Social Security on the Chopping Block?

This morning I heard on NPR that President Obama is willing to put Social Security and Medicare on the block in budget/debt ceiling negotiations with Republicans. Of course he is. President Obama always gives away his bargaining chips before he gets any balancing concessions from the opposition.

Last January, in the wake of the Obama/McConnell tax bill, I expressed concern the bill's 2% cut in Social Security taxes (that ripped an estimated $120 billion from government revenues) would weaken the program's financial position and increase its vulnerability to those who would first weaken and ultimately abolish it.

According to NPR, additional Social Security tax reductions will be considered for economic stimulus. Let me get this straight - the Democrats are willing to further weaken Social Security in the name of stimulus at a time when any lowering of taxes is a bad, bad idea?

For months we have witnessed the disembowelment of progressive programs and the de-funding of  regulatory agencies that were created to keep us safe and protect our environment.

The "small" people (that's you and me if you have any doubt) are being sacrificed on the altar of debt reduction while the wealthy grow richer, corporations hoard reserves of trillions of dollars and jobs continue to fly off-shore.

"Great job, Brownie."

Humanity 35. Planet Earth 6.

As we enter the fourth quarter, Humanity has a comfortable lead over Planet Earth. It has exploited its opponent's resources, expanded its population globally and its highly industrialized society increases in power by the second. Planet Earth did score two field goals during the third quarter but has found no defense against Humanity's onslaught of touchdowns as forests were cut down, water sources contaminated and increased refuse from carbon-based fuels poured into the atmosphere.

A tidal wave here, an earthquake or volcano there, melting ice caps and rolling cycles of drought, famine and flooding were shrugged off by Planet's formidable opponent.

Planet Earth's offense did appear to be strengthening as the quarter ended, but Humanity not only held firm, it kicked the offense up a notch, accelerating species' extinction in a spectacular play of ocean contamination. It is now poised to wrench new sources of power from Planet Earth's resources of gas in shale beds with a renewed attack on the water resources. Huge swathes of the Gulf of Mexico are turning into a tar pit. Radioactive waste spews into the ocean off Japan. Environmentalists are murdered in the Amazon. Oceanic dead zones expand.

Oops - Planet just scored a third field goal as monster forest fires and record-breaking floods went global and even threatened to engulf nuclear power plants in the United States. Several more Pacific Islands disappeared under the water.

The game continues... .

"They paved Paradise and put up a parking lot," Joni Mitchell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlNZN94_u-s&NR=1

Budget Wars

Over the past 10 years, the United States has waged two long wars. These wars have been VERY expensive. Elected officials of the Republican Party have been strong advocates of these wars.

For most of those 10 years, appropriations to fight America's wars were kept "off budget," funded with "special" bills. Bills that passed with strong bi-partisan support. It was not until President Obama took office in 2009 that the cost of our wars was included in the budget.

During these wars, for the first time in our history, our government lowered taxes during wartime, putting the ENTIRE cost of our military adventures on credit cards held by major investors like China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the global financial industry, the Social Security Trust Fund.

The interest on the U. S. Government's credit cards was faithfully paid to debt holders like China, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the global financial industry. (To the Social Security Trust Fund? Not so much.) NO payments were made on the principal. Government debt increased by trillions of dollars.

After years of speerheading profligate spending, Republicans now insist on steep cuts in government spending to reduce the deficits they played the major role in creating. But they adamantly refuse to support any measures that would increase revenues. They also adamantly refuse to curtail military spending.

Are you with me, here? Republicans are refusing to raise revenues or decrease military spending and they insist America must live within its means. How, you ask, can this be done?

First, unofficially "restructure" government debt by "forgiving" the debt owed to the Social Security Trust Fund. Ignore it. Pretend it never happened. Categorize Social Security as an "unfunded" entitlement. Cut Social Security benefits to the bone, raise the retirement age and privatize its sister program, Medicare (effectively dismantling it).

Second, dismantle the regulatory agencies that were created to oversee the financial industry, protect our environment, the workplace, the food and drugs we consume. Entrust private industry with "self regulation" (an oxymoron).

Third, defund agencies that support and create infrastructure - public education, roads, bridges, railroads, power grids, water and sewage systems.

Fourth, "restructure" public pension systems and neutralize public unions to decrease public liability.

Fifth, privatize what were once government responsibilities - military logistical support, roads, water supplies, prisons.

This is not going to end well.

Stalemate on the Debt Ceiling

Neither side will budge. Neither side will compromise. Neither side will win. Ah, but who will lose?
Hard to say right now. Give it a few weeks.

Will the banks close? Money dry up and disappear?

Will government employees find themselves out of work and out of money? Will soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan be logistically abandoned?

Will the battered remains of our 401k's, pensions and investments join the trash heap that took such a chunk of them in 2008? Will the trucks and trains that cross the country bringing us the very food we eat stop running?

Will the western wildfires wage un-fought? Will criminals take over our streets as furloughed policemen stay home?

Will oil producers stop sending oil to the U. S.?

How the hell should I know? Or Congress either for that matter?

The Virus - a SciFi Short

The returning explorer grimly submitted his report.

"I regret to inform the Alliance the virus has been located in another star system."

"How can this be?" the director asked. "I thought we had finally contained it in the Pollux Sector?"

"Our specialists think its DNA was disbursed when the Medusa Sector was destroyed, before we changed our policy from solar system destruction to containment, sir."

But that was eons ago." his superior protested.

"True, Sir. But this particular virus has proved to be endlessly adaptable to new worlds and stubbornly persistent to the evolutionary cycle."

"Continue," the director sighed.

"It is currently destroying the third planet in a nine planet system. It has already turned one planet into a greenhouse poisonscape and another into a red furnace. Our best estimates conclude it will finish off this "blue planet" in less than a millennium, although that may be optimistic."

"How far advanced is it in projecting itself out of this solar system?"

"It already has the capability. So far none of its projectiles appear to contain the virus itself."

"Implement quarantine procedure," the director ordered. "Will this struggle never end?"

"What is the current manifestation of the abomination?" he asked.

"Its most dangerous variation," the explorer responded. "Humanoid."

New York State Passes Marriage Equality

Moments ago the New York State Senate passed the Marriage Equality Bill 33-29. Tonight I am PROUD to be a New Yorker. And very, very grateful to my own State Senator Stephen Saland for his courageous vote.

Badgering by Marriage Equality Oponent PAC Unabated

The National Organization for Marriage continues its barrage of phony survey calls - an average of 3 or 4 a day. This mean-spirited organization - headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey and supported by prominent clergy of the Catholic Church - are trying to thwart the wishes of the New York State electorate with their campaign against the Marriage Equality Act.

http://www.nationformarriage.org/site/c.omL2KeN0LzH/b.3836955/k.BEC6/Home.htm As is seen in this link to their website, they are targeting New York State Republican Senators in a vicious campaign of intimidation and propaganda.

The repeated robo calls end with their address - 20 Nassau Street, Suite 242, Princeton, NJ 08542 and their phone number - 609-688-0450. Attempts to call that number have yet to meet with anything but a busy signal, which I desperately HOPE means their lines are being tied up by folks as angry with their campaign as I am..

It is past time to remind the religious right in this country that the United States was not founded as a theocracy but with a First Amendment that was a response to the failed example of European theocracy. They are welcome to their religious views until the moment when they attempt to enforce those views on non-believers..

I plead with the targeted NYS Senators to stand up for their constituents and ignore the intimidation and scare tactics of this despicable group.