Bush Plan Aids Poor, Squeezes the Rest (safety net only for the poor)

[ibid]

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-assess30apr30,1,5271933.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage&ctrack=1&cset=true

NEWS ANALYSIS
Bush Plan Aids Poor, Squeezes the Rest
By Peter G. Gosselin Times Staff Writer April 30, 2005

WASHINGTON — <snip>Although Bush devoted most of his prime-time news conference Thursday to describing how he would expand Social Security protections, virtually all of his improvements would be aimed at the bottom one-third of American wage earners. The remaining two-thirds would see their future Social Security benefits curtailed, a reduction that they'd be encouraged to make up by saving and investing of their own.<snip>

"Bush and the Republican leadership are committed to seeing universal programs like Social Security and Medicare turned into means-tested welfare programs," said Robert J. Blendon, a health policy professor at Harvard.<snip>

Bush said Thursday that the Pozen plan would fix about 70% of Social Security's solvency problems, which are estimated to run $3.7 trillion between now and 2075.

But analysts with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal Washington advocacy group, disputed that figure Friday, saying that Pozen's proposal includes cutting back benefits for disabled people, which Bush has promised not to touch. Without the disability cuts, Bush's proposal appears to close about half the gap, the analysts said.<snip>

[carnie_sf]

1. So just who

is making these claims about the alleged future insolvency of social security

[rodeodance]

2. if this happens, SS will be a typical welfare program. and welfare

--well, we know what gets said of them--all-those lazy dirty old people-get a job.

[ibid]

3. The Social Security actuaries say the problem is 40 years away - so

our media says that when the amount of the overpayment of the payroll tax is "less" available to finance the Bush tax Cut for the rich deficits in 2008, we have a crisis.

You have got to love our media.

[Lindacooks]

4. He's not squeezing just the poor, but the middle class too.

If you're making $30,000 and your benefits are going to be cut, you already ARE poor.

Try living in any city on that amount of money. Can't be done.

Oh, and chimpy? You can fix everything by RAISING THE CAP, you dumbass.

[daydreamer]

5. He would say anything

to get his way. Haven't we learned that lesson already?

[Daphne08]

6. This is an effort to turn Social Security into a

welfare program-- and turn the American public against it so that Congress will eventually kill it for all time! :grr:

We MUST win the The White House and the Senate (and eventually the House of Representatives) back before these people throw most of our elderly into abject poverty!

[applegrove]

7. And look for the Tax Plan to fix the squeeze by erasing income taxes.

[applegrove]

8. And how are the poor going to benefit from SS in the future when

there are 'guest workers' pushing wages down? When there will not be full employment?

[imenja]

9. Bush's plan is intended to destroy social security

Privatization was the first scheme. But if that doesn't go through, make it "progressive." When fewer Americans benefit from Social Security, they are more willing to stop it entirely. Make no mistake about it. That is the Bush plan.