Office of Budget and Management Director Mick Mulvaney said Sunday [on Face the Nation] that President Donald Trump’s budget is cutting costs in the administration ...
As for entitlements, Mulvaney said Mr. Trump’s budget is consistent with his promise not to take away anyone’s Social Security or Medicare -- and drew attention to programs such as Social Security Disability Insurance as potential areas that could be cut.
“Let me ask you a question, do you really think that Social Security Disability Insurance is part of what people think of when they think of Social Security?” he asked. “I don’t think so. It’s the fastest-growing program, it grew tremendously under President Obama, it’s a very wasteful program and we want to try and fix that.”Mulvaney may not think that Disability Insurance Benefits is part of Social Security but history suggests that most Americans do. Any Congressman who votes to cut Social Security disability is going to face political ads accusing them of cutting Social Security. And, no, cuts in Social Security disability won't be bipartisan.
Mulvaney also said that as a way of saving money OMB is not providing business cards to its employees. They have to pay for them personally, if they want them. Is this going to end up with all public employees treated like teachers who have to buy their own supplies?
Mulvaney manager of budget
ReplyDeleteWas deep in the Koch Brothers' pockets
Kick the poor when they're down
They said with a frown
and he did, what an excellent puppet!
Spoke with an attorney today who had to step in and save a close relative from the Reagan witch hunt in the eighties. The relative was a Vietnam vet with a traumatic brain injury from his military service. Did not go well for the slashers on that particular occasion but the guy had to suffer through having his benefits shut off. These guys despise anyone who is not wealthy and powerful. Drain the swamp apparently means screwing over the average American citizens as much as possible. This is only about money to them. Fairness plays no role whatsoever. How much will emergency room visits and private prison cost for the survivors. I believe in Brazil they have the life expectancy so trimmed back that few live to collect from the retirement system. Don't see the life expectancy of those white high school educated and drop outs going up anytime soon under this environment. Hope this is what they bargained for in making America great again. Looks like one of the great bait and switch operations in American political history.
ReplyDeleteSince when did caring for the poor and disabled become a 'waste'? What is remotely christian about this administration? They sound more like they're living by the Communist Manifesto than the Bible.
ReplyDelete@6:09
ReplyDeleteI am hoping he meant waste as in administrative waste. I'm also not sure the Communist Manifesto directed the elimination of government programs, quite the opposite.
But I agree that the suggestion that it is a waste to assist the disabled is horrifying.
Face the Nation is available as an audio download, and I recommend listening to the Mulvaney interview. The question had to do with "entitlement reform" and Mulvaney brought up disability completely on his own, and it was almost a throwaway line. He sure sounded like he wanted to reform the disability program in some substantive way, not merely reduce administrative costs. Very disturbing.
ReplyDeleteAs a South Carolinian, who's seen this POS in action for several years, all I can say is... Be afraid. Be very afraid.
ReplyDeleteHe speaks like someone who thinks he's aware and connected, that sure he's tied into what "the people" think when you say "Social Security", but he's smarter than that. What he is doing is moving the goalposts, setting up a space where he can cut and still allege to be keeping to his masters plans. What? someones benefits were cut? But disability isn't Social Security, everyone knows that....
ReplyDeleteMaybe mulvaney will get sick and see what it is like not to be able to work and he will be the first one to cry for disability
ReplyDeleteMulvaney is an ableist evil fascist that hates people with disabilities. He insulted not only people on SSDI but also people getting meals on wheels using the burden on tax payer rhetoric. Mulvaney and others like him need to be fought back against and stopped. I myself get SSDI and i also work part time as well to supplement the SSDI. I get it for autism and learning disabilities. Mulvaney insulted millions of disabled people I being one of them and should be forced to apologize to the millions he insulted.
ReplyDeleteMulvaney probably thinks we should go back to the days when most disabled people were confined to state institutions and hospitals. Mulvaney and his kind are fascists as mentioned in my first comment. I pray that somebody will stop him and his kind.
ReplyDeleteMulvaney's role is to set budgets. So he can't substantially reform SSD outside of budget priorities. Not sure why he would have thrown that line out there.
ReplyDeleteMeals on Wheels and school lunches slashed, but by all means I think OMB should have business cards. Priorities, if you please.
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Nobody is forcing public employees to be public employees and every damn last one of them has the right to try and get the same pay on the general economy outside of government service. Let them see if they get the same benefits, vacation and holidays, healthcare and retirement options. Slash the pay by 30%. Somebody will take the job.
ReplyDeleteOf course, his statement that disability is "the fastest growing program" is complete and utter nonsense. The disability rolls are going down at the same time that, with boomers reaching retirement age, the retirement program is growing.
ReplyDeleteAnd notice the sneaky, "it grew tremendously under Obama" as if the Obama administration somehow liberalized eligibility criteria. As is by now well known by anyone who's rationally looked at it, the increase in rolls had to do with the aging of the workforce, especially women, and Bush's recession.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteNobody is forcing public employees to be public employees and every damn last one of them has the right to try and get the same pay on the general economy outside of government service. Let them see if they get the same benefits, vacation and holidays, healthcare and retirement options. Slash the pay by 30%. Somebody will take the job.
_____________________________
ok whatever any of that has to do with cutting disability payments....and please do feel free to slash your own salary by 30% and donate it to charity but I'm sure like Trump's promise about donating his salary to charity it won't happen.
Of course it wont happen you nit. It has as much to do with disability as the last paragraph of the original post. BTW Trump won! And there isn't a damn thing you can do about it. Hahhahahahahaha!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHohohoho! Hahahahaha! BBBWWWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Not one single thing! Snort
ReplyDeleteThe Communist Manifesto states: "He who does not work, neither shall he eat."
ReplyDeleteThe disability program is not wasteful. It is very difficult to get on disability and Judges diary cases for review when there is a possibility that the claimant will improve with treatment.
I love how conservatives do not say, "hey, let's try and get private employers to go back to how it used to be and actually offer decent benefits!", but rather, "hey, let's drag public employees down to our crappy sweatshop conditions!"
ReplyDeleteEVERYONE should have employment benefits comparable to what feds get, and many used to. Even back when corporations actually paid income tax and the wealthy did, too (highest federal income tax rates were well above 50% for the vast majority of our post-WW2 boom, let's not forget!), they somehow were able to give their employees good benefits.
Yall idiots fall for the "well, it's a new world, corps just can't afford to do that anymore" even when these big corps pay tons of dividends to shareholders, sit on huge reserves of overseas cash to avoid paying some of it in taxation, and pay their top executives obscene comp. Yep, richest economy in the world but we can't possibly expect our poor, poor corporate overlords to do better than 5% 401(k) matching. Dolts.
Is that why so many states cant afford their pension plans! Who is the dolt?
ReplyDeleteUs people with disabilities i feel should take a stand against Mulvanys comments against disabled. We all need to get in contact with him telling him to leave meals on wheels and SSDI alone. Lets not be afraid and worried. Instead of fear lets stand up to Mulvany and fight back against him and his hate.
ReplyDeleteThe disabled community has never been able to put up a long lasting front against change and pressure. Unlike the aging, the disabled end up fracturing along condition lines on who is more disabled than who and in the end are unable to provide a consistent unified front. With limited income, limited ability to put up a front and inability to make sustained efforts the disabled get trampled.
ReplyDeleteIn spite of limited income and limited ability there are plenty of people with mental illnesses autism and LD issues that are physically able bodied enough i feel that can take a stand and fight back with the help of advocates if necessary. Of the physically disabled ones with the help of caretakers, they could also take a stand. As far as limited income is concerned there are plenty of non disabled people on low incomes who have stood up against racism homophobia trumps anti immigration stance and the trump presidency itself. With all said here i feel it is time that we should all put our fears aside and fight back against mulvaney resist his budget and all the evil this monster stands for. Racism homophobia xenophobia and sexism is not tolerated by majority of this country. Neither should mulvaneys comments against disabled be tolerated either nor should we tolerate his cuts to ssdi meals on wheels and so on.
DeleteStates can't afford their pension plans because: 1) the stock market, which those funds are heavily invested in, is a casino where only rich elites consistently win--many funds got creamed a few years back (remember the crash?) 2) they have cut their own taxes like the federal government has cut its taxes.
ReplyDeleteWe have enough wealth and income in this country to do many great things and take care of everyone, but instead we'd rather keep the conditions that allow us to mint a few more billionaires each year at the expense of literally everyone and everything else.
The stock market has recovered as well as any reasonably managed accounts, even poorly managed accounts are back to or above pre crash value. Fact. Cutting taxes does not make up for the overly generous pension state workers have had far beyond any pension in the open markets. They should have 401k with 2% or 3% matching like the open market.
ReplyDeleteThe country has NEVER EVER EVER taken care of the poor, sick, aging, or disabled. Why the fairytale now? It is a harsh and cruel world. Cross your fingers it doesn't happen to you and keep your head down. Sorry puddin' that's the way it is here. Don't like it leave.
12:16 - You are a sad, sad person that apparently gets pleasure in seeing sadness in others. Hopefully you will find some happiness and compassion in this life. Perhaps you will even wish for the condition of you fellow human beings to improve, rather than wishing them ill will. Or in the very least you will focus on whatever has caused such pain and hurt in your own life rather than wishing pain and hurt on others. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteYou know nothing of me or what I do, but yet you judge. Must be nice up there on your unicorn.
ReplyDelete1:47
ReplyDeleteI've found in my 30+ years of life that people who talk like 12:16 always--ALWAYS--fancy themselves as some sort of Galtian hero, a strong, clever man who does well because of all his unique talents, when in reality they are always marginally intelligent white men who benefitted from white and various other privilege throughout their lives.
Sometimes I wish we had a purely libertarian hellscape just to see these soft, doughy, mediocre-in-every-way privileged dudes find out, just before they take their last breath, that they aren't really the kings of the jungle. That they were just born on second or third base under our current, unfair system and could NEVER survive--let alone thrive--in the dog-eat-dog world they fantasize about bringing upon us.
I find that old people think they know stuff. It is seldom true, and always as outdated as phrasing of that last paragraph!
ReplyDeleteAnon 12:16. So taking care of the poor and disabled is wrong?
ReplyDeleteNone said it was wrong, you interpreted it as being said, because that is what you want the post to be. What the post said was: "NEVER EVER EVER taken care of the poor, sick, aging, or disabled." Like it or not, that is a fact. It does not say taking care of the poor and disabled is wrong. It clearly points out we have never as a nation done it. Every attempt to deal with those folks has been met with pushback, the biggest fear people have is that someone is getting something they are not getting. The veneer of civilization is thin, very thin, and we still have a lot of our old tribal and animal instincts in us. I view the human as an animal. I think Lord of the Flies is far closer to the human condition than Utopia.
ReplyDeleteI see no change for the better in the immediate future. I do not see change in this sentiment in my lifetime. People are greedy. I don't think that has changed just because we have blue jeans and wifi, it was the same when we were fighting each other for left over kills on the savannahs. You may view the human as divine, rising above itself with thought, morals, compassion and intelligence. But lock that animal in with a few others and add some stress, and its instant Donner Party.
Is it worthy to help the poor, aging and disabled? Certainly. Is it possible to mandate morality at a federal leverl? I think not. Charity begins at home, as does compassion and care. When we take care of our own before ourselves we may be able to reach the lofty goals you seek. But we are not there yet. We expect someone else to tend to Mom, to the guy with the sign standing at the intersection. We expect the state to pick up the cost of long term senior care so we are not burdened taking care of Grandma.
So pass your judgement as you may, it is not for me to say who is wrong and who is right. But I know what I see with my eyes, what I hear with my ears.
Charles, this particular blog entry needs to be refreshed given this week's events.
ReplyDeletewith cautious optimism, I think it's safe to say any cuts to a social program such as social security is going to be dead on arrival. especially with this past week's disaster that erased the right's political capital...I don't think they can handle more protests and town hall meetings.
we'll see if anything changes once this Russia investigation comes to a head.
so again, cautiously optimistic.
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ReplyDelete