Peter G. Peterson, is the guy far than more than most who has managed to transfer his hatred of paying taxes, into a national fear of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
They ARE the Problem -- NOT Peterson's phobia of paying a 70% Marginal Tax Rate again. Someday. Maybe.
Peter G. Peterson, is the guy who gave us the Simpson-Bowles Commission (aka the Catfood Commission), has realigned his efforts Billions and is now giving us the "Fix the Debt" front group.
It has the same targets, just different well-funded bi-partisan talkers. Selling the same Pete Peterson Catfood.
Portal: Fix the Debt -- from sourcewatch.org
The Campaign to Fix the Debt is the latest incarnation of a decades-long effort by former Nixon man turned Wall Street billionaire Pete Peterson to slash earned benefit programs such as Social Security and Medicare under the guise of fixing the nation's "debt problem." Through this special report -- and in partnership with The Nation magazine -- the Center for Media and Democracy exposes the funding, the leaders, the partner groups, and phony state "chapters" of this $60 million "astroturf supergroup," whose goal is to achieve a grand bargain on austerity by July 4, 2013.
Peter G. Peterson has long used his wealth to underwrite numerous organizations and PR campaigns to generate public support for slashing Social Security and Medicare, citing concerns over "unsustainable" federal budget deficits. Full of apocalyptic warnings, Peterson failed to warn of the $8 trillion housing bubble, but conveniently sold his private equity firm Blackstone Group on the eve of the financial crisis. He later pledged to spend $1 billion of the money from the sale to "fix America's key fiscal-sustainability problems," launching the Peter G. Peterson Foundation in 2008.[2] As of 2011, the Huffington Post reported that Peterson had personally given $458 million to the Foundation.[3]
Even before the 2012 Campaign to Fix the Debt, Peterson poured millions into a multifaceted effort to support the Simpson-Bowles Commission and its $4 trillion austerity package, a plan that would cost the nation four million jobs, according to the Economic Policy Institute,[4] and "destroy Social Security as we know it," according to Social Security Works.[5]
This "Fix the Debt" hydra has many fear-indoctrinating faces.
Fix the Debt's Partner Groups -- from sourcewatch.org
The Peter G. Peterson Foundation funds at least six of the "partner" organizations listed on Fix the Debt's website, and has ties to many more. Fix the Debt lists the following as partners, even though CRFB/NAF are better described as "parent" organizations. The Peterson Foundation funds:
-- Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget/New America Foundation: $2,050,000,[3]
-- The Moment of Truth Project: $300,000 (another project of CRFB),[3]
-- Comeback America Initiative: $3,100,000,[4]
-- Committee for Economic Development: $1,853,616,[5] and
-- Concord Coalition: $6,036,060 (including $1,500,000 in matching funds).[6]
If only we could dismantle it, for the "Blame the Victims" pyramid scheme that it is:
larger image -- Source Watch: Image Page
Unacknowledged and sometimes untraceable Billionaire Speech is the thing we should fear -- that and their personal hatred of paying their fair share -- to extent of spending a small fortune, to make it nationally acceptable to rollback our "earned benefits" in the forms Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. We PAID for them. NOT Peterson.
They are not is his to tinker with ...
to Roll them Back. To Rewire.
Instead of figuring out how to adequately fund them.
Raising the FICA Ceiling would a good place to start. Enacting a miniscule Transaction Tax on Wall Street manipulators like Peterson, an excellent and equitable place to finish.
That -- is what Billionaire Peterson fears most. Which is why he pays his spokespersons to keep saying -- "Hey look over here, people. Woooh scary!"
Someone should "Fix" the Billionaires free access to the Media. (Without some clear statements of the sponsorship behind the Messagers.)
[HatTip to Chris Hayes' "You Should Know" segment for putting this Front Group on my radar, yesterday. Hopefully now it's on yours too.]
