Obama Deficit Commission Criticized for Proposals to Slash Social Security, Medicare

The co-chairmen of the bipartisan presidential deficit commission released a list of recommendations Wednesday on ways to reduce the nation's deficit by $4 trillion by 2020. Co-chairmen Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson have proposed raising the retirement age for Social Security to 69 by the year 2075, decreasing the cost of living benefits for Social Security recipients, imposing new limits on the Medicare health insurance program and ending several middle class tax breaks. Democracy Now! speaks with economist and journalist Robert Kuttner.

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Category:

News & Politics

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• obama deficit commission
• social security
• medicare
• democracynow

[callouschristian]

I love the way these "debt commissioners" avoid answering the obvious question about the bush tax cuts. This is a blatant attack on the working class by the wealthy. Period. By the very people who would have the world believe they have a corner on the Jesus market.

[rocksiphone]

Listen to this: I have a friend who went for a job interview with a Private Security firm. They won a contract to provide security for the Social Security Offices and guess what, the Social Security Admin wants Armed Guards, which they never had before. Maybe they will be cutting SSI (social security supplement)? SSI is given to disabled people & a lot of Drug & Alcohol Addicted people and there are a lot on SSI, I mean a lot of them on it. I guess they may storm the SS when they get cut off.

[Glinkaism1]

These co-chairmen aren't very good choices. Bowles is a corporate businessman. Simpson is a de-frocked senator. They are wolf-at-the-door types. Meanwhile, the President spends OUR MONEY overseas at $200,000 a day. You want to cut expenses? Start at the top. Otherwise it's just plain feces.