I'm writing a series of posts as a blogging fellow for the Strengthen Social Security Campaign, a coalition of more than 270 national and state organizations.
While many of us in Florida are rightfully concerned and focused on the actions of Gov. Rick Scott and the legislature, we can't forget that Congress is in session as well and that bad things are happening in Washington, D.C., as well. Based on the fact that we have a Democratic president and a Democratic senate, though, we have much more likelihood of successfully fighting back against what's happening in Washington. This is a time when your phone calls can have a strong impact.
The conventional wisdom in the nation's capitol is that we are in a financial and budget crisis that requires us to take drastic measures to reign in the deficit and debt. For now let's set aside the questionable legitimacy of those claims and focus on one particular line of argument -- that it is out-of-control entitlements, notably Social Security, that are killing the budget and we have to do something drastic, and painful, to make it all better. This is complete and utter nonsense. Social Security has a dedicated revenue stream and it would not be in any danger at all if it weren't Washington politicians who raided the Social Security surpluses to pay for other bad decisions, such as the George W. Bush tax cuts and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Suggestions that we need to raise the retirement age or cut benefits or do anything else that would hurt Social Security recipients are based on partisan weakness and an inability to accurately diagnose the real problems we face or propose serious solutions to them.
Anyone who suggests that fixing our deficit and debt starts anywhere other than returning the tax rate for the wealthiest Americans to where it was in the 1990s, when we had a budget surplus and sustained economic growth, isn't serious. Anyone who suggests that the way to fix our problems is to punish the most vulnerable members of society is not only not serious about dealing with problems, they are actively trying to make our problems worse.
But we have an opportunity to prevent this from happening. The Senate can stop this charade and do what's right by our promises to seniors (and future generations) and make fixing the deficit about realistic and fair solutions. Tuesday and Wednesday of this week are going to be designated as national call-in days to tell senators to keep budget-makers hands off Social Security. Details:
To reduce the federal deficit, politicians in Washington are proposing deep cuts to your Social Security benefits. We need to stop them.
Social Security belongs to you. You pay for it in every paycheck.
Don’t let Congress cut your benefits, raise the retirement age and reduce your COLA.
Tell them: Hands Off Social Security! Vote YES on the Sanders-Reid Social Security Protection Amendment!
Call Bill Nelson in Washington at 202-224-5274 or at a district office.
Call Marco Rubio in Washington at 202-224-3041 or at a district office.
This is a time when your call can make a difference. You have the power to save the most successful program in world history from an assault based on lies and political irresponsibility. Use it.