I originally posted this early one morning in December. I thought it was especially relevant now, so I'm reposting. Apologies if you've already read it.
There has been a lot of controversy and arguments about the President's efforts at getting this bill passed to help protect Americans. The bill started with the best intentions in mind, as they all do, but it ran into the reality of politics and excessive watering down by a few Senators who claim to be Democrats.
Sure, a lot of people will be covered, but what about the people who are getting nothing? The people who don't have steady jobs are getting screwed. That's not all, women are getting a pretty terrible deal here as well.
And you can expect zero help if you're black, a farmer, a librarian, or in domestic service, like housekeeping. Between all the exemptions, limitations, and watering down, the bill isn't worth signing, and I'm frankly appalled that President Roosevelt would consider signing the Social Security Act.
Considering that this legislation is so fundamentally flawed, there's no chance to improve it over time: instead, we should start over from scratch. In fact, some liberals on our side are so serious about killing this bill, that they have considered pairing up with groups who are fundamentally opposed to the notion of government providing any safety net for citizens at all.
Sure, these groups have worked tirelessly to fight the President's agenda, and have had some victories, such as their success at having the Supreme Court overturn New York's minimum wage law. But this time around, we can use them to whip up public sentiment against that payroll tax. And it's reasonable to assume that once we have the bill we want, we can convince people that this tax we railed against actually is a good thing!
While some less fortunate people are facing financial crises and could start to use aid immediately, they can wait until we draft up the perfect bill. If Franklin Roosevelt won't force Congress to write this, I believe that we should consider replacing him with a President that will actually move the progressive agenda forward.
Some spineless Democrats are supporting the legislation in its current form, and are laughably suggesting that in the future, the legislation might be improved. That's just a really naive way of viewing things, and the steady improvement of the legislation over time just won't happen.
If you really think that in the first half of the 1950s, protection will be added to professions largely occupied by blacks and women, or that in the 1960s, additional protection would be provided to widows and divorcées, or that medical coverage will be added to this social safety net for retired people, well, I've got a bridge to sell you.
Clearly, our best step forward is to join forces with former Hoover supporters and use their opposition, combined with ours, to kill this weak attempt at legislation. If it takes losing an election and getting another Hoover elected to really flush things down the tube, so be it.