Pass the bullshit detector along with the Payroll Tax 'holiday'?

The GOP deficit hawks are at it again. Declaring that the country will be plunged into an economic dark age if we “DON’T STOP THE SPENDING, AND STOP IT RIGHT NOW!”, but right out the gate, they’re hunky-dory with adding $120 billion to the national debt in a mis-guided attempt at economic stimulus using the payroll tax mechanism.

H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-S-Y ?

The only part of this thing that makes any sense - and it’s far outweighed by the uh, very stinky downsides - is that the accounting would be easier. As in ‘smoke and mirrors’ accounting. The way I understand it, although workers won’t be required to pay the full amount in during 2011, they will still be credited with the same amount as though they had. Only they haven’t. It’s a big IOU going forward, for a Social Security system that detractors are already telling us - inaccurately - that is under enormous stress.

So, that makes sense? Right? Steal from a system under ‘stress’?

It also fails to extend the stimulus effects to all the workers in the country - some 5.7 million - that aren’t covered under Social Security. What did they do to piss off Congress? Yup, that’s right … firefighters, state and local public employees and the like won’t get this stimulus ‘tax holiday’.

Downstream, when it comes time to re-up the payroll tax rate to what it was/shoulda been, the ALMIGHTY SELF-RIGHTEOUS GOP can declare that it’s a ‘tax increase’ and therefore shouldn’t be allowed. Uh, making it self-fulfilling prophecy that Social Security will actually become unstable. Remember, it isn’t … yet. Unless the GOP gets it’s way.

Promises to the contrary are cold comfort to those of us who’ve been paying attention to Republican/TeaBag attempts to kill off Social Security and Medicare. This kind of bullshit end-run game is exactly what Grover Norquist meant by “starve the beast”.

Now, the ‘Making Work Pay’ stimulus that Obama passed - which as simply accomplished through reduced withholding - is more straightforwardly ‘transparent’ in it’s goals, doesn’t mess with bogus double-counting within the Social Security Trust Fund books, and accomplishes the same thing more effectively - stimulus.

Take a look here at a side-by-side comparison of the Making Work Pay tax credit vs the proposed 2% payroll tax cut. I’ve verified their findings on several other sites, with other analysts, and I keep reading/hearing that these numbers are accurate.

Finally, what really grinds my gizzard is that Al Franken and Harry Reid can embrace smoke and mirrors accounting like this.

However, I applaud Reid’s staff for putting out the following HYPOCRISY ALERT on the Senators Thune and Conryn “OMG! Earmarks! Evil! Evil!” gotcha moment. Apparently, there are still some journalists in Washington D.C. with spines, and they held mirrors up to Conyn and Thune - two of biggest whiners about the evils of ‘earmarks’ - and caught them out. The press conference was brought to an abrupt end, when both Thune and Conryn turned and walked rather than answer the tough questions.

Here’s what Reid’s office has sent out:

This morning, Senators John Cornyn and John Thune held a press conference decrying earmarks – but found themselves having to defend the millions in earmarks that they have requested. Confused? So are we. Let’s take a closer look at the transcript from today’s press conference.

Question: “Senator Thune, I was just looking at the list of earmark requests that you requested this year and it adds up to over a hundred million dollars.”

Thune: “I support those projects, but I don’t support this bill.”

FACT CHECK: Thune Requests Millions In Earmarks For FY2011. [Senator Thune FY2011 Appropriations Requests]

Question: “Going through this bill, there is earmark after earmark from the both of you, millions of dollars in earmarks…Why do you have any credibility on this?”

Cornyn: “Because we’re going to vote against the bill.”

Question: “It appears like you’re saying one thing and doing another.”

Cornyn: “Not at all.”

FACT CHECK: Cornyn Requests Millions In Earmarks For FY2011. [Senator Cornyn FY2011 Appropriations Requests]

Question: “Were you wrong when you put these earmarks in?”

Cornyn: “You’re missing the story if you think it’s just about earmarks.”

Question: “Is that an acknowledgement that it was wrong to put the earmarks in in the first place?”

Cornyn: “You’ve asked the question about five times and I’ve tried to answer it to the best of my ability.”

FACT CHECK: Republican Senators have made a habit of criticizing earmarks, while continuing to request them.   

 

BRAVO!

-maven

Love him or not: Reid leading Social Security COLA increase

Angle supporters may call this a cynical move but seniors on Social Security might want to remember that Harry Reid is the one who could actually make this happen despite the times. The word was that seniors wouldn’t be getting any cost of living increases through 2012.

This just in:

REID TO LEAD PASSAGE OF SOCIAL SECURITY COLA FOR SENIORS

Las Vegas, NV - Nevada Senator Harry Reid released the following statement today announcing his intention to pass a cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security recipients when the Senate reconvenes in November:

“Millions of seniors rely on Social Security to make ends meet, especially in today’s troubled economy.  While the Social Security Administration has announced that no COLA will be provided next year, it’s a decision I don’t agree with. Too many seniors are struggling to pay rising costs for basic necessities, even while their retirement savings and home values have taken real hits.

“Earlier this year I voted to provide seniors a $250 Social Security raise.  While Republicans blocked our efforts to help seniors the last time, we cannot give up.  That is why when the Senate reconvenes, we will give seniors in Nevada and across the country this badly-needed raise. I will be working hard to gain Senate passage for a proposal that ensures that America’s seniors are treated fairly.”

Would Sharron Angle be able to get this done for seniors in Nevada? If Sharron Angle could for a  moment disentangle herself from ideology which seems to promote dismantling Social Security, she’d still be too junior to even be effective on a question like this.

Can you imagine a senior that would vote against Social Security COLA’s? Yup. Those are the ones supporting Sharron Angle.

Go figure.

-maven

Tackling Social Security mis-information ... again

A loyal reader, Susan, sent me the following email today:

Cynthia…you are so much more knowledgeable than I when it comes to answering things like the email I will post below…so I need your help in replying.  This woman knows how I feel about Angle and keeps trying to convince me I am wrong.  She emphasized that the mail was forwarded to her and in CAPS said “so I am just forwarding to you”.  Do you mind me asking you this…I don’t want to annoy you!  (Just watched your aged beef posting…you are amazingly talented!!!)

Susan

ALL NEVADA RESIDENTS

Reno Gazette-Journal – Monday, August 30, 2010, p. 6A c. 3

Social Security   Angle is pointing out the obvious

 Regarding your article on Social Security: It’s not like we couldn’t’ see this coming. Some history: When Franklin Roosevelt introduced Social Security, he promised

1.     Participation would be voluntary; no longer is.

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Monday musings: June 21, 2010

Did you have a good weekend? I did. The weather here in Reno, Nevada has been unusual to say the least. Every time the weatherman predicts seasonably warm and sunny, the temperatures drop and the wind whips up. There is still plenty of snow visible on Slide Mt. and Mt. Rose.  Last night it was 42 degrees. But all in all, yesterday and today were grand, with reasonably warm days suited to bike riding and gardening.

I found a great new bike route that gives me a solid 20 miles in. From my house in South Hills, it’s 10 miles to the end of the pavement on the old Toll Road, that parallels Geiger Grade on the way up to Virgina City. It’s a sweet ride, all on wide streets with ample bike lanes, then a short but pleasant wind through a subdivision and then up through the sagebrush on the Toll Road. I did it in 1.5 hrs.

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