SS/medicare cuts...can we please clarify?

[Sheepshank]

To throw out hyperbolic statements and generalization about cutting social security and medicare is disingenuous in my opinion.

I am fully against cutting any of the benefits that go directly to recipients. I am NOT against cutting fraud, cutting red tape and cutting administrative costs.

So polls and crap about cutting social security in general, are simply biased in the negative when ignoring these two very different aspects of cuts. It just frustrates the bejebus out of me, and is misleading. In fact so misleading as to be purposeful in riling up the public in manner that is angry, fearful, negative, conceding, etc.

[still_one]

1. What about Cost of Living? That is what Durbin is talking about. That is a backward way to cut

benefits

[vaberella]

2. A post I can finally agree with. Thank you.

No facts but people are running on it.

[Divernan]

3. SoHyperbolic statements/generalizations about "strengthening" social security are NOT disingenuous?

So will you go on record as opposing raising the retirement age? Manipulating the COLA formula to further reduce COLAs?

And what specifically does "overshooting the runway" refer to?

[Sheepshank]

12. while statement regarding "strengthening" are generalized

and don't think they hyperbolic.

Using the term "cutting" ss....is a scare tactic of cutting benefits directly. "Strengthening" does NOT imply cutting benefits. Hyperbole in this case is clearly a tactic being used to imply that benefits would be cut.

You didn't understand that from the op?

[lumberjack_jeff]

4. The administrative costs of SS are miniscule.

SS does not need tweaks, fixes, reforms or reengineering.

Medicare needs a bigger pool of membership, like "everyone".

[Sheepshank]

8. As if there isn't anything that can be done?

Admin costs is just one aspect...how about the fraud,costing tax payers $15B or more?



The individuals suing Quest called on the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene in their lawsuit, which alleges that the scam industry wide among medical labs is costing taxpayers as much as $15 billion in Medicare and Medicaid overcharges. This particular fraud, known in the industry as "pull-through" business, is featured in the July 4th-10th edition of Bloomberg Businessweek.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/07/05/3748302/lawsuit-against-quest-diagnostics.html#ixzz1RR43igVc

Posts like yours, that try and downplay all the possible ways of cutting back costs and expense, without cutting benefits, attmepts to maniupulate the message that there is no cumulative effect of these savings, is part of the problem.

[polmaven]

9. I disagree

that "SS does not need tweaks, fixes, reforms or reengineering". It needs the cap to be eliminated, and it needs some means testing, in my opinion. I also speculate that there is probably some amount of fraud going on, particularly in SSDI.

[progressoid]

5. hyperbolic statements and generalizations are the key to politics.

It's kind of hard not to generalize when all we get from our "leaders" are vague generalizations.

[Sheepshank]

6. Bull

generalizations that are misleading to purposefully present a lop sided arguement are not necessary....or acceptable.

Why would anyone justify repeating offensive actions just because someone else does it? Not buying it as an excuse.

[progressoid]

10. OK, so did you make your OP based on actual quotes from someone?

You want clarification and then talk about cutting fraud and red tape. How did you come up with such an idea? Did you see a specific proposal from the white house? Or did you make a generalization based on what you would like to see happen?

[Sheepshank]

11. Yes WH has made statements (and has been posted on DU frequently)....

....and I have posted a link to an exampl of excessive fraud upthread). But my response was to your statement that it was ok to overstate because everyone else does it...I call bull, I don't think that is a good reason to overstate.

[Tarheel_Dem]

7. Thank you. Each blogger trying to out-blog the others with the most disingenuous headline. (nt)