We were notifed this morning of what George W. Bush described as the biggest failure of his presidency: not privatizing social security. And while we can discuss all day how laughable this is compared to all of the monumental failures of those eight years, I'd rather discuss the implications of the GOP war on Social Security, because it's more of a mainstream GOP talking point than the American people give it credit for.
I want to lead in with a great point made by Eugene Robinson earlier in the week:
If you add up all the items generally thought of as mandatory -- Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment benefits, interest on the national debt -- you've already spent about two-thirds of the total. Add in the close to $700 billion spent for defense, which Republicans hold as sacrosanct, and you've spent four-fifths of the budget. This leaves just one-fifth for "discretionary" programs, many of which aren't discretionary at all. I doubt many Americans would want to risk going without food inspection, say, or air traffic control, or the FBI
He's asking the question that many have, what would the GOP specifically cut to manage the budget and national debt? When it comes to speaking about Social Security, the vocal supporters of gutting or privatization have been the fringe of the GOP party, folks like Sharon Angle and Rand Paul. Most people about town that I talk to aren't worried as much about these proposed cuts since its the fringe element that is engaging in this rhetoric, but wouldn't have enough broad support to make it a reality.
Until today. Meet Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), TPM reports:
This week, the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities issued a report showing exactly that. The analysis, by entitlement expert Paul Van de Water, calculates the combined effects of the two Social Security benefit cuts undergirding the Roadmap for America's Future -- a fiscal plan authored by the GOP's top budget guy Paul Ryan.
Among other changes it would make to Social Security, Ryan's plan would raise the retirement age to 70 and index initial benefits to 70 percent of beneficiaries to price growth, instead of wage growth. Since prices generally grow less rapidly than wages, that implies a benefit cut.
We're not talking anymore about the fringe element of the GOP willing to support gutting Social Security, but now what their party considers its future, The Young Guns, who are now willing to make radical choices with an American entitlement in order to cut a budget down far enough to pay for extending the Bush Tax Cuts, while leaving the middle class in the dust.
So while you're enjoying your weekend, make sure that you're speaking to the people around you about these dangerous cuts to Social Security. Make sure they know when they go to the voting booth, who's got their back.
And of course, the best way to combat it is simple, GOTV!