Alan Greyson wrote a well accepted diary this week about Ilya Sheyman a progressive running in a Democratic primary in the Illinois 10th Congressional District. Among his many principled, progressive stances, Mr. Sheyman is an early and outspoken supporter of a very simple fix for Social Security: Scrap the Cap. Turns out, there's a Scrap the Cap Rap:
Here is the complete lyric:
The real old school in the house
Give it up for the geezers
Had our golden years all planned out
Small pension, golf cart and a Florida house
But congress put a hit on Social Security
Mugged us of our dignity despite our maturity
Tax we paid with every check we earned
Time to collect we the ones gettin burned
There’s nothing we can do if we can’t get paid
‘cept eat cat food, and drink haterade
Listen up cuz while we drop some knowledge
We raised our little boy, put him through college
Only safety net is our next of kin
Look out son, cause we’re movin in (what!?)
We’re movin in (what!?)
We’re movin in (what!?)
Pull out the couch cause we’re movin in (what!?)
No arguin (what!?)
No arguin (what!?)
Pull out the couch cause we’re movin in
Name’s Spinal Twist, check my orthopedic kicks
‘cause I stoop farther south than the St. Lunatics.
I’m still getting play and it’s all thanks to Pfizer,
Keepin me stiffer than my Yankees cap visor
My station wagon windows are dark with tint
I subscribe to vibe and I get the large print
They call me Martini got substance abuse
‘cause I’m always playin gin and sippin on juice
Our son wants to know if we can pay the rent,
But without benefits we ain’t got 50 cent,
We don’t pack a nine, we’re just strapped for funds
But we’re still game killers for our bachelor son
[interlude]
Social Security payments are far from erratic
“it’s broke and failin” don’t believe that static
This crisis is a fiction there would be no debate
If we all pitched in at the same tax rate
There’s a cap on how much millionaires pay
Even though we all work like every single day
These are the facts but they’re provin’ thin
So pull out the couch ‘cause we’re movin in
We’re movin in (what!?)
We’re movin in (what!?)
Pull out the couch cause we’re movin in (what!?)
No arguin (what!?)
No arguin (what!?)
Pull out the couch ‘cause we’re movin in
Alright now younginz, you’re our last resort
‘cause sooner or later, we’ll be needin support
If you don’t want roommates just learn this rap
It’s only one line, shout SCRAP THE CAP
Scrap the cap
Scrap the cap
Throw your hands up
Just scrap the cap
Scrap the cap
Scrap the cap
Throw your hands up
Just scrap the cap
I had never heard the term, Scrap the Cap, before, but that's how Ilya Sheyman expressed his support for Congress repealing the cap on FICA tax of earned income. Here is what he and his opponents said about the differences between them on this and other issues, at a recent newspaper editorial board interview, with a transcript of Mr. Sheyman's remarks following:
What do you all disagree about? So, we should let Ilya go first this time.
Ilya Sheyman
I don't want to speak for the others. But I think that there's a couple places where I have taken positions that have been clear and that I think reflects where the district stands. Number one, I've been clear that I oppose any attempt to cut benefits from Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid, either from current beneficiaries or future ones. I think that these programs have been critical to sustaining the Middle Class, sustaining working people and retirees and when I look at a program like Social Security, which hasn't contributed a single penny to the deficit, which even during the financial crisis, paid out every penny when 401k's didn't, I say it's unacceptable to make any cuts in terms of raising the retirement age, means testing, chaining it to the CPI, or doing any of the changes. I think the way to deal with Social Security is to Scrap the Cap on how much of of income is taxed and then we can guarantee its longevity for future generations.
The other place where I think we will differ, again ...
Editor
I'm sorry, say that again.
Ilya Sheyman
We Scrap the Cap. Right now, if you make $108,000 a year you pay the same amount of Social Security tax as if you make $108,000,000 a year. Get rid of that cap, we guarantee Social Security solvent and fully able to pay out benefits for generations to come.
The other place where we might differ is on the Jobs Bill we talked about. I was with Congresswoman Jan Shakowski when she introduced her emergency Jobs Bill to Restore the American Dream. I believe that when consumer spending is down, business spending is down, and John talks about this quite a bit, the only entity that can step and fill that gap of demand in is the federal governmet. So I do support a federal jobs program that includes hiring people using federal dollars, to rebuild our infrastructure, to help foster a clean energy manufacturing sector and also to help provide loans for small businesses. I think I've been much more clear in my willingness to pass federal jobs legislation and also to defend Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, from anything that cuts benefits.
One gets the impression that the newspaper editors didn't know the term Scrap the Cap either, and the paper is the biggest print paper for the portion of the suburbs where this district lies. A few more observations about the editorial board interview lie beyond the flourish.
John Tree's answer to Mr. Sheyman's remarks distinguishing himself from his opponents was a giant "me too", on both social security and jobs, with Mr. Tree claiming verbatim approval. Yet, when he actually spoke for himself, he didn't promise any future protection for those not yet qualified for Social Security, but only for present beneficiaries. He didn't talk specifically about Scrap the Cap or acknowledge the slogan. Nor did he specifically mention the Emergency Jobs Bill to restore the American Dream. He wanted to talk about how being an Air Force Colonel serving internationally somehow qualified him to joust over spending cuts with Pentagon brass. Well, I was in the Navy, and there, Captains kowtowed to Admirals, and it's Admirals and Generals who run the Pentagon, not Colonels and Captains.
Brad Schneider, the more conservative businessman with Blue Dog and New Democrat connections expressly disapproved of the Emergency Jobs Bill to restore the American Dream. If that didn't make him seem sufficiently Republican-lite, he expressed his disapproval on the basis of opposition to direct federal employment in jobs legislation. I say Republican-lite because that isn't how the Emergency Jobs Bill to restore the American Dream works, instead achieving most of it's employment gains at the state and local level, and through private construction and other contractors, long the subjects of federal spending and the focus of most infrastructure spending, i.e. airports, harbors, roadbeds and bridges. So, he's lying about the policy. Also, equally, Republican-lite, Mr. Schneider doesn't have an alternative proposal. He just opposes Mr. Sheyman's and Congresswoman Shakowsky's fully funded proposal to put millions of peoples' jobs on track for years to come and very substantially jump start the employment economy. I guess Mr. Schneider will just listen to all sides once he gets to Congress and be judicious.
But it was Mr Schneider's positively subversive remarks on Social Security that chilled me to the bone. He favors means testing in Social Security, with a gimmick to use the estate tax to recapture payments to those rich enough to pay such taxes. Because it would change Social Security from a social insurance model to a welfare model, any form of means testing in Social Security must be opposed on principle. Mr. Schneider didn't seem to get that, which makes him a wobbly vote on Social Security protection.
I apologize for not transcribing the entire interview. Perhaps it is available from the Tree and Schneider campaigns or the newspaper. I apologize to Vivek Bavda for not mentioning him at all.