“If any of the recommendations cut or diminish 
Social Security in any way, 
we will stand firmly against them.”

Dear Friend,

As PDA continues its work through summer 2010, we are pursuing an aggressive progressive agenda in support of economic and social justice and a call for the end to war funding. We have joined with our allies to fight for this nation’s social insurance safety net programs—Social Security and Medicare—in the face of cries by conservative groups and other non-progressive types to cut benefits and raise the retirement age as a mechanism to somehow put a dent in the federal deficit.

In July, Medicare celebrated its 45th anniversary, and in August 2010, Social Security turned 75. We joined a group of our single-payer, Medicare for all allies in contacting every Congressional office with information about the incredible success and viability of Medicare. Then we targeted our progressive friends in Congress and asked more of them. We asked for clear and public support for protecting and strengthening both Social Security and Medicare.

Continue reading Congressional Progressive Caucus Pledges to Defend Social Security →

Ryan Grim

ryan@huffingtonpost.com

Alan Simpson: Social Security Is ‘A Milk Cow With 310 Million Tits’

Alan Simpson believes that Social Security is “like a milk cow with 310 million tits,” according to an email he sent to the executive director of National Older Women’s League Tuesday morning. Simpson co-chairs the deficit commission, which is considering various proposals to cut Social Security benefits.

Simpson’s email, which OWL chief Ashley Carson released publicly, (PDF) was sent in response to an April blog post Carson wrote for the Huffington Post. Carson criticized Simpson for repeatedly describing his Social Security opponents as “Pink Panthers,” arguing that the description had sexist connotations.

His email is peppered with exclamation points and condescension. At one point he urged Carson to read a certain graph, “which I hope you are able to discern if you are any good at reading graphs.”

Simpson concludes by implying that leading a major organization dedicated to the interests of middle-aged and elderly women is not “honest work.”

Continue reading Friends of Jason Altmire: “Social Security is a Milk Cow with 310 Million Tits” →

A Way to Make Social Security Solvent for the Next 75 Years

By Sen. Bernie Sanders
August 22, 2010

Sign the Pledge: Hands Off Social Security!

Published by the United States Senate Website for Sen. Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator for Vermont.

See related: Letter to National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, from Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Peter DeFazio.

Social Security just turned 75, and all across the country, people and senior organizations are celebrating this enormous achievement. Before President Franklin Roosevelt signed the law on August 14, 1935, about half of the senior citizens in America lived in poverty. That began to change on January 31, 1940, when the first monthly retirement check, for $22.54, was issued to retired legal secretary Ida May Fuller of Ludlow, Vt.   <!– [more] –>

Today, more than 52 million Americans, including over 124,000 Vermonters, receive benefits. For three quarters of a century, Social Security has been a great success doing exactly what it was designed to do. During that entire period not one American who has been eligible for Social Security has failed to receive benefits they were entitled to receive. That’s a pretty good record. Today, Social Security not only provides retirement benefits to seniors, it provides support for the disabled and widows and orphans.

Continue reading Note to Jason Altmire: Let Wealthy Pay Social Security Tax instead of Cutting Our Benefits →

The Neoliberal Attack on Social Security

by Alan Nasser

Among Obama’s principal tasks right now are to reverse his dwindling popularity and to bolster the Democrats’ chances in the the upcoming fall elections. These are not unrelated objectives. He’s got to get people to perceive him as on their side with respect to things that matter, and matter big, to the electorate, and to credibly distinguish himself from the Republicans on these same issues. After all, the cardinal political objective of liberal Democrats is to keep Republicans out of office.

Rasmussen Reports reveals that Obama’s popularity has plunged in the last three months As of Sunday, 43 percent of the nation’s voters “Strongly Disapprove” of his performance as president. Obama’s weekly radio address on Saturday was an effort to endear himself to the gullible by showing that he defends their most fundamental interests against clear and present Republican danger. With titanic irony, he chose Social Security as the issue that makes the difference.
Continue reading Corporate Democrats Campaign against Privatization Now but Plan to Cut Social Security after the Election →

Bob Stewart (left), a member of Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees and Randy Shannon (right), Treasurer of the 4th CD’s Progressive Democrats of America, hold sign while others sign messages at Congressman Altmire’s Aliquippa office.  ‘We just want him to state in plain language that he will not vote for cutbacks to Social Security. So far, he has refused, and that’s the message we are writing on the sheets we a delivering here today.”

The next vigil to protest Altmire’s intention to cut social security will be on September 15th at noon, 2110 McLean St., Aliquippa.

By John Mulcahy

How to Deal with the Blue Dog

and Still Defeat the Republicans—

PDA Breakfast Meeting Discusses the 2010 Election

 by Carl Davidson

About 40 seasoned Progressive Democrat activists from the 4^th CD gathered on Aug. 7 at the Candlelight Lounge in Economy, PA for a two-hour breakfast discussion. The hot topic of the day was the District’s Blue Dog Congressman, Jason Altmire, and what to do about him in the upcoming election and beyond.

It was not an easy question. The people in the buffet line putting tasty scrambled eggs, sausage and home fries on their plates were a cross section of Beaver County’s best political fighters—steelworkers, trade union organizers, African-American community leaders, retirees, postal and construction workers, teachers, social workers and day care workers, and a few candidates and local elected officials. Almost all of them had worked very hard four years ago to replace the GOP’s right-winger, Melissa Hart with Jason Altmire in Congress. While there was little naiveté about politicians in this dining room, they had still expected more from Altmire, especially given the distressed condition of the working class and small business in the area.

Continue reading What to do about Blue Dog Cong. Altmire: PDA Holds Breakfast Discussion →

Attacking Social Security

By PAUL KRUGMAN

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/16/opinion/16krugman.html?_r=1&hp

Click twice to watch. You have to click a second time, ‘Watch on YouTube’, to start the Video



Public Opposes Cutting Social Security To Trim Deficit: New Poll

First Posted: 08-11-10 10:38 AM   |   Updated: 08-11-10 12:18 PM

Social Security turns 75 this week and remains an intensely popular program with voters of all ages, who strongly oppose cutting it to reduce the deficit, according to a new survey paid for by AARP and conducted by GfK Roper.

The poll, which was provided exclusively to HuffPost, finds that 85 percent of adults oppose cutting Social Security to reduce the deficit; 72 percent “strongly oppose” doing so.

Numbers like that simply don’t appear in surveys of almost any other national issue that is subject to debate.

Continue reading Cut Social Security? Public Says No! Cong. Altmire Says mumble mumble blah blah can’t say no. →