From
USA Today:
Social Security payments to millions of retirees and people with disabilities could be threatened if President Obama and Congress can't agree to increase the government's debt limit by Aug. 2, a new analysis shows.
Although the Treasury Department likely could avoid delaying Social Security checks, the analysis by the Bipartisan Policy Center points up the depth of the cuts that would be needed if the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling isn't raised.
It shows that in August, the government could not afford to meet 44% of its obligations. Since the $134 billion deficit for that month couldn't be covered with more borrowing, programs would have to be cut.
If Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment benefits, payments to defense contractors and interest payments on Treasury bonds were exempt, that would be all the government could afford for the month. No money for troops or veterans. No tax refunds. No food stamps or welfare. No federal salaries or benefits.
If the threat seems abstract to you, consider this from
Ezra Kline:
The best advice I’ve gotten for assessing the debt-ceiling negotiations was to “watch for the day when the White House goes public.” As long as the Obama administration was refusing to attack Republicans publicly, my source said, they believed they could cut a deal. And that held true. ... But today they went public. The negotiations have failed.
If these infantile congressmen and senators cannot come to a mature agreement to avoid this unnecessary trauma to the country, then I think no checks should go out--Social Security, employee paychecks, welfare, everything. If we all need to share the PAIN to understand what is going on with these political shenanigans, then so be it. And I will be one of the ones not getting a check too. As much as I admire the President for his maturity and willingness to compromise, this is too much. He cannot allow himself and the country to be held hostage by these legislative terrorists.
ReplyDeleteSo I hear the Social Security Administration is paying out bonuses of $100,000 plus to its employees under the guise of "relocation bonus" to settle discrimination complaints or to resettle employees to other parts of the country, or to simply promote favorites to the SES. Is this a good use of limited funds? It's another example of waste, fraud, and abuse that deserves an IG investigation. Where are you Pat O'Carroll, when we need you? Drink that wine, take that pearl!
ReplyDeleteYou hear.... but you have no proof. Lovely
ReplyDelete"President Obama belittled congressional Republicans for taking vacations amid difficult deficit-reduction talks."
ReplyDeleteHow about the vacation to Martha's Vineyard his family is going on?
"He accused Republicans — no less than six times — of favoring corporate-jet owners over average folks in the party’s refusal to consider tax increases as part of a deficit deal."
His plan raises taxes on people making over 250k and a lot of those people are small business owners. The people that might hire someone.
The liar in chief.
1. We are not aware of any employee bonuses at Social Security. We have been told there are no awards this year.
ReplyDelete2. The comments above are not worth responding to. But please do not be disrespectful to the President of the United States--whoever he/she is.
"The comments above are not worth responding to. But please do not be disrespectful to the President of the United States--whoever he/she is."
ReplyDeleteI didn't vote for the clown and hopefully he will be gone after the next election.
http://www.market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=189127
ReplyDeleteLots of mean-spirited, greedy trolls here, that's for sure. Luckily, the American people have a larger spirit than these people.
ReplyDelete"Lots of mean-spirited, greedy trolls here"
ReplyDeleteI'm not a freaking troll. I'm an SSA employee that thinks Obama is a lying buffoon.
Another example:
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/jet_levy_will_put_workers_up_in_aFXBXI4aplAnmQBoZO8u6L
http://blog.heritage.org/2011/06/25/cbo-figures-once-again-prove-tax-hikes-unnecessary-to-fix-budget/print/#comments_controls
Oh, my, 10:05P. What a detailed and persuasive remark about the President and his policies. You can do better than quote Heritage and the NYPost to support your statement. I suggest you do so. Otherwise, your remark is untoward, to say the least.
ReplyDelete