Holy Flashback Batman!

[Bullypulpit]

<center><h1><font color=purple>Holy flashback Batman...!</font></h1></center>

Shades of Campaign '04! Never ones to retire old tricks, Dubbyuh's handlers have stacked the audiences at Dubbyuh's appearances on the stump for his "plan" to "save" social security with party loyalists. No dissenting voices are allowed. Just like the good ole days out on the campaign trail, where never is heard a dissenting word.

But the election is over, and yes, the chuckle-head won. And no, he <b>DOESN'T</b> have a mandate, no matter how much he wishes otherwise. His own party is beginning to feed on its own as the whole issue of social security rears its head. And, his ratings in the polls are sinking like the Titanic.

Before Dubbyuh decided to create a crisis in social security, the Social Security commission reported that it would be solvent until 2042, at which point, it would begin paying out more than it took in. But the reality of the matter is that in 14 of the last 47 years Social Security has paid out more than it took in, so this dire warning is essentially meaningless. If, as the Administration talking points imply or state outright that Social Security trust funds have no real assets, then the treasury bonds held all over the world aren't real assets either, and not worth the paper they are printed on. That's a real confidence builder for the folks overseas that are holding US debt.

As Dubbyuh told the <i>Wall Street Journal</i>, the real debate on the issue will be one of whether there is actually a problem or not. Of course, Dubbyuh would have alot more credibility if he hadn't been beating this horse since 1978, when he first ran for Congress. In '78, he said the Social Security was going to be "...flat bust..." by 1988. The only thing that went "flat bust" in Dubbyuh's little world was Arbusto Energy.

So, Dubbyuh fields softball questions from slavishly adoring crowds, safe in his bubble. Unsullied by the real world, our very own American Nero fiddles on.

Holy shit Batman!

 

[Annie]

Gee bully, my take was that they were targeting RED states, with at least one blue senator or representative required. Thus hitting a 'believer' state with dissent allowed. Would you be more comfortable if the were talking only to their believers?

 

[Avatar4321]

Of course Bully has a hard time with what the President is doing. He knows the President will be effective. The President is taking his plan directly to the people. Since Bully has utter contempt for the will of the people and thinks they need to be governed by some leftist elitist rather than allow them to make their own choices, he of course does not want the people to actually have a voice in the matter.

 

[MtnBiker]

Before Dubbyuh decided to create a crisis in social security,

Did any former president believe that social security needed to be addressed and was in danger of not surviving? A former president say Clinton?

 

[MtnBiker]

Did any former president believe that social security needed to be addressed and was in danger of not surviving? A former president say Clinton?

Holly Bully Caped Crusader! are you going to answer my question?

 

[no1tovote4]

This is going to be fun.

"We have a great opportunity now to take action now to avert a crisis in the Social Security system. By 2030, there will be twice as many elderly as there are today, with only two people working for every person drawing Social Security. After 2032, contributions from payroll taxes will only cover 75 cents on the dollar of current benefits. So we must act, and act now, to save Social Security."

George W. Bush? No, William Clinton: February 1998.

It was just one of the quotes that Clinton used when attempting his fix of SS in 1998.

http://magic-city-news.com/article_2978.shtml

 

[MtnBiker]

It was just one of the quotes that Clinton used when attempting his fix of SS in 1998.

Amazing how memories are affected when partisan politics preveil.

 

[Merlin1047]

It must REALLY suck to be a lib!

 

[Bullypulpit]

Did any former president believe that social security needed to be addressed and was in danger of not surviving? A former president say Clinton?

Clinton proposed private accounts in addtition to, not supplanting entirely, the Social Security system. And, as I mentioned before, Dubbyuh;s been beating this horse since 1978.

 

[Bullypulpit]

Of course Bully has a hard time with what the President is doing. He knows the President will be effective. The President is taking his plan directly to the people. Since Bully has utter contempt for the will of the people and thinks they need to be governed by some leftist elitist rather than allow them to make their own choices, he of course does not want the people to actually have a voice in the matter.

That's right old son, you just keep those rose-colored shades on, take your meds and lay your little noggin back and think happy thoughts.

 

[Bullypulpit]

Amazing how memories are affected when partisan politics preveil.

Social Security has been a political target since Eisenhower's administration. It ain't nothin' new.

 

[fuzzykitten99]

Social Security has been a political target since Eisenhower's administration. It ain't nothin' new.

when libbies keep whining about it, but never providing a SOLUTION!

you are quick to criticize and judge, even when YOUR guy said the same thing years ago, but did nothing...then you don't provide anything better. Taking the control from government and putting it right into the recipient's hands, is somehow fightening to liberals.

Don't you ever ger tired of hearing your own bullshit?

 

[MtnBiker]

Social Security has been a political target since Eisenhower's administration. It ain't nothin' new.

Before Dubbyuh decided to create a crisis in social security

Your statement that Bubbyuh decided to create a crisis, is a fallacy then.

 

[Avatar4321]

That's right old son, you just keep those rose-colored shades on, take your meds and lay your little noggin back and think happy thoughts.

Your utter disdain for our Representative government and the role of the people in self government is disgusting. i cant imagine what it must be like hating that idea that people are free to control their own money.

 

[Gem]

Bully,

Why, when Bill and Hillary Clinton were screeching about the looming crisis of Social Security were all Democrats following lockstep? Why when Al Gore ranted about the pending collapse of the Social Security system were you all nodding like good little sheep?

Why now that a Republican President has said, "I agree with Clinton and Gore...its broken and needs to be fixed." are you and others in the Democratic band wagon, Pelosi, Kennedy, Reid...screaming that Bush "made up" this crisis?

Presidents have been discussing the Social Security system for years. FDR himself wanted to privatize sections of Social Security because he saw future problems with the system...stop whining about the fact that Bush actually looks like he might DO SOMETHING about the problem, unlike past presidents who just pissed and moaned about it, and offer productive reasons why his offerred ideas won't work.

 

[Bullypulpit]

Your utter disdain for our Representative government and the role of the people in self government is disgusting. i cant imagine what it must be like hating that idea that people are free to control their own money.

Once more, old son you can't address the issue, so you try to take attention away from it. Tch...Tch...Tch.

Chris Farrell, economics editor for NPR's <a href=http://soundmoney.publicradio.org/display/web/2005/02/05/straight_story_state_of_the_union/><i>Sound Money</i></a> peeled away some of the rhetoric surrounding Dubbyuh's 'plan' to 'save' social security.

By and large, most economists agree that while socia; security suffers from funding problems, those problems do not constitute the crisis. Even the <a href=http://www.cbpp.org/6-14-04bud.htm>Congressional Budget Office's and the Social Security Trustee's</a> worst case scenarios don't anticipate the fund as being unable to pay full benefits until 2042 at the earliest. Yes, funding issues for social security need to be addressed, but social security does not need to be dismantled as it would be under Dubbyuh's plan.

The social security crisis is nothing more than another red cape to be waved in front of the electorate in order to distract it from the real failings of Dubbyuh's administration...Continued violence in Iraq...a stagnant economy...A failing healthcare system. There is no "crisis" in social security save the one he and his handlers have fabricated to serve their own political ends. We can only hope that, this time, the bull will not be distracted from its target, and the matador will fall.

 

[dilloduck]

Once more, old son you can't address the issue, so you try to take attention away from it. Tch...Tch...Tch.

Chris Farrell, economics editor for NPR's <a href=http://soundmoney.publicradio.org/display/web/2005/02/05/straight_story_state_of_the_union/><i>Sound Money</i></a> peeled away some of the rhetoric surrounding Dubbyuh's 'plan' to 'save' social security.

By and large, most economists agree that while socia; security suffers from funding problems, those problems do not constitute the crisis. Even the <a href=http://www.cbpp.org/6-14-04bud.htm>Congressional Budget Office's and the Social Security Trustee's</a> worst case scenarios don't anticipate the fund as being unable to pay full benefits until 2042 at the earliest. Yes, funding issues for social security need to be addressed, but social security does not need to be dismantled as it would be under Dubbyuh's plan.

The social security crisis is nothing more than another red cape to be waved in front of the electorate in order to distract it from the real failings of Dubbyuh's administration...Continued violence in Iraq...a stagnant economy...A failing healthcare system. There is no "crisis" in social security save the one he and his handlers have fabricated to serve their own political ends. We can only hope that, this time, the bull will not be distracted from its target, and the matador will fall.

Interesting---all the democrats suggested that we save social security instead of giving people tax breaks. Did it have a miraculous turn-around or are Bushs' economic policies helping it stay afloat longer ?

 

[Bullypulpit]

Interesting---all the democrats suggested that we save social security instead of giving people tax breaks. Did it have a miraculous turn-around or are Bushs' economic policies helping it stay afloat longer ?

<blockquote><center><h2><a href=http://www.cbpp.org/1-28-04bud.htm>Tax Cuts Are The Single Largest Way Policymakers Have Increased Deficits</a></h2></center>

In January 2001, CBO projections showed surpluses over the ten-year period from 2002 through 2011 totaling $5 trillion. (This figure has been adjusted down from the official $5.6 trillion CBO 2001 estimate to include likely or inevitable costs that were left out at that time, thereby making the 2001 projection comparable methodologically to our current projections; see box on page 6.) Our current estimate of this same ten-year period shows cumulative deficits of $4.3 trillion, for a total deterioration of $9.3 trillion over the ten-year period 2002 to 2011. (This $4.3 trillion figure differs from the $5.2 trillion cumulative deficit cited above, because the latter figure covers the years 2005-2014.)

What caused a projected surplus of $5 trillion to become a projected deficit of $4.3 trillion? Approximately 35 percent of this stunning $9.3 trillion deterioration is due to the tax cuts enacted over the past three years or assumed in this analysis, making tax cuts the single largest factor attributable to policymakers’ actions. Another 28 percent of the deterioration is due to spending legislation, with more than two-thirds of the growth in spending representing increased costs for defense, homeland security, and the war on terrorism (and only one-twenty-fifth of the new spending representing increased costs for domestic discretionary programs outside homeland security). The remainder of the deterioration stems from the view CBO now holds that the economic and technical underpinnings of its 2001 projection were too rosy.</blockquote>

What were you saying about Dubbyuh's "tax-breaks" helping the economy?

 

[dilloduck]

and so how did this reduce the importance of fixing social security ?

 

[5stringJeff]

The reason the Left hates Bush's SS plan is the same reason the Left hates Bush's religion: it's real.

Remember all the hoopla last year about how Kerry was a Catholic, and had great Catholic values? All the Left swooned over Kerry's religion, while simultaneously blasting Bush's faith as being insincere.

It's the same thing here. Clinton talked about doing "something" about SS, and Democrats loved it, since they knew that nothing would really get done. Bush does more than talk about SS; he wants to actually get a bill passed that will reform it. That is why liberals are so up in arms about it. Bush is going to make SS a fiscally sound program once again, and will get credit for such. This is what the Left hates, and this is why the Left's new talking point is "There is no Social Security crisis."