Pence: Cutting Medicare, Social Security Ultimately Needs to Be 'On the Table'

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Republicans excoriated President Biden for suggesting during his State of the Union address earlier this month that some party members want to cut Medicare and Social Security. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy may have said doing so is off the table, but the GOP is clearly thirsting to cut entitlements, and Biden was right in saying that some have floated doing away with Medicare and Social Security. One such Republican is former vice president and presumptive 2024 presidential candidate Mike Pence.

“We all know where the real issue is in terms of long-term debt for the United States,” Pence told CNBC on Wednesday. “I respect the Speaker’s commitment to take Social Security and Medicare off the table for the debt ceiling negotiations, we’ve got to put them on the table in the long term.”

Link to tweet

Pence suggested something similar on Fox News last week. “We have to have a conversation about reforming entitlements in the days ahead. We can replace the New Deal programs with a better deal. In Social Security, you can keep all the promises that you made to seniors and people that will retire in the next 20 years — no changes. But to give options to younger Americans to invest a portion of their Social Security in a private savings account, I think is an idea whose time will come.”

Host Sandra Smith was skeptical. “You think there’s an appetite for that?

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/pence-cutting-medicare-social-security-183056943.html

Live televised suicide.

[LoisB]

1. I would be willing to bet that Pence gets a Social Security check that he does not need every month.

[SheltieLover]

2. No doubt!

[Meadowoak]

3. Probably not, he's only 63.

[Meadowoak]

5. Mike pence's retirement salary is 117k + 65k from Indiana.

[LoisB]

6. My bad. I thought he was older. You can start collecting at 62 though.

[bedazzled]

13. He sure looks older

All that bowing and scraping to cheeto must age you

[no_hypocrisy]

4. Invest? In what?

In a stock market ruled by insider information? In real estate with prohibitive prices and interest? In 401(K) plans(see stock market)?

Nah, Social Security is comparatively “secure”.

[LakeArenal]

7. In knew they didn't mean it when Biden cornered them.

[babylonsister]

8. That's a funny way to win over voters.

[spanone]

9. proceed ex veep

[Deuxcents]

10. Let's start cutting from the top n put your "entitlements" on the table

[NowISeetheLight]

11. Big Article About This

In Rolling Stone about his comments. It’s the same old “keep it as is for anyone near retirement” (and the seniors who vote RED) and “private accounts for everyone else”.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/mike-pence-cutting-medicare-social-security-1234684328/

The big problem is a lot of people don’t make enough to pay regular life expenses AND save for retirement. How is the $18 an hour CNA who is 35 with two kids and $1300 rent supposed to set money aside for retirement? Not everyone makes $100k a year and honestly even that isn’t a lot of money anymore. With an average home in a metro area costing $400k and skyrocketing rents it’s tough.

I have a friend from high school who has a GED, never really had “good” jobs, but worked in restaurants his whole life. Looking at his Social Security website statement he’s never made over $18k a year. A lot of $9 an hour jobs in a state where that was OK, or working as a waiter making under $3 an hour plus tips. When he turns 62 in four years his SS payment will be $680 a month. He has no savings and was off work several years due to medical reasons. If he works to 67 (full retirement) it’s like $920 a month. His body won’t last that long. Obviously he has never made enough money to save anything for retirement.

There are a lot of Americans like him…. And there always will be. A lot of them in RED STATES too (see below). You’d think they’d figure out the RepubQcans are not your friend.

From FirstRepublic (a financial management company)

The median American worker made around $54k in 2022.

Demographic / 2022 Median Weekly / 2022 Median Annual (Estimated)
16-19 years old / $603 / $31,356
20-24 years old / $703 / $36,556
25-34 years old / $976 / $50,752
35-44 years old / $1,180 / $61,360
45-54 years old / $1,181 / $61,412
55-64 years old / $1,134 / $58,968
65+ years old / $1,023 / $53,196

Demographic / 2022 Median Weekly / 2022 Median Annual (Estimated)
Management, professional / $1,450 / $75,868
Service / $707 / $36,764
Sales and Office / $867 / $45,084
Natural resources, construction and maintenance / $964 / $50,128
Production, transportation and material moving / $807 / $41,964

Demographic / 2021 Median Weekly / 2021 Median Annual (Estimated)
Less than a high school diploma / $626 / $32,552
High school diploma / $809 / $42,068
Some college, no degree / $899 / $46,748
Associate's degree / $963 / $50,076
Bachelor's degree / $1,334 / $69,368
Master's degree / $1,574 / $81,848
Professional degree / $1,924 / $100,048
Doctorate degree / $1,909 / $99,268

Bottom 10 States / 2021 Median Annual
Kentucky / $56,525
Tennessee / $54,665
Alabama / $54,393
Oklahoma / $52,341
West Virginia / $51,615
Louisiana / $50,935
New Mexico / $50,822
Arkansas / $50,540
Mississippi / $44,966

[Trueblue1968]

12. Pence's desire to destroy SS. Medicare and Medicade.... it's why he is hated

[Generic Brad]

14. Let's run a beta test on Mike Pence's pension

See how that sanctimonious bag of pus likes it first.

[area51]

15. Here's Mike Dense, er, Pence,

sinking his own campaign.