Sunday, April 14, 2013

Why Social Security & Medicare Are NOT in Crisis

I've borrowed this from the Mosquito Cloud blog (Please leave any comments that site):

Dean Baker and many other, more honest liberal economists, have been pointing out that SocSec is not currently suffering a crisis, and that since it doesn’t add a penny to the deficit it should never have become part of the deficit reduction hysteria. The same economists admit that Medicare does have funding problems, yet few have focused on the solutions. Perhaps the problems and solutions have more to do with framing the issues at hand. Into this framing breach steps Jack Rasmus and in plain spoken, non econo-jargonesque language, easily understandable by the least educated peon, presents a perspective and solutions which I feel are broadly populist, progressive, and could sway a vast swathe of  even “Hands off My Medicare” teapublicans to reassess their incongruous conceits.
Please, if you feel as I do, spread the link to this Vid and use Jack’s framing, arguments and stats to fight back.
Why Social Security & Medicare Are NOT in Crisis
Jack Rasmus [Union lawyer/economist] exposes the lies perpetrated by Politicians and Media about the financial state of Social Security and Medicare today. He offers alternative small tax changes that would instead lower the retirement age, increase retirement benefits, fully fund Medicare Part B and D, and create a surplus to pay for Medicare for All (Universal, Single Payer Health Care). He explains how neither of these programs, nor the country itself, are broke but that trillions of dollars are instead being hoarded by the rich and corporations, who are trying to make retirees pay for the economic crisis and deficits created by the wealthy.
Dr. Jack Rasmus Presentation to the Progressive Democrats of America, San Francisco, February 28, 2013 (36 min 13 sec) - SS, Medicare, and Fiscal Cliff realities and alternatives