Social Security needs to be fixed -- again. And Hillary offered the more progressive solution.

[pnwmom]

In 2016, some progressives criticized her for not wholeheartedly adopting the simple solution of lifting the Social Security tax wage cap.

Instead, she said she was open to a combination of means, including lifting the wage cap AND extending the tax to non-salary income.

Unfortunately, she didn't do a good enough sales job on her plan. It was a bit too complicated to explain in a 5 second sound bite. Why was her plan by far the more PROGRESSIVE choice?

Because the Social Security tax is a FLAT TAX that hits the lowest wage earners at the same rate as the highest. If we lifted the lid completely, the lowest wage earners would still be paying the same flat RATE as the millionaires.

Hillary instead wanted to consider not just raising the wage limit -- but extending the tax to NON-SALARY forms of income. That kind of extension would hit wealthier people much harder than minimum wage earners (who are very unlikely to be reporting capital gains on their income tax returns.)

Hillary's extension of Social Security tax to non-salary income would NOT be a flat tax hitting low earners and high earners with equal force -- it would be directed toward people with enough excess income that they can invest it in stocks, real estate, and other investments that produce capital gains.

So anyone who thought the simple solution was the more progressive was wrong. Hillary's plan was better, and it's what we should be pushing for in the months ahead, as the argument once again comes to the fore.

[NCTraveler]

1. Social Security Platform

https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/social-security-and-medicare/

I can't find a policy position for Trump in this area. How fucking sad is that.

Not good enough, Clinton!

[Matthew28]

2. Trump uses Ryans plan

and that is to throw old people onto the street to die.

[pnwmom]

3. "Not good enough, Clinton"??? Except it was better than anyone else's plan in 2016.

Hillary understands that there is no way to accomplish that goal without asking the highest-income Americans to pay more, including options to tax some of their income above the current Social Security cap and taxing some of their income not currently taken into account by the Social Security system.

[NCTraveler]

4. Damn near her whole platform was better than everyone else.

Inserting Jim Webb’s prison reform platform into hers would be icing on the cake.

Her platform was excellent and she spoke about it extremely well.

[Lucinda]

5. KNR

[TexasBushwhacker]

6. I've never understood why investment income wasn't subject

to SS and Medicare tax. I don't have a problem with sheilding a certain amount for senior citizens, say $500K. But a trust fund kid can live their whole privileged life without paying a dime into SS/Medicare. They'll say they shouldn't have to because they don't need those benefits, but that's not the point.

When you are getting income and contributing to SS and Medicare, you aren't paying for your own benefits. You're paying the benefits for the people who need it NOW - the elderly, disabled, widows and surviving children. Why? Because you can't claim to live in the greatest country on the planet if you aren't willing to care for our most vulnerable citizens.

Get rid of the cap and make investment income subject to SS and Medicare taxes, then increase the checks of the beneficiaries. That money goes straight back into the economy, so ultimately it benefits everyone. Raise wages for low and middle income workers too, for the same reason. It stimulates the economy.

[Cha]

7. KICK!