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Category Archives: Social Security

The real reason for getting rid of the payroll tax

I just finished reading this article, which demonstrates that Trump’s desire to get rid of the payroll tax and fund social security from general revenues is not feasible. The article demonstrates once again that those of us on the left often, almost always, fail to appreciate that Republicans take the long view of things. This […]

Everyone else must fail

Dean Baker rightfully calls out the Washington Post for suggesting, at one and the same time, that there is both a surplus and a shortage of workers, and that to alleviate the shortage, we should “reform” the social security disability system. At a time of unprecedented inequality, the Washington Post is quick to seize on […]

Fakish news

This is really rather infuriating: President Trump’s proposal to slash domestic spending in order to preserve the two biggest drains on the federal government — Social Security and Medicare — has set up a battle to determine who now controls the Republican Party’s ideology. … Mr. Trump’s budget blueprint — which is expected to be […]

Yet another post on social security

Dean Baker once again takes on the folks who are calling for means testing Social Security: Eduardo Porter had a piece this morning about how a group of academics on the left and right came together around a common agenda. It is worth briefly commenting on two of the items on which the “left” made […]

Why the right wants to means test  Social Security

Several years ago I attended a discussion group led by a formerly radical professor at a Swarthmore reunion (my wife went to Swarthmore). During the discussion one inquisitor, probably also a former radical, asked the good professor whether it might not be a really good idea to means test Social Security, to which the professor […]

John Larson makes a very good Social Security proposal

It appears that the Democrats have finally caught on once again to the fact that Social Security is a popular program and that it is a good idea to be perceived as its defender and expander. I say once again because there was a time when they ran quite effectively against the threat, real or […]

Fair and balanced reporting on Social Security Disabilty

Dean Baker makes an obvious point, therefore one that those claiming that the Social Security Disability program is abused totally ignore: Wall Street Journal Soon to Run Piece on Improper Denials of Disability Claims That’s inevitable, since any fair-minded newspaper that ran a column on improper approvals would surely want to balance it out. For […]

Inequality for All

I got an email this morning from one Aldo Baker, of Democracy for America, who asks that I spread the word about the attack on Social Security and the true facts, which he claims you can see here. I’ll confine myself to one aspect of the current assault on Social Security: the push to impose […]

This list is too short

Time for some Connecticut Congress folks to get on this list. Joe Courtney was right to take offense on Stephen Spielberg’s placing Connecticut’s representatives on the wrong side of history. This is Joe’s chance to make sure he’s on the right side.

Newt’s Contract on America nears fruition

A good history at Angry Bear of the roots of Obama’s quest to slash Social Security. Is it surprising that it is yet another right wing idea that has become middle of the road by virtue of ceaseless repetition on the right and no pushback from what passes as the left in the Beltway. It […]