Social Security News 6-20-12

 

 

**SSSC/SSW’s mention

 

AmericaBLOG (DC)

Five Questions: Alex Lawson of Strengthen Social Security at Netroots Nation 2012

06-19-12

Gaius Publius

Another Five Questions interview from Netroots Nation 2012, this time with the tireless Alex Lawson ofStrengthen Social Security. (As the banner says "Strengthen Social Security ... don't cut it." You're going to like the way he thinks.)

http://www.americablog.com/2012/06/five-questions-alex-lawson-of.html

 

Reuters (NAT)

5 Things to Consider Before Cutting Pension Benefits

06-20-12

Mark Miller

Thirty percent of state and municipal workers work for states that have not opted into Social Security. That means pensions are their only source of guaranteed lifetime income in retirement. Social Security comes with automatic cost-of-living adjustments to protect retirees from inflation - a feature that is on the chopping block under many public sector reform plans.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/06/20/column-miller-idINL1E8HJD5A20120620

 

CNN.com (NAT)

Cafferty: How high should retirement age be?

06-19-12

Jack Cafferty

Problem is, governments pay a portion of people's retirement in the form of things like Social Security - and the longer we live, the more it costs to fund our retirement.  Social Security is already in deep trouble.

http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/14/how-high-should-retirement-age-be/?iref=allsearch

 

Palm Beach Post (FL)

Look online, not in mail, for Social Security statement

06-20-12

Paul Greene

“Hey, Social Security man,” someone I’d never seen before hailed me. “How come I haven’t received my yearly Social Security statement in the mail? I used to get one in the mail every year!”  “You used to, yes, but now, we are encouraging people to use on our online version. It’s a cost-effective way to get your Social Security statement.”

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/business/look-online-not-in-mail-for-annual-social-security/nPTTC/

 

WTRF TV (PA)

House panel OKs immigrant-verification bill

06-20-12

A bill to require contractors on public construction projects in Pennsylvania to verify the Social Security numbers of their employees is on its way to the House floor.  The bill, aimed at keeping illegal immigrants out of such projects, was unanimously endorsed Wednesday by the House Labor and Industry Committee. A similar bill was considered two years ago, but went nowhere.

www.wtrf.com/story/18835323/house-panel-oks-immigrant-verification-bill

 

Daily Beast (NAT)

This is why you’re broke

06-20-12

Karen Bleier

Republicans were a very different story. Unsurprisingly, many fewer Republicans supported tax increases on the wealthy (27.1%) and cuts in military spending (15.5%). Yet when denied the "don't know" exit, Republicans were scarcely more accepting of cuts to Medicare or Social Security than Democrats, only 13.5% and 15.% approving, respectively.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/06/20/this-is-why-you-re-broke.html

 

Huffington Post(NAT)

Gen X and Social Security: Will We Choose to be Cynical or Practical?

06-20-12

Kristin Maschka

Ah, Gen X, we are easy targets for propaganda that we can't count on Social Security to be there for us. We've learned the hard way we can't count on any institution to be there for us.  But that is dangerous thinking. Social Security will be more important to our well-being than perhaps any generation since the Great Depression, and we can play a critical role in keeping it strong.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristin-maschka/gen-x-and-social-security_b_1604020.html

 

Forbes.com (NAT)

Sacrificing for Our Children

06-20-12

Gary Shapiro

We can take immediate steps now to radically improve things down the road. For example, raise the retirement age for Social Security, tighten standards for Social Security Disability Insurance, and cut mail service to five days. More, letting the Bush tax cuts expire would be a modest act of patriotism by all of us that have not served in uniform.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/garyshapiro/2012/06/20/sacrificing-for-our-children/

 

Buzz Feed (NAT)

Senate Candidate Claims She Never Backed Social Security Privatization

06-20-12

Zeke Miller

Former Congresswoman Heather Wilson says she's never supported privatizing Social Security, but her record indicates an openness to doing just that.  In a Facebook post Monday, the New Mexico Senate candidate wrote that she's always opposed efforts to privatize the public insurance program.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/senate-candidate-claims-she-never-backed-social-se

 

The New Civil Rights Movement (NAT)

Ron Paul: I’m On Social Security But ‘I Want Young People To Opt Out’

06-20-12

David Badash

Congressman Ron Paul today on “Morning Joe” said his “program is the most humanitarian,” and he wants “young people to opt out of Social Security” but admitted that he is actually on Social Security. The libertarian GOP presidential candidate from the state of Texas spent several minutes claiming that “free markets” and “sound money” equal freedom and are best for all Americans, and derided social programs like Medicare and Social Security.

http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/ron-paul-im-on-social-security-but-i-want-young-people-to-opt-out/politics/2012/06/20/41843

Also in: Mediate (OR) http://www.mediaite.com/tv/on-morning-joe-sam-stein-grills-ron-paul-about-why-he-collects-social-security/

 

The News Herald (FL)

Letter: There’s money in America, Just not for us

06-19-12

My fellow Americans, our government gives away more money internationally than you and or I will ever want to know about, all the while telling us that we have no money for our children’s schools. We close state, local and national parks. Our infrastructure rots and we neglect our old people, who get nothing in interest from their money in the bank (that we scrimped and saved for our old age) because interest rates are kept artificially low in our supposed “free market” system. We raise the retirement age and contemplate raising the Medicare age. What about the retirement and health care plans of our esteemed representatives? You might want to check on that.

http://www.newsherald.com/articles/once-103552-government-war.html#ixzz1yLrP8PLs

 

Also: The News Herald (FL) Letter: So much for fairness

http://www.newsherald.com/articles/programs-103553-working-government.html

 

Nevada Appeal (NV)

Op-Ed: Move retirement age to as high as 80? No!

06-20-12

Janice Ayres

There are some groups starting to surface advocating that Congress should move the retirement age to 70 or even 80. The leaders are the American International Group, whose CEO, Robert Benmosche, has stated retirement ages will have to rise because of the debt crisis.  Well, wait a minute.  Since the average age of life's end was around 78 in 2007, wouldn't that mean thousands of people would die before ever drawing a cent of what they paid into Social Security all their lives?

http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20120620/NEWS/120629999/1029&parentprofile=1061

 

Public News Service (KY)

KY Voices On the Hill for Medicare, Social Security

Tom Joseph

06-20-12

apitol Hill this week is getting a Kentucky perspective on alternatives for dealing with the future of Medicare and Social Security.

http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/27048-1

 

PublicCEO.com (CA)

Retired Sacramento Employee to Attend White House Summit on Social Security and Medicare

Staff

06-20-12

The summit, sponsored by the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, provides senior community leaders from throughout the nation the opportunity to share with White House staff their personal experiences and views of the Affordable Care Act, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. The summit will include a policy briefing and panel discussions on these vital federal programs which touch the lives of virtually every American family.

http://www.publicceo.com/2012/06/retired-sacramento-employee-to-attend-white-house-summit-on-social-security-and-medicare/

 

San Francisco Chronicle (CA)

What if Social Security Disability Runs Out?

Tim Parker

06-20-12

How well do you understand Social Security? If you're a baby boomer close to retirement age, you might have more knowledge than most. If you're not, the only thing you may know about Social Security is all of the talk that the fund may be bankrupt before Generation Y retires. Whether that's true or not is a topic of debate, but there's more to social security than the retirement program.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/06/19/investopedia83814.DTL#ixzz1yLvCH5Ou

 

San Francisco Chronicle (CA)

What if Social Security Disability Runs Out?

Tim Parker

06-20-12

How well do you understand Social Security? If you're a baby boomer close to retirement age, you might have more knowledge than most. If you're not, the only thing you may know about Social Security is all of the talk that the fund may be bankrupt before Generation Y retires. Whether that's true or not is a topic of debate, but there's more to social security than the retirement program.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/06/19/investopedia83814.DTL#ixzz1yLvCH5Ou

 

Yuma Sun (AZ)

America needs more socialism

Letter

06-20-12

I notice these days that many people complain about socialism. They say socialism is un-American and that Barack Obama is a socialist.  I wonder how many of those people are also on Social Security. The truth is that Social Security is socialism at its finest. Social Security is a good thing.

http://www.yumasun.com/opinion/rich-79846-force-president.html

 

Kokomo Journal (IN)

Donnelly Marks 77th Anniversary of Social Security

Staff

06-20-12

Today, Joe Donnelly, candidate for U.S. Senate, marked the 77th anniversary of Social Security passing the Senate. He recognized the bipartisan support for the program when it first passed the Senate, as well as the importance of protecting Social Security for future generations.

http://kokomoperspective.com/news/donnelly-marks-th-anniversary-of-social-security/article_d12bc702-ba32-11e1-817b-0019bb2963f4.html

 

Politics

 

Politico (DC)

Tim Pawlenty's stock soars in Romney-world

06-20-12

Mike Allen

Tim Pawlenty has jumped to the top of the vice presidential shortlist of several Mitt Romney advisers after emerging as the most effective — and well-liked — surrogate for the GOP nominee-to-be, according to several Republicans familiar with campaign deliberations.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0612/77619.html#ixzz1yLzpATzf

 

Wall Street Journal (NAT)

Arizona and the Entitlement Baby

06-14-12

Kimberly Strassel

Democrats are going to demagogue entitlement reform, so the GOP might as well embrace it

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303734204577466793770350610.html

 

USA Today (NAT)

Rubio steers clear of VP talk

06-20-12

Cataline Camia

Sen. Marco Rubio today kept mum on the speculation surrounding his prospects to be Mitt Romney's running mate

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/06/marco-rubio-vice-president-mitt-romney-vetting-/1#.T-ICs_Xp8UM

 

MSNBC.com (NAT)

Would wealthy really pay same share under Romney?

06-20-12

Domenico Montanaro

Mitt Romney promised this past weekend that the wealthy would “still pay the same share of the tax burden they’re paying now” and that he’s “not looking for a tax cut for the very wealthiest.” And: “I'm not looking to reduce the burden paid by the wealthiest.”

He added, “I’m looking to bring tax rates down for everyone.”

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/19/12304256-would-wealthy-really-pay-same-share-of-taxes-under-romney?lite