Sanders Warns of Devastating Cuts in Social Security

Changing the way inflation is measured to determine Social Security benefits is one option on the table in high-stakes budget negotiations that resume Sunday at the White House. The so-called Chained Consumer Price Index on average results in a lower inflation levels than the more common formula used to adjust benefits. “The result would be devastating cuts for millions of American seniors and people with disabilities,” said Sanders.

As chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, Sanders asked the Social Security Administration’s Office of Retirement Policy to calculate the impact on poverty rates and benefits if the revised inflation gauge were to be adopted. In 2030, according to the report prepared for Sanders, there would be 173,400 more people living in poverty in the United States.

The revised formula also would dramatically lower benefits for retirees. Widows would receive almost $70 a month less in benefits, a reduction of $840 a year. People who are 70-79 would receive $49 a month less, a drop of $588 a year. Benefits for those who are 80-89 would drop by $80/month or $960 a year. Benefits for women would fall by 3.5 percent overall while men’s benefits would drop by 2.9 percent. By 2050, the impact would be much worse.

There would be 245,000 more people living in poverty at mid-century. Widows’ benefits would be $1,200 a year less. Those 70-79 would lose $720 a year, and seniors in the 80-89 age bracket would see benefits fall by $1,200 a year. Overall, women would see a 4 percent reduction in benefits while benefits for men would drop 3.4 percent.

sanders.senate.gov...

Why in the hell would he even consider caving in to Republicans on this? Why would we want to hurt the vulverable in our country...the elderly?????

Obama is a coward for putting this on the table. It's about damned time he stands up for the people who actually voted him into office instead of gutting the only thing that is keeping them afloat.

You suck Obama...YOU SUCK. how dare you hurt the people that have paid into this their entire life.

How dare anyone in Congress, not willing to cut their own benefits, take a knife to the hearts of those who have busted their asses their entire working life?

SCUM....they are all SCUM.

A gutless wonder only worried about re election.
If he has any brains at all, this just won't happen.

This make me sick. I can't believe anyone would have the BALLS to even suggest cutting social security. How are you going to tell a person who's paid into this for 40-50+ years, and tell them "Sorry, you're going to be living off of bologna sandwiches for the rest of your life". How are you going to tell someone who fought in a WAR that their service to our country was appreciated, but you're going to be coooold this winter!

Absolutely sickening. How about you cut or even REMOVE the salaries of high up government officials? Hell, most of them are millionaires anyways... and it's not like they've been earning their pay.

"A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members." ~ Mahatma Ghandi

If this goes through, and we don't take to the streets en masse, then there is no hope.

reply to post by David9176

Lets not even think about taxing the oil companies again. Last quarter was the 2nd best ever. The military budget increased again. We are in another war for oil, but hey lets take money from the seniors and disabled. Obama is such a failure.

reply to post by adifferentbreed

A gutless wonder only worried about re election.

How can someone wanting to be re-elected put social security on the table to be cut? it's political suicide. Hope congress and the President enjoys their worry free retirement while they stick a knife in the back of the rest of the people in this country.

reply to post by David9176


I agree, if Obama, the punk, coward, liar, and deceiver caves again then the Democrats aught to run some one against him in the democratic primary.
I suspect he chose Hillary to be his secretary of state because he feared she would run against him if and when he did something like this.

reply to post by Adyta

Absolutely sickening. How about you cut or even REMOVE the salaries of high up government officials? Hell, most of them are millionaires anyways... and it's not like they've been earning their pay.

Yep, they have no problem screwing over the elderly and disabled...but obviously their own benefits are off the table!! The dirtbags are set for life and god forbid....they didn't work half as hard as those they are trying to hurt.

Oh...and let's keep giving tax subsidies to corporations...let's keep blowing money on wars and nation building...while we F our own country!!!

Disgusting.

Ya, from a political POV this is dumbfounding... Social Security/Medicare V the GOP tomahawk was Obama's best road to "victory". It is ironic that this socialist president is a wonderful
Conservative president in deed. He is trying to walk the conservative walk,
He is certainly confused, he figures his new base will notice ?
He is trying to please people who would literally crap on him for fun.

In retrospect the amazing thing is that the GOP get rewarded for failure
In the long run, it is engineer failure from the inside, which in turn gets them elected,
"proves" their point,etc... Let corporate America engineer a giant Heist, then use the
Backlash to knife the pee ons. I think Glenn Beck projects
His corrupted plans and soul upon other people, the plot has been
Conservative all along!

reply to post by David9176


He's proven he's not out for the senior vote and didn't need it last time.
He's just pandering to those who he thinks has the best chance of getting him re elected.

reply to post by Adyta

there is no hope.

reply to post by adifferentbreed

He's proven he's not out for the senior vote and didn't need it last time.

This goes beyond the senior vote, even if what you state has merit. This is crossing the line. he's a one term president if he goes along with this.

The votes he relied on in 2008 aren't going to be there in 2012.

reply to post by David9176


Wow, this is going to sound callous, and pointing it out doesn't mean that I agree, but maybe they are playing the same old political game. This will be devastating and they will probably hope to put it on the Republicans when everything falls flat.

The only thing is, this is not a game, this is real people and their lives and welfare. It's not right and it's the worst thing about our political system: facts and figures are abstract when they make up the chess pieces when the politicians are playing their games, but they represent real, concrete human beings in the everyday world.

reply to post by Janky Red

Obama's best road to "victory". It is ironic that this socialist president is a wonderful Conservative president in deed. He is trying to walk the conservative walk, He is certainly confused, he figures his new base will notice ? He is trying to please people who would literally crap on him for fun.

So much for being a Marxist/communist! Glen Beck didn't predict this one did he?

Originally posted by adifferentbreed
reply to post by David9176

He's just pandering to those who he thinks has the best chance of getting him re elected.

One would think... This does not speak to that theory, as he is going to put his base
On strike. He can do a whole lot of Fawked up dumbass things and still have his base,
But this is beyond that threshold, this is political suicide.

reply to post by Janky Red


I thinbk he's planning on playing it right and not eliminating his base..............I think he's still trying to figure out what it will be comprised of this time as he seems to be bouncing around on alot of things.

Originally posted by David9176
reply to post by Janky Red

 

Obama's best road to "victory". It is ironic that this socialist president is a wonderful Conservative president in deed. He is trying to walk the conservative walk, He is certainly confused, he figures his new base will notice ? He is trying to please people who would literally crap on him for fun.

So much for being a Marxist/communist! Glen Beck didn't predict this one did he?

I am going to start saying "Obama is not a liberal"
Like "George Bush wasn't a conservative (but I voted for him twice)"

Maybe the real Plotters are the people who are always discussing and warning about plots.

reply to post by David9176


...Then again, let's not assume that Obama does not know what is going on...

Open Letter to Obama

He may well be a two-term president, or not, either way, I'm not voting for him or any of the elephantines that go against him. I suggest everyone on the Left vote for alternative candidates, Green Party, Communists, etc. The libertarians should also vote libertarian and stay away from the Republicans. Sure, we're not going to get away from the two parties in 2012, but wouldn't it be nice to see something like this:

Obama - 35%
Romney - 35%
Nader - 10%
McKinney - 6%
Paul - 10%

That'd be a good start, eh?

Originally posted by adifferentbreed
reply to post by Janky Red

 

I thinbk he's planning on playing it right and not eliminating his base..............I think he's still trying to figure out what it will be comprised of this time as he seems to be bouncing around on alot of things.

I guess so, I don't think he realizes that he can play the role too well... He is an excellent politician, but he
Is really awful at retaining and conveying a coherent policy strategy.

ETA he needs Carl Rove

Let's not forget that there was no SS increase for inflation the last 2 years in a row.
Now they want to cut what little people get already?

To save money on SS, maybe they could cut benefits to those with very high incomes who don't depend on that monthly check.
It also might not hurt to go back and review disability claims to see if these same people are still disabled (me included)

This could quite possibly be the plan all along by making it look like the republicans are doing this in hopes of getting more votes for democrats.

You have to look at the big picture in all this with the recent gun scandal it looks like Holder and possibly Obama might be implicated and that would leave Hillary to stand alone as a savior.

It seems to me that this falls into the hands of the socialist think tank Mediamatters started by none other than Hillary and Soros. The plan could be to completely destroy the economy and turn citizens on each other and current government officials.

Who do you think Obama has surrounded himself with? Many of his people are from Mediamatters, and you are who you associate with.

With that being said if you want to take over a country and not cause a revolution, you need to leave the illusion in place that you still have a Republic (democracy) in order to ensure the people won't revolt before your plans are fully enacted. When all this happens then you need someone to step in and figuratively say don't worry I will stop all this and fix it!

If the illusion is removed and the people see this then you will have a revolution!