Thursday, August 4, 2011

Cantor's Buried Tales

Steve Benen makes this nice little find as GOP House majority leader Eric Cantor all but promises that the Republican goal is to end Social Security and Medicare for my generation.

“What we have to be, I think, focused on is truth in budgeting here,” Cantor told The Wall Street Journal’s Opinion Journal. He said “the better way” for Americans is to “get the fiscal house in order” and “come to grips with the fact that promises have been made that frankly are not going to be kept for many.”

Wow.  Came right out and said it, that the promise won't be kept.  The GOP plan to end Medicare and replace it with a privatization scheme is still the Republican party's top legislative priority...that and cutting taxes for the rich.

"When we came out with our budget, we said, look, let's at least put people on notice, but preserve those who are 55 and older," Cantor said, referring to a Republican-written budget plan that would turn Medicare, now a fee-for-service program, into a program that subsidizes private health insurance. "The rest of us have got ample time to try and plan our lives so that we can adjust to reality here when you look at the numbers. Again the math doesn't lie."

So the Baby Boomers get Medicare.  Anyone younger than 55?  Forget it.  Sure hope you've been investing in your company's 401(k) for a while.  Oh wait, 29% of Americans don't have any money saved up, but they pay Social Security and Medicare taxes still.  Too bad Republicans want to take that away for good.  And those of us who do have an account?  Over a third of US businesses have stopped matching contributions to 401(k) plans.  As it is right now, some 25% of Boomers have no retirement savings.  At all.

Here's the reality, folks. Republicans want to eliminate these programs and leave tens of millions of us unable to retire.  It's difficult to save up for your retirement when you owe $120,000 in student loans and have a mortgage/rent and other bills to pay for.  And hey, those of us who are left will get to see their benefits rise and fall on the stock market.  How much damage has your 401(k) taken in the last two weeks?

Republicans want to take the money and run and leave anyone under 40 left holding the bag.  Cantor's come right out and said it.  Still think staying home in 2012 is a good idea to "show the Democrats" a thing or two about "not defending" programs like Medicare and SS?

What do you think is going to happen when as a result the Republicans get in control?

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