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Reply #29: Is there a point to your questioning? How is this a worthy argument? [View All]

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DCKit Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Feb-14-11 08:04 AM
Response to Reply #25
29. Is there a point to your questioning? How is this a worthy argument?
There is no difference if the bonds Treasury "hands over" to SS aren't "the same" as those you might buy on the market. It's the same damn thing - money borrowed, money owed. The fact that it's a contract with SS and the American people doesn't make a bit of difference when compared to the obligations on bonds sold to China and the sovereign funds.

Treasury might, in some alternate universe, default on those bonds it sells on the open market, but what's the solution if they can't afford to pay them back and choose not to default? Raised taxes, increased revenues and "austerity measures". Then WE (the bottom 99%) still pay for it. So they're going after OUR money instead, via the debt owed to SS - money we all paid into SS over our working lives - to decrease the national debt, for the short-term, to improve the balance sheet and justify the excuses for continued, undeserved tax breaks for those at the top of the heap.

The whole thing is one huge lie, a scam on a previously undreamed of scale to continue to defraud the American public. They had a plan, and it's coming to fruition. There is, and never was, a "crisis" in SS funding. The crisis was contrived to provide an continuing excuse for tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations ON OUR BACKS, then to hand them even more of OUR money via a default on Treasury bonds due to SS.

I'm sorry if you don't get it, but this is a useless argument. The facts are clear: We're getting screwed so the top 1% can continue the kleptocracy in one of the most transparent examples of "The Shock Doctrine" ever attempted.

It's not a crisis, it's a scam and it's theft. No how, no way those who contributed to SS over their working lives should allow our government to default on those bonds so individuals and corporations who pay far less of a percentage in taxes than the average middle class worker can continue paying less in taxes.

They simply want to default on SS (at least a portion of it), to justify continuing on our unsustainable path. The answer to this artificial crisis is "austerity" and higher taxes for the top earners and corporations - the same corporations sitting on $$$$ about equal to the the debt owed to SS.

Funny how that worked out.
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  -Would you trade Social Security reform for Higher taxes for the rich? LeftyAndProud60  Feb-13-11 05:27 PM   #0 
  - don't think so - but guess it depends on what "reform" entails  DrDan   Feb-13-11 05:46 PM   #1 
  - No. If I'm starving on the street, what do I care if they're paying more?  SharonAnn   Feb-15-11 09:17 AM   #35 
  - Why?  demwing   Feb-13-11 05:46 PM   #2 
  - No. (nt)  w4rma   Feb-13-11 05:46 PM   #3 
  - Raising the cap = social security reform that raises taxes on the rich.  phleshdef   Feb-13-11 05:47 PM   #4 
  - I am sick and tired of trade-offs.  Curmudgeoness   Feb-13-11 05:50 PM   #5 
  - No cuts in Social Security! We paid in....  rfranklin   Feb-13-11 05:50 PM   #6 
  - +1 We never asked Congress to borrow against OUR SS to fund the wealthy.  DCKit   Feb-13-11 09:00 PM   #20 
     - We never called them on it when they did it, either  customerserviceguy   Feb-13-11 09:49 PM   #22 
        - It isn't (and never was) an unsecured loan. SS holds Treasury bonds.  DCKit   Feb-13-11 10:13 PM   #24 
           - Those are not Treasury bonds in the usual sense of the term  customerserviceguy   Feb-13-11 10:29 PM   #25 
              - Is there a point to your questioning? How is this a worthy argument?  DCKit   Feb-14-11 08:04 AM   #29 
                 - Yes, there is a point  customerserviceguy   Feb-14-11 06:25 PM   #31 
  - false choice when we can have both despite obama and the republicrats. nt  msongs   Feb-13-11 05:54 PM   #7 
  - in the mildest terms: fuck that shit.  Warren Stupidity   Feb-13-11 06:00 PM   #8 
  - Who would benefit from these Higher Taxes ...  GeorgeGist   Feb-13-11 06:01 PM   #9 
  - 'TRADE?' Depends. S.S. reform should = raising/eliminating the cap  elleng   Feb-13-11 06:06 PM   #10 
  - Why would we need to do that?  liberal N proud   Feb-13-11 06:13 PM   #11 
  - I can say 'no' - but what difference does it make?  xchrom   Feb-13-11 06:18 PM   #12 
  - Higher taxes for the rich? Don't make me laugh. They will never pay high taxes friend.  MichiganVote   Feb-13-11 06:24 PM   #13 
  - Any trade-off before long will be back to the same old same old  shraby   Feb-13-11 07:02 PM   #14 
  - No  OHdem10   Feb-13-11 07:15 PM   #15 
  - Deleted message  Name removed   Feb-13-11 07:42 PM   #16 
  - shut up. That feels better. NT  LeftyAndProud60   Feb-13-11 07:47 PM   #17 
     - Shut up?  Caretha   Feb-13-11 08:09 PM   #18 
  - Hell no, these people we have in power  Autumn   Feb-13-11 08:51 PM   #19 
  - Don't have to trade. Just raise the taxes on the rich bastards and  ladjf   Feb-13-11 09:00 PM   #21 
  - Nobody's elderly mom should have to negotiate with a billionaire for her food money. nt  woo me with science   Feb-13-11 10:12 PM   #23 
  - Tired of negotiating with thieves. nt  woo me with science   Feb-14-11 07:08 AM   #26 
  - If the reform made sense. Lowering the age makes sense,  Vinca   Feb-14-11 07:30 AM   #27 
  - Social Security doesn't need reform.  GoCubsGo   Feb-14-11 07:56 AM   #28 
  - The question is absurd IMO...  ljm2002   Feb-14-11 01:20 PM   #30 
  - Why should they have to be traded?  Cherchez la Femme   Feb-14-11 06:48 PM   #32 
  - YES< but i wont trade UI for it.  mkultra   Feb-15-11 08:29 AM   #33 
  - No. n/t  kiva   Feb-15-11 08:53 AM   #34 
  - One has nothing to do with the other  bhikkhu   Feb-15-11 10:17 AM   #36 
 

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