I keep reading that Dems should avoid offering any plan to save Social Security. I agree that we should avoid saying anything that supports the lie that the system itself is facing some crisis. But the responsible steps we need to ensure that that money will be there for future generations are at the center of the Democratic agenda. We should talk about them every chance we get.
The biggest danger for SS is that the general fund won't have the money to make good the trust fund bonds - fixing that doesn't have anything to do with SS and it focuses attention on the mess Bush has made - plus the real culprits are the Bush tax cuts and the runaway cost of our for the profits of the insurance companies health care system so...
Here's what we need to do to save Social Security:
- Roll back the Bush tax cuts so that the money to repay the trust fund isn't going to debt service. Under the Bush budget by 2010 half of income taxes will go to pay interest on the National Debt - mostly to China - that is the real threat to Social Security. We need to cut up Bush's credit card or we'll be providing for the retirement of a billion Chinese but not our own.
- Universal single payer health care to restore American competitiveness and control costs both public and private. Employers across America are coming to understand how they are disadvanteged by our inefficient health insurance system - they'ed be glad to roll their costs into a predictable payroll tax and stop messing with it - especially if it means eliminating the 20% extra that we pay for administrative costs and their competitors don't.
- Really take an ax to the unnecessary spending in the budget - start with Iraq - declare victory and bring the troops home - then take out all the special interest pork - the Republicans have played this game for years finding the most offensive wasteful item in the budget and smearing it all over the Dems, time to turn the table.
As for Social Security itself its in pretty good shape but just to make sure we can do a couple things to make sure that those working 50 years in the future will generate enough income to support themselves and the retirement of their parents and grandparents-
- Fully fund No child left behind and put more money into college financial aid to make sure the next generation of workers are as productive as possible.
- Raise the income limit for SS taxes so the burden doesn't fall just on middle class taxpayers.
There it is - 5 simple steps to ensure the retirement security of all Americans. Sure it means raising taxes on the wealthiest few that Bush had promised would be off the hook but when he said it was our money he was handing out, he didn't make clear it was our Social Security money. We want it back thanks.
That is my Democratic vision of the role of government - to ensure all American's access to basic education, health insurance, and retirement and disability security and otherwise leave them free to make the the most of their lives. Republicans talk a lot about freedom but the freedom for corporate looters they champion leaves too many Americans trapped by poor schooling or by an inefficient health insurance system that costs too much and ties people to bad jobs to keep decent insurance. We should never miss an opportunity to talk about those issues.
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