Progressive hero MA Senator Elizabeth Warren came out strongly (unlike certain other 'progressive' Senators) against President Obama's proposal to use chained CPI as the inflation measure for calculating Social Security benefits.
Boston's local Fox station is trying to drum up some controversy about a Democratic Senator standing up for Social Security by scrutinizing her finances and saying she is 'claiming' that her brother relies entirely on his $13,000 annual Social Security benefits for his income.
The anchor starts out the report by saying
'Senator Elizabeth Warren is 'coming under fire' for her comments she made about her brother living on Social Security, and what her role is in his finances'.
Then he throws is to the local reporter on the scene Sharman Sacchetti:
BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren is drawing criticism for an e-mail she sent to supporters Wednesday, claiming her brother, David, lives on just over $13,000 dollars a year in social security benefits. Warren herself is worth millions.
The 'fire' and 'criticism' Senator Warren is supposedly drawing is never identified by either reporter. Apparently the criticism is being leveled by this local Fox 'news' station, and then they report on their own criticism. So this is a 'story' of their own creation.
In the e-mail, Sen. Warren says she was "shocked to hear" about President Barack Obama's plan to cut social security benefits through what's called a "cost of living adjustment," or CPI.
"Today my brother lives on his social security. That's about $1,100 a month, $13,200 a year," the Mass. senior senator wrote.
Just a few months ago, Sen. Warren bought a Washington, D.C. condo for nearly $750,000, in addition to her home in Cambridge, valued at $1.7 million.
When FOX 25 political reporter Sharman Sacchetti asked the senator if it was true her brother doesn't live on much, she responded "yes."
Sacchetti also asked why she doesn't help him.
"I do help him. This is a question about how much," Sen. Warren responded. "He was worked for 40 years and paid into this system and that's all the money he has to live on. And there are literally millions of people around the country for whom that is the case."
When pressed if he really is living on that money alone, since Warren admits helping him, she said, "Let's be clear about this. Not everyone has a sister who can help. This is about people who work all their lives and all they've got at the end is their social security."
Warren says she does not regret the wording of the e-mail.
"Not at all. I told the truth," says the senator.
Regret the wording of the email? Are you kidding me? What is there to regret?
So. This 'investigative reporter' first wants to know why the rich Senator Warren doesn't help her poor brother who is subsisting on $1,100 a month in SS benefits. When Warren tells her she does, she acts as if she has caught Senator Warren in a lie about her brother's circumstances, and he doesn't really live on only $1,100 a month. Apparently helping him out with some cash to get through the month is 'her role in his finances'. Talk about your no-win situation!
So here you have a moocher mooching $1,100 a month out of the system when he clearly could be mooching off his rich sister who is so rich she purchased a residence in Washington so she could be near her office!
Why are we even having this conversation? This is the inevitable result of putting Social Security on the table in the Grand Bargain. Social Security benefits and one's 'entitlement' to them are up for legitimate debate now. If one happens to have a more affluent relative, that should be the source of one's retirement. Never mind that he paid into the system for 40 years expecting this to be a significant part of his retirement plan. And as Senator Warren eloquently explains, sponging off your relative is not a retirement plan, and not everyone has a relative to help them out. That's what Social Security was supposed to be for.
If you have a 'rich' relative you should count on them to take you through retirement, not the government (which you dutifully paid into). And if you don't, you're on your own. This used to be toxic political territory. Now a Democratic Senator has to justify herself for defending Social Security.
The story leaves out Sen. Warren's best quote:
The idea that oil companies will continue to suck down billions of dollars in tax subsidies while we say to seniors, we're going to find a way to slice a little out of your hide, that's just fundamentally wrong.
Woohoo! Couldn't have said it any better!
Here is the link to the video:
Read more: http://www.myfoxboston.com/...
I'm sorry I can't embed it, it's in Javascript. I spent the morning unsuccessfully trying to figure out how to do it. If any techies can tell me how or if this is anywhere in the FAQ's, please please let me know as this is an ongoing problem.