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Obama's War On Social America

By Stephen Lendman
4-10-13

 

Obama, Republicans and most democrats are in lockstep. They claim Medicare and Social Security are going broke. They lie saying so. When properly administered, both programs are sound. Modest adjustments only are needed to assure it.

They're federally mandated. They're not entitlements. They're contractual obligations. They're for eligible recipients who qualify. Payroll taxes fund them.

Social Security provides retirement, disability, survivorship, and death benefits. It's America's most effective poverty reduction program. It's worked remarkably well since inception.

It provides secure inflation-adjusted retirement or disability income. Personal savings aren't risked. It's not going bankrupt.

The same holds for Medicare.

It's America's largest health insurance program. Payroll deductions defray costs. Tens of millions rely on it. It covers eligible recipients aged 65 or older, some disabled ones under age 65, and people of all ages with end-stage renal disease.

Duplicitous scaremongering claims both programs face bankruptcy. They're on the chopping block for elimination. Obama's on board. Corporate and imperial priorities matter most.

Straightaway in office, he prioritized cutting healthcare costs. He called it "restoring fiscal discipline."

"The big problem is Medicare," he said. Its cost is "unsustainable."

"Let's not kid ourselves and suggest that we can solve this problem by trimming a few earmarks."

The "biggest cost drivers in our budget are entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, all of which get more and more expensive every year."

"If we want to get serious about fiscal discipline - and I do - we will have to get serious about entitlement reform."

He lied. He's a serial liar. He wants social America destroyed. He's doing it on the backs of ordinary people and others most disadvantaged. They need it most. He's facilitating the greatest wealth transfer scheme in human history.

Vital needs don't matter. He's spurning them on his watch. He's force-feeding pain and suffering. He's got four more years to continue what he began. He's heading America for third world status. It’s half way there. It's close to full-blown tyranny.

He's in lockstep with Republicans. Budget proposals include deep social program cuts. Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, public pensions and other vital programs are targeted.

A sequestered $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years is agreed on. It's only for starters. Privately, both parties agreed on trillions more.

Bush era tax cuts remain policy. A permanent alternative minimum tax fix was enacted. Its impact on middle income families was reduced. Generous inheritance benefits were agreed. They exceed what Bush endorsed.

Token tax hikes affect rich elites. Clever lawyers and accountants let them avoid them. Progressive ones aren't discussed. Military spending increases annually. So do corporate handouts.

Reform reflects doublespeak duplicity. Obama favors means testing Medicare. Doing so revokes its mandate. It violates a contractual federal obligation.

Social Security comes next. Privatizations loom. Doing so assures gutting both programs. Republicans never wanted them in the first place. Most Democrats now agree.

Obama's plan to "strengthen Medicare for the future" is wrecking it. He's unapologetic. He's duplicitous. He wants Social Security COLA adjustments enacted, means testing, and raising the eligibility age.

He's amenable to hundreds of billions more Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid cuts. White House spokesman Jay Carney said his "budget reflects his priorities within a budget world that is not ideal."

"It requires compromise, negotiation, and a willingness to accept that you won't get 100 percent of what you want."

He's in lockstep with Republicans. Draconian cuts are coming. Most Americans oppose them. They have no say. Obama calls Medicare "the main cause of deficits." He lied saying so.

He favors Simpson-Bowles recommendations. They include a new Medicare Parts A and B $550 annual deductible. It urges cutting Part A's 100% coverage to 80%.

Doing so requires either paying up to $300 monthly in private insurance fees to defray the difference, or have a similar amount deducted from Social Security benefits. They average around $1,100 a month. Cutting them at all is unconscionable. Cutting them substantially is grand theft.

Beneficiaries have two choices. They can either pay more for current benefits or accept considerably less.

 

 

 

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