:thatsright:
Only from at dump can you get a thread like this one. Pull up your waders and wander over to read the whole thing or just catch a few high lights below Check the I like Ike posts at link :-)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8396507
bvar22 (1000+ posts) Sun May-23-10 02:50 AM
Original message
How to fix Social Security the "Old Democratic Party" way:
1)Raise or Remove the Cap.
There are many arguments being offered in opposition to this.
None of these arguments are valid.
Raising the Cap will NOT hurt the Working Class. The majority of Americans in the Working Class are already well below the cap.
Those Americans who are in the Upper Middle Class, and the RICH will simply have to pay a fairer share.
2)Expand the Working Class by Liberalizing and Facilitating Immigration
If the problem is not enough workers to support the retiring "Boomers",
the answer is NOT cutting benefits.
The answer is More WORKERS!
Open America's doors to people who want to WORK for a living, and focus our national effort at creating GOOD jobs with real BENEFITS that will attract the cream of workers from around the World.
I've driven across America, and it is a BIG place. America is no where near Filled Up. There is still plenty of space for WORKERS.
All we need is the jobs.
{snip}
yada yada and more yada like above.
5)Break Up the Big Boxes and enact "Fair Competition" legislation that lets Mom & Pop and Family Farms compete with Big Corpo on a level playing field.
Radically De-Centralize and limit Corporate Power. Make THEM compete.
This would do more to create jobs than a government Jobs Program.
Reverse the WalMartization of America, and begin to restore LOCAL economies where money stays in local circulation sustaining local jobs instead of being immediately sucked out to Corporate HQ.
These are just a few things that an Old Style, Pro-Working Class, Pro-LABOR "Democratic Party" could do the "save" Social Security.
Unfortunately, none of these things are even open for discussion in today's "New Democrat" led Party.
They are going to "save" Social Security the "New Democrat" way.
God help the Working Class.
A load of typical stuff follows
Demeter (1000+ posts) Sun May-23-10 02:52 AM
Response to Original message
1. In a time of 20% Unemployment, I Hardly Think We Need More Workers
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
bvar22 (1000+ posts) Sun May-23-10 02:58 AM
Response to Reply #1
2. Didn't read the rest of the post...
...did ya?
The majority of the post was about creating good jobs for an expanding Working Class.
You know, the USA has successfully done this in the past.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
William Z. Foster (841 posts) Sun May-23-10 02:22 PM
Response to Reply #1
19. depends
Edited on Sun May-23-10 02:23 PM by William Z. Foster
The political right sees the owners and the wealthy as the source of prosperity. The political left sees workers as the source of wealth and prosperity.
What the right wingers fail to see is that every worker is also a consumer. Adding workers adds consumers and demands for services. You are making the same error.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
Depends are what you will be wearing Zummie!!
napi21 (1000+ posts) Sun May-23-10 03:16 AM
Response to Original message
3. I agree with you. I'm now retired, but during my entire working life,
I remember the cap on SS beingraised on a reguolar basis. I was always unde the cap so I always paid into SS on my total earnings. What the hell is wrong with doing that same thing now? It's really no big deal and NOBODY would be hurt by doing so. Yea, I know. All the Pubs would scream because TAXES would be being raised1!!! Well, BFD! Get the hell over it!
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
Oh my, this could end badly for Yupster. ( any relation to any other Yup??)
Yupster (1000+ posts) Sun May-23-10 02:19 PM
Response to Reply #6
18. How's about adding a # 4
4. Make social security universal by bringing in those workers that are currently not in the system, mostly public schoolteachers.
I've never had it explained to me why so many teachers aren't in the system to begin with.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
Hannah Bell (1000+ posts) Sun May-23-10 04:41 PM
Response to Reply #18
22. i'd support that.
WHY ARE CONNECTICUT TEACHERS EXCLUDED FROM SOCIAL SECURITY FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHING SERVICE?
When Congress passed the Social Security Act in 1935, it excluded federal, state, and local government employees from mandatory coverage. The exclusion for state and local public employees was based on constitutional concerns about whether the federal government could impose taxes on state governments. In the early 1950s, Congress passed a law that allowed state and local government employees to be covered if they voluntarily chose coverage in a referendum. The then-members of the Teachers' Retirement System voted against joining the Social Security system. In 1959, at the request of the Connecticut Education Association, the General Assembly prohibited TRS members from holding another referendum (CGS § 5-158(d)). The ban on Social Security coverage for Connecticut teachers remains in place.
http://www.cga.ct.gov/2006/rpt/2006-R-0547.htm
Yupster (1000+ posts) Sun May-23-10 05:52 PM
Response to Reply #22
27. This should be overturned
as no one else gets to hold referrenda on whether they want to be in social security or not.
I bet doctors would love to set up their own system to cover only themselves, or stockbrokers or lawyers.
The idea that only teachers should enjoy that right should be an easy problem to solve.
Make the universal program universal -- it would ease much of the pressure off the system too besiades being basic fairness in the first place.
Well now what are the chances of killing this golden goose to the tax payer? Hum? I can hardly wait for the teachers lobby to join in on this thread.