Here are some of this week's top Social Security and Medicare stories. Keep in mind we don't agree with all of the opinions expressed, but it is helpful to read what we have to respond to.
McConnell: All 47 Republicans Will Hold The Debt Ceiling Hostage Unless We Get Entitlement Cuts-THINK PROGRESS. There are 53 Democrats and 47 Republicans. My prediction is not a single one of the 47 Republicans would vote to raise the debt ceiling unless it includes with it some credible effort to do something about our debt. Now the House is another matter, I’m just predicting the Senate Republican votes. I don’t believe Senate Republicans won’t vote to raise the debt ceiling. Now Democrats can raise it themselves if they choose to if they want to and try to do nothing whatsoever about the problem. I think to get any of the 47 Republicans, you’ve got to do something believe is credible –that the markets believe is credible, that the American people believe is credible, that foreign countries believe is credible — in addition to raising the debt ceiling. http://thinkprogress.org/...
Durbin takes aim at Obama’s detente with drug industry-THE HILL. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) have introduced legislation that would require the secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower prices for beneficiaries of the Medicare prescription drug program. Families USA, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, SEIU and AFSCME support the Durbin-Schakowsky proposal. http://thehill.com/...
Let's get rid of the federal debt limit-LOS ANGELES TIMES. Some members are exploiting the impending vote as an opportunity to cut a deal for draconian federal budget cutbacks or structural changes, like an agreement on a constitutional amendment mandating a balanced budget. It's a fair bet that, given the tea-partyish tone of the fiscal debate in Washington this year, the brinkmanship over the debt limit will be brinkier than ever. http://www.latimes.com/...
Washington's Suicide Pact-THE DAILY BEAST. What I wish I could tell you is that all this wrangling is likely to produce what economists say we need: growth now and a plan to tackle long-term deficits soon. But the reality is quite the opposite, I fear. There's a good chance politicians will destroy hundreds of thousands of jobs this year without doing anything at all about our long-term deficit problems. There's a win-win on the table here, but there's also a lose-lose—and it looks like Washington may choose the latter. http://www.thedailybeast.com/...
Cockroach Ideas-NEW YORK TIMES. The bigger problem for those who want to see a crisis in Social Security’s future is this: if Social Security is just part of the federal budget, with no budget or trust fund of its own, then, well, it’s just part of the federal budget: there can’t be a Social Security crisis. All you can have is a general budget crisis. Rising Social Security benefit payments might be one reason for that crisis, but it’s hard to make the case that it will be central. http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/...
Deficit Reduction Requires Shared Sacrifice-HUFFINGTON POST. Social Security is another target. We get calls in my office every week from senior citizens, people with disabilities, widows who are having a hard time getting a timely response to their Social Security claims. It takes much too long to process the paperwork today. What is the Republican solution? They want to slash the Social Security Administration, the people who administer Social Security, by $1.7 billion. That means half a million Americans who are legally entitled to Social Security benefits will have to wait significantly longer to receive them. (Become a citizen member of the Defending Social Security Caucus) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
WaPo's Social Security hysteria rebutted, yet again-DAILY KOS. The WaPo editorial board apparently despises old people as much as Alan Simpson, given what they're willing to put on their op-ed pages. Unfortunately, though, Charles Krauthammer doesn't disintegrate into quite the degree of gibberish as Simpson, though he's a liar. http://www.dailykos.com/...
Mark Warner: Justifies Raising Age for Social Security Because Those Under 35 Don't Think it Will Be There Anyway-CROOKS AND LIARS. WARNER: And the idea that we're going to slowly raise the retirement age a couple of years over the next 40 years -- nobody, you, me, Saxby, we're not going to be effected at all. Folks under 35 might see a slight bump in their age increase, but frankly, a lot of folks under 35 don't even think there's even going to be Social Security if we don't do something in this. http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/...