Alan Simpson
Firedoglake takes on Simpson: Alan Simpson: Cutting Social Security Benefits to “Take Care of the Lesser People in Society”
…cuts he would recommend to the President and Congress on CNBC, Simpson said “We are going to stick to the big three,” meaning Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. His sentiments haven’t changed.
(Rdan here…the transcript reads faster than the talk. I really worry about rational thought on the part of some of the players in the Senate. I received a fund raising letter from the Democratic National Party a few days ago. My personal response will be a short letter instead of a check, and separate checks to local races of my choosing.)
Dan, I can fully understand the resistance to the national party and support for the local candidates. I, am for the first time, active in supporting my local candidate. He’s already been on Hannity, so there is hope of him unseating one of the giants.
Simpson is just out to take care of the “lesser people in our society.” That’s all. All of us lessers should be grateful to him and his cohorts in the “Catfood Commission”. That’s right! Whacking benefits 10% is for our own good.
When you listen to this man you wonder if everyone else in the Senate is as ignorant as he is. Maybe the problem with people of the political class is that they learn history from John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart movies. And, of course, the love interest is provided by Ronald Reagan. On the other hand, maybe they think that we don’t know any better. What with being lesser, and all. Nancy Ortiz
FYI: almost right after you posted this, james joyner did too, supporting simpson, and concluding that social security is “bankrupting the system”:
Alan Simpson Calls Bullshit on Social Security
It makes me shudder to think that Mr. Simpson’s understanding of the how the Social Security program works may be shared by most other members of the committee.
RJS–Ignorance is catchin’, or so it seems. Don’t these guys ever look at their pay slips? All those deduction thingees? Ya know, when they scream about how much tax they pay, every nickel is precious. But, as we see here, Joyner waves away the contributions of the lesser folks and talks as if they are simply receiving hand outs. He says benefits are “simply subsidies”, as if delicacy is called for, lest we overhear the adults talking and misunderstand their kindly purpose. Yeah. Right. About that bridge I want to sell you..Got a minute? NO
Thanks for the headsup rjs. I left factual comments. It was pleasant to read actual questions from commenters I was not famliar with.
Yeah…I thought commenters over there were much better behaved and factual than James.
How about getting rid of the Ponzi scam called social security instead of ‘saving‘ it?
How about learning about the difference between Social Security and a Ponzi scheme instead of revealing your ignorance?
I have now seen Simpson’s response, and do agree with him as far as the ambushing interviewer. Gets your fact stratight before sasking questions.
Actually neither were very different viewpoints, unless the interviewer really was unaware when agreeing with Simpson. Did he actually know or was he just embarrassed into to agreement? Dunno.
rappin
how about you tell us what a ponzi scheme is and why you think a program that has paid people more than they paid in for over seventy years, and can do so forever, is a ponzi scheme.
it is terrifying to me that real human beings can be trained to bark on cue.
I have now seen Simpson’s response, and do agree with him as far as the ambushing interviewer. Get your facts straight before asking questions.
Actually neither had very different viewpoints, unless the interviewer really was unaware when agreeing with Simpson. Did he actually know or was he just embarrassed into to agreement? Dunno.
What a delight to read comments this morning. Gosh, is this the next generation of leaders? Some exceptions to the rule, of course.
Woof Woof.
rjs
thanks. i looked at that. not much you can say to a man who thinks Simpson did an excellent job “explaining the intricacies of SS.”
cursed
i know you from of old. one thing you do not do is bark on cue.
No CoRev, it’s Simpson that’s got his points confused, or should I say obscured. I take the point of view that those, like Simpson, who are trying hardest to paint Social Security as the budget nemesis that it isn’t, are doing so not out of ignorance, but out of a deceitful intent to obscure the reality of the general budget and its deficiencies.
Note that Simpson was doing a verbal tarantella when it came to the Trust Fund assets and earnings. Yes, the interest on the Fund is a big nut to crack. Maybe the Commission could recommend suspending all T-Bill interest payments to all holders of T-Bills. That would make one less big bill to pay. Or, maybe those who have been benefiting most from the Trust Fund’s financing support of the general budget could pay higher taxes from their outsized incomes. And where is it written that Trust Fund assets paid for the highway system exclusively? Simpson is a dirt bag intent, along with his cronies, to skewer those with less to the advantage of those with more. You know when he’s lying when you see his lips moving.
as ever, all vitriol and no substance cobb.
i can see that you are the emotional troll on this board.
good luck with that.
close minded, financially illiterate, and anrgy is no way to go through life…
How did Simpson, A Republican, get placed as co-lead for Obama’s (President-Democrat) little financial task force????? This guy is Obama’s choice!!!
Wow…just wow…
Islam will change
morganovich
looking in a mirror, then?
i tried to answer some of your claims in a previous post but you didn’t stick around. and i am not sure you can tell vitriol from aqua vitae.
hi buff
i tried to answer your worry about gulags and killing fields. be glad to take it up again some time. but essentially i do not advocate any kind of command society. i do recommend that those who have… money and talent… look out for those who have less. even if that means writing a few laws so we can do it with the advantages of size and resources we get from being a government. but yes, the people will always have to exercise vigilance lest they create a government with too much power.
the key is too much. with too little government power, you get a tyranny of thugs whether they call themselves “free enterprise” or just the company store.
Buff: “This guy is Obama’s choice!!! “
and a damn lousy choice it is along with the many other questionable choice that Obama has made regarding this fix-it group. The choice of Simpson gets worse the more you read of his past “service” to the country. The Columbia Journalism Review has an interesting review of the interaction between Simpson and Lawson; “More Words of Wisdom from Alan Simpson” @ http://www.cjr.org/campaign_desk/more_words_of_wisdom_from_alan.php