Supercommittee "Failure" is NOT Failure at All says Social Security Advocate

[jtown1123]

THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO PRESERVE SOCIAL SECURITY & MEDICARE


November 21, 2011
NEWS RELEASE

Super Committee's Rejection of Cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid Is Not a "Failure"



"The super committee's so-called "failure" to sign off on yet another bad deal for average Americans could be the first indication that Washington has begun to listen to the American people who've said they don't want their benefits cut for deficit reduction. They've finally realized that it is wrong to get our budget house in order by targeting the very people hurt most by this difficult economy.

The American people do want fiscal sanity returned to Washington but the vast majority of all ages and political persuasions have said Congress should not cut vital programs like Social Security and Medicare in the name of deficit reduction. They know Congress can cut the deficit without further stacking the deck against the poor and the middle class if it focuses on improving the economy and asking those who have done extremely well in the last decade to finally pay their fair share.

In the past few months, hundreds of thousands of concerned citizens delivered that message during rallies, protests and marches and in email, phone and petition campaigns to Congress. Americans were engaged in this deficit debate because they know the value of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid for American families. This has become painfully evident in an economy where the middle class has already shouldered enough of the financial burden through lower home values, job loss, shrinking savings and stagnant wages.

In the case of the supercommittee, failure to support a flawed deficit deal that would target our social insurance safety net while protecting the wealthy isn't a failure at all--it could be Washington's first successful step in closing the growing disconnect and economic gap between America's haves and have-nots." Max Richtman, NCPSSM President/CEO

Link: http://www.ncpssm.org/news/archive/supercommittee_no_deal_release/

[The Magistrate]

1. Indeed, Ma'am: Best News Of The Day

[DirkGently]

2. If the Occupy movement has done ONE thing, it's shifted the conversation away from cutscutscuts.

[jtown1123]

3. Agreed! We should strengthen our safety net, not cut it. n/t

[peacebird]

4. I love OWS for that. They have America talking about inequality, greed, and the economy.

[AntiFascist]

5. What's so bad about cutting Defense to the bone?

Do we really need to wage war with Iran, stage troops in Australia, etc, etc?