Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block in the Senate?

[Amak8]

First, senators would come to an agreement on a deficit reduction target — likely to be around $4 trillion over 10 years — to be reached through revenue raised by an overhaul of the tax code, savings from changes to social programs like Medicare and Social Security, and cuts to federal programs. Once the framework is approved, lawmakers would vote on expedited instructions to relevant Congressional committees to draft the details over six months to a year.

If those efforts failed, another plan would take effect, probably a close derivative of the proposal by President Obama’s fiscal commission led by Erskine B. Bowles, the Clinton White House chief of staff, and former Senator Alan K. Simpson of Wyoming, a Republican. Those recommendations included changes to Social Security, broad cuts in federal programs and actions that would lower tax rates over all but eliminate or pare enough deductions and credits to yield as much as $2 trillion in additional revenue.

Finally, they would vote to put off the automatic spending cuts, known as sequestration, and tax increases scheduled to hit all at once in January — but with some deficit reduction down payment to signal how serious Congress is.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/us/senate-leaders-at-work-on-plan-to-avert-fiscal-cliff.html?_r=1&ref=politics&pagewanted=print

Democrats hold 2 out of 3 branches and somehow compromise is between center-right and hard-right. It's not as if Republicans will be content with these cuts, either. If they come back in power they will immediately cut taxes further, make a deficit, and then demand to makeup the difference with more spending cuts. Consider the beast starved.

[marines4]

1. social security

IF ROMNEY GETS IN THE END TO SOCIAL SECURITY, HE STATED HE WILL NOT TOUCH OUR SOCIAL SECURITY. IT WILL STAY AT IT IS...........CORRECT........NO RAISES NO NOTHING........EVERYONE WITH A BRAIN KNOWS THAT INFLATION IS COMING AND IF YOU MAKE THE AVERAGE 1100.00 PER MONTH WITHIN FIVE YEARS YOU ARE MAKING NOT EVEN YOUR ELECTRIC WATER ETC BILLS PER MONTH YOU ARE BROKE.
A VOTE FOR ROMNEY AS A SENIOR IS A VOTE FOR THE DEATH OF SENIORS............ AS HAVING A LIVING MONTHLY INCOME.

[Hubert Flottz]

2. Slow death for seniors...

Food or Meds. Shelter or the street.

[Junkdrawer]

3. Which is why I keep saying WATCH THE SENATE....

That's where the action is this election. Obama’s fiscal commission is to the Right of the current Senate.

[on point]

4. NO! Try instead 10 trillion over 10 yrs by cutting Pentagon and raising taxes on the wealthy!!!

Otherwise the country is heading in the WRONG direction again, regardless of party the pols are screwing the American people again.

This proposal represents the wrong priorities and the country (and DU) needs to push back now and say

NO, NO NO and HELL NO.

Go back, try again and this time cut what needs to be cut, like 500 billion per year off the pentagon, and raise another 500 billion per year by returning the tax rates on the wealthy to their historical rates.

10 trillion over 10 yrs and no need to touch the safety net, NONE.

Otherwise I hope the see people in the streets here, like in Europe.

And to those who say those proposals are non starters, I say you have it wrong. It is the cuts to the safety net that are the non starters.

Now who do you represent, the people, or the powerful?

[woo me with science]

5. "Who do you represent, the people, or the powerful?"

Amen to your post.

Secret meetings in Congress. Silence from the campaign. We appear to have a problem.

Obama and Biden have run this entire campaign on being the anti-Romney. They have proclaimed and advertised themselves as the defenders of the 99 percent and the ones who will protect the interests of ordinary Americans and the most vulnerable among us.

They are also the ONLY ones standing between all of us and these assaults.

If they turn around and use the excuse that Republicans would be worse in order to assault the most vulnerable among us with a chained CPI or other attacks on SS benefits, we will witness the most stunning bait and switch, the most cynical and deliberate betrayal of American voters in recent history.

We have been lied to, stolen from, looted and impoverished, and manipulated long enough. It is time for Obama/Biden to stand up and be specific about defending the 99 percent, if that is what they truly intend to do...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1445641

[Amak8]

6. Krugman

October 2, 2012, 3:23 AM20 Comments
Bowlesing Toward Betrayal
So, is my timing good or not? Right after I warn about the risk that Democrats, including the president, might betray the mandate they seem likely to get for preserving the safety net, we learn that Senate leaders are at work on a plan based around, well, you guessed it:

Just to say, this would be politically stupid as well as a betrayal of the electorate. If you don’t think Republicans would turn around and accuse Democrats of cutting Social Security — probably even before the ink was dry — you’ve been living under a rock.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/bowlesing-toward-betrayal/