOMY TO WHERE IT IS TODAY AND CANT CREAT ANY JOBS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR WITH 60% OF U A WORKERS OUT OF WORK AND NO SITE OF ANY JOBS COMING IN THE NEXT 2 YEARS ! THIS FALL VOTE CORRUPTION OUT OF OFFICE AND SAVE AMERICA AND CREAT JOBS !
I think at this point social insecurity is a better term. With 35% of Americans depending on social security to keep them above the poverty line and 10% below the poverty line even with social security, cutting benefits will only increase the number of poor who spent their lives working for a wage that did not allow them to save for their retirement. Then consider raising the retirement age to 70 – have these morons ever tried to do heavy labor in their 60′s? I don’t think so. I do and it gets harder every day. As a matter of fact, I’d like to see these wealthy corporate execs, representatives and senators try to live on what social security pays. I know voting for the Republicans won’t help the working man.I don’t believe the Democrats will help either. The Tea Party just co-signs corporate greed and there are too many fools at this point to form an effective workers party. I’m not sure all our efforts at educating and organizing are doing much – workers are still falling for the divide and conquer line and thinking tax cuts are the solution to the jobs problem. Destroying the social safety net won’t do much to improve the economy, but it may open the door for a social revolution – the gray panthers?
Raising the retirement age to age 70 is fodder for a huge class action lawsuit against each government official collectively and as individuals. It is discrimination against those retiring in the future while: the greedy sit on their duffs, have collected outrageous interest in the past, are whining cause they aren’t right now, have voted a government that sent us into wars that abuse our reasons for war, and abuse our troops for financial gain, insulate themselves from pictures of coffins coming back, allow predatory loans and gambling on and promoting failure, ruining the economy, are too greedy to have a vision for future generations, and raid social security regularly for their “helping” other nations to set up their infastructure so that they can practice our “imperialism” in those countries. Let the grey voting revolution begin.