Add secure retirements to the things, like women's self-determination, that Republicans find icky and want to do away with. ThinkProgress catches Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) being honest about his opposition to Social Security.
[A]ppearing on CSPAN’s Washington Journal this morning, Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO), who sits on the Budget Committee, had a more honest (and negative) assessment of Social Security:
AKIN: Now, Social Security through the years, for many many people, has been a terrible investment. It’s really a tax, that’s all it is. Social Security is a tax. The government has taken the tax. There’s been more money coming in than going out. And we spend it. That’s not been responsible. I don’t like it. I didn’t design Social Security. It actually came from Bismarck, FDR put it in place.
Despite Akin’s claim, Social Security is far more than a tax. After 75 years in existence, the program "remains one of the nation’s most successful, effective, and popular programs." It has dramatically reduced elderly poverty — nearly half of seniors today would be in poverty without it — and it is the nation’s most effective tool at alleviating poverty among people with disabilities. It does all this while spending less than a penny per dollar on administrative costs. And despite conservatives’ fear mongering, Social Security is not going bankrupt any time soon.
All smart arguments for the value of Social Security, and all arguments that will fall on Akin's (and most of his GOP colleagues') deaf ears. Akin says it's a terrible investment because it's money Wall Street can't get its paws on. Needless to say, it's a far safer investment than the private accounts Republicans prefer.