Today, The Cycle’s Abby Huntsman showed her pathetic ignorance about the TRUTH about entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare. This note clears up that confusion…
I’ve been writing and saying for a long time that Social Security and Medicare have nothing to do with the deficit and debt. However, that’s not completely true. It’s half-true and I’m explaining why right now.
Over the past 2.5 years, I’ve written several posts and comments regarding the Fascist GOP talking point/propaganda about SS and Medicare adding to the deficit. Even Ronald Reagan famously said that they don’t have anything to do with the deficit and debt. But, then, he went out and did something that did make them a part of the deficit and debt: he “borrowed” $500 billion from the Social Security Trust Fund, from which SS and Medicare benefits are paid, to finance his deficit-spending. Reagan was the first of four US Presidents in a row that “raided” the SSTF to pay for deficit-spending. Sadly, President Clinton did, as well, but, he remains the only President to “pay it back” by raising the SS income tax “cap”.
The biggest offender in raiding the fund was Bush 43. In early 2003, with one war and one coming plus tax breaks already in effect, Bush 43 and his party knew that they had to be financed somehow. At that time, there was more than $6 trillion in the SSTF. So, Bush 43 and his party raided the SSTF for $2.75 TRILLION to finance all of that deficit spending. In order to avoid being charged with grand larceny, Bush 43 and his Fascist acolytes left “Treasury Bonds” as “I.O.U.’s”. To this day, those bonds are still drawing interest, which means that the SSTF is owed more than $3 TRILLION. It is that interest that’s adding to the deficit.
But, here’s how the statement at the top is half-true: we are not borrowing money to pay Social Security and Medicare benefits. That’s a pathetic Fascist GOP talking point and the GOP use it to justify their secret plan to abolish both programs, thereby leaving the money left over in the SSTF to be redistributed upwards to the wealthy and big corporate masters of the GOP in tax breaks.
So, yes, the SSTF is a CREDITOR of our national debt. But, there’s something you must realize: only about 15% of the current $17 trillion debt is owned by “foreign interests”, like China and foreign citizens, etc. Just 15%…the rest is “internal”, owned by other governmental agencies who had their funds raided and American citizens. But, what do the Fascist GOP propagandists say, “we’re borrowing money from China to pay our bills”. That may be true for other programs, but, as for Medicare and Social Security, they are not being financed by debt. The SSTF is a CREDITOR and still has enough money in it to pay full benefits through 2037 and 75% afterwards.
Allow me to repeat: WE ARE NOT BORROWING MONEY TO PAY SS AND MEDICARE BENEFITS!
I have to say, once again, how disappointed I am with Abby Huntsman… when GOP Con woman S.E. Cupp left MSNBC for CNN’s Crossfire reboot, it was my hope that Abby would bring a Progressive or Moderate GOP voice to The Cycle. But, instead of showing us that she’s actually informed about the truth of political matters, all we get from her is a parroting of Fascist GOP propaganda, talking points and BS.
SHAME ON YOU, ABBY! SHAME ON YOU, PHIL GRIFFIN! (MSNBC President)
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The Pardu
The Pardu
On March 15th, 2014, I published a piece with a focus on the Huntsman as a 27 year old daughter of a millionaire who was born to a billionaire and her comments of Food Stamp recipients.
I stand with Andrew Rei’s comments about MSNBC management’s decision to replace the “Unbrained” S.E. CUPP. Yet, the need to follow The Cycle business model with a woman conservative millennial (who happens to be perceived by some as “cute”) seems to pose MSNBC management a staffing challenge.
Ultimately and existentially, Andrew Rei and I are wasting our critique. If MSNBC continues to staff the Cycle based on its current business model, management will not find any young (supposedly cute) conservative who will posit any differently than Cupp and Huntsman. They are of a paradigm mindset along this line: “We are concerned with what we give you.”
It doesn’t matter that young Huntsman and young Cupp are of “ample” financial background. Huntsman is probably set for instant wealth upon the passing of certain family patriarchs. For anyone to believe any young conservative will offer intellectually based point-count-point is naive at best. Therefore, it seems we will continue to see The Cycle littered with mindless insensitive conservative opine from a young (supposedly cute) millennial.
To expect more from conservative America and young (supposedly cute) conservatives is simply “A Bridge Too Far.” MSNBC’s continues to employee young women who are pure nefelibata without the remote prospect of reaching a viable path across that bridge (too far).
It doesn’t matter that young Huntsman and young Cupp are of “ample” financial background. Huntsman is probably set for instant wealth upon the passing of certain family patriarchs. For anyone to believe any young conservative will offer intellectually based point-count-point is naive at best. Therefore, it seems we will continue to see The Cycle littered with mindless insensitive conservative opine from a young (supposedly cute) millennial.
To expect more from conservative America and young (supposedly cute) conservatives is simply “A Bridge Too Far.” MSNBC’s continues to employee young women who are pure nefelibata without the remote prospect of reaching a viable path across that bridge (too far).
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