Posted on 09/13/2011 12:06:00 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Even after an op-ed in USA Today and a strong exposition of his position in last night’s debate, Rick Perry still draws heat for his characterization of Social Security as a “monstrous lie.” A new CNN/ORC poll, for example, reveals that 72 percent of registered voters say Perry’s description of the program is “inaccurate,” while just 27 percent say it is “truthful.” More of the breakdown from WSJ’s Washington Wire:
The survey also shows that 59 percent of tea party supporters disagree with Mr. Perry’s characterization.
Still, 55 percent of those polled say there’s a serious problem with Social Security that will require major changes.
The R/D/I breakdown and methodology weren’t provided and the poll has a margin of error of three percentage points. A poll conducted by TheStreet.com shows a little more than 76 percent disagree that SS is a Ponzi scheme, while about 24 percent say it is. That poll is skewed by the perspective of the website which draws a certain left-leaning readers, but does on some level corroborate the results of the CNN poll. Still, as the Washington Wire points out, much of the kerfuffle about Social Security has as much to do with the language Perry chooses to use than his actual views on the program.
It’s worth noting that his rivals’ attacks on Mr. Perry are just as much about his word choice as his suggestion in his 2010 book “Fed Up” that Social Security violates the U.S. Constitution.
The Texas governor has said there should be a national conversation about Social Security, and that he wouldn’t alter benefits for those currently receiving the benefit or those who are nearing retirement.
If it’s a national conversation Rick Perry wanted, it’s a national conversation he’s getting. The extensive talk of entitlement reform at last night’s debate was long overdue — but, as positive as that development is, it still doesn’t go far enough. Wolf Blitzer managed to make every candidate say what he or she would do to reform the Medicare prescription drug program — but, by and large, candidates still shy away from discussing Medicare reform. And, unfortunately, that program breaks the bank, as well. Just as cutting waste, fraud and abuse won’t balance the budget, so reforming Social Security alone won’t, either. As Herman Cain said last night, it doesn’t matter what we call these entitlement programs, it just matters that we understand they’re broken — and start talking solutions. This guy tried, remember? It’s time to try again.
I couldn't disagree with you more.
Reagan preached privatization and personal accounts for two decades. He settled for the Greenspan Commission.
Bush43 preached privatization and personal accounts for several years, only to see his reform plan get brutalized from those on the left and the right.
While it won't be easy, its time to address the issue of entitlement reform. Reagan didn't threaten seniors and neither did Bush43. No threats have been made against seniors by Perry.
Its time to touch the third rail of politics. Lets stop being afraid to do what is necessary. First to have serious discussions about reform and then to actually reform all entitlements. Preferably, before they go bankrupt and along with them, the country soon thereafter.
One of the problems Social Security had from the beginning was that it was actuarially unsound. In 1940, if you were 65, you had an over 50% chance of living to see 1950; Most of the deaths that contributed to the low average life expectancy were of those under 5 years old (mostly to childhood diseases or bacterial infections).
Social security currently brings in nearly as much as it pays out this year. The system needs reform or within ten years it will start to eat the rest of the federal budget. I am not sure we even have the ability to wait ten years any more before the changes proposed take effect.
Medicare requires immediate systemic reform, or it will collapse in less than ten years, I guesstimate 5.
The problem is that any attempt to make even the most modest change to these programs that does not have the support of AARP and other leftish to communist groups will result in horrific demagoguery of whoever proposes and supports those changes.
Unfortunately it’s not sold to the people that way.
When my husband and I were young whippersnappers he saw the writing on the wall and knew SS would not be there for us (or expected it wouldn’t be). He has spent a lifetime making sure we would have a retirement (not an early one but enough). We put our kids through college, saved, didn’t take fancy vacations, didn’t live in houses we could not afford etc.
He turned 55 this year and I will turn 55 next year. Of course, now it looks like we are going to get to bail out all those folks who didn’t see the writing on the wall. Oh well, I guess it’s a good thing our real reward is in Heaven. *sigh*
The shortfalls for 2010 ($50 billion) and this fiscal year were relatively small. $2.6 trillion of the $14.6 trillion national debt is the SS surplus paid in over the years that was spent by successive Congresses and presidents. If we assume the US government will be a going concern and pay back its debts, then SS is solvent until 2036.
Medicaid and Medicare are much larger unfunded future liabilities than SS. It's sort of bizarre to see so many all in a tizzy about the third biggest claim and hardly mentioning the much larger ones.
There is time to reform SS and it could probably be made partially voluntary over several decades, but all this over heated rhetoric accomplishes nothing and will certainly backfire to some extent in the general election if Perry is the nominee.
The error is in thinking people are motivated by "entitlement".
Hardly.
People are entitled to proceeds from insurance policies, from inheritance, and so forth.
When it comes to being "motivated" they aren't about to quit their day jobs waiting around on insurance payments to kick in or Aunt Lucy to pass on to her final reward. If they do we consider them exceedingly unusual.
We might note that people feel ownership about the money in their pocket or savings accounts. They are motivated to do harm to those who take it away from them.
But "entitled"? To what? To money?
The result of that and some other rules is that AARP ends up being RULED by a handful of lawyers.
A number of years back I had to work on a revenue deficiency involving them ~ they owed millions (for not paying the correct rates of postage on their advertisements). They also owed millions to IRS.
The US attorney handling the case wanted us to settle for 10% of the amount owed.
They'd gotten to him. Our guys held fast so we got most everything they owed LESS a couple of million for their lawyers!
Within months we had to deal with them on some other matter and they sent in a new legal team. Turns out the old legal team got fired, but the organization hadn't managed to get out of that trick bag, so the new lawyers took over the whole shebang. I am sure they are running AARP the same way today that it was being run decades back.
The secret to beating up on AARP is simple ~ go after their lawyers.
Contrary to what you believe, many Americans have an entitlement mentality. You can find these folks mainly on the left and in the Dem Party. They dwell in a world with a belief system that sees privileges as rights.
Some people believe the feds owe them a return on the FICA money they sent to DC during their working carreers. But they know, its not a right and can not be found in the Constitution.
It's the thinking of a THIEF ~
Listen to their discussions about robbery ~ when their in the planning stages ~ they call it PAY DAY!
I don't agree...at least not entirely. If that is all he does, he would lose and would deserve to lose. He has to provide a solution to the problem. Throughout history, including a number of candidates in 2010, we have had candidates speak boldly on Social Security and won.
He's on the record with these statements, so it will come up again and again. It is what he is going to do as a response that will impact his campaign success.
>>>>>They actually believe it's THEIR MONEY IN YOUR POCKET.
They're smoking crack. LOL
You’re the one with the euphemisms for theft ~ strictly Leftwingtard thinking.
Looks like you're the one smoking crack.
You’re the one who wants to hide from the public the fact that the Democrats in America are THIEVES.
I said it wasn't Constitutional. I said the Dems see it as a right.
If you say someone stole something from you, take them to court and prove theft, moron. Otherwise, you're just pissing in the wind.
Oh, wow, you sound so Leftwingtard with that one.
You are batshitcrazy!
Not surprising. Look at who wins elections in this country.
A phishing poll.
SS is fine (aside from buckets of bankster spit) & will be fine as long as it is protected from them whose graves we should be pissing on.
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