Stop Me Before I Vote Again

Hearken to these words of doom from our sober bland dwarfs at the Associated Press:

"For more than two decades, Social Security collected more money in payroll taxes than it paid out in benefits — billions more each year.

Not anymore. This year, for the first time since the 1980s, when Congress last overhauled Social Security, the retirement program is projected to pay out more in benefits than it collects in taxes — nearly $29 billion more.

Sounds like a good time to start tapping the nest egg. Too bad the federal government already spent that money over the years on other programs, preferring to borrow from Social Security rather than foreign creditors. In return, the Treasury Department issued a stack of IOUs — in the form of Treasury bonds — which are kept in a nondescript office building just down the street from Parkersburg's municipal offices.

Now the government will have to borrow even more money, much of it abroad, to start paying back the IOUs, and the timing couldn't be worse. The government is projected to post a record $1.5 trillion budget deficit this year, followed by trillion dollar deficits for years to come."

To throw clear light on the matter, here are the words of a moderate, apparently non-hysterical, actually union-sponsored, apologist for the staus quo ante -- as in "ante up" -- of this heisting system, one Monique Morrissey, shown at left:

"The economy has shed eight million jobs, so payroll tax receipts are down 2.5% compared to pre-recession estimates. As a result, Social Security is projected to run a primary deficit—a measure that excludes interest on trust fund assets -- until 2014, when CBO expects the economy will be back at full employment."

And to my delight it also means that ever so briefly, Uncle Satan must borrow everything he does borrow from elsewhere than from the earnings of us wage smurfs, make up the difference between our payroll tax pay-in and SSI's pay-outs, not, as in the recent past, with yet more increases in payroll taxes but with money borrowed from other sources.

The AP barn-burner of a "news article" linked up top is a fabulous example of routine corporate mass-media disinformation. The second link, the response by the unpaid imbecilic system apologist, makes for a nice complementary read, inasmuch as it steadfastly demolishes the AP's horror tale rather nicely -- err, up until it falls into the rabbit hole itself, assumes a sheeplike mein of stupid pious civics-class blockheadish prudent concern, and downright joins the Moynihanite morons' bandwagon ride to abject idiocy. I am not exaggerating.

"This is not to say that the system faces no challenges," Morrissey observes, with a solemn Polonius-like wag of the head. Yes, brothers and sisters, there are right-wing jungle drums and smoke signals, but also neoliberal geek chicken little-ings too, that rotate on this spike.

"Wages for most workers were flat even before the recession hit, Social Security’s finances have been slipping since the system was last in balance in 1983."

" The system... needs periodic adjustments to address changes in life expectancy and other long-term trends... "

-- most recent adjustments have been to extend the life span of the system as now constituted...

"CBO projects that payroll tax receipts will only cover about 80% of promised benefits after the trust fund is drawn down in coming decades. ["Coming decades" as in the decade of... 2040! -- OP]

"To put this in perspective [That's always the bend-over phrase -- OP], future generations will still receive higher benefits, in inflation-adjusted terms, than retirees today because of economic growth."

"Nevertheless... it would be far preferable to raise revenues so promised benefits can be paid in full...This can be achieved by increasing payroll taxes a modest amount (equivalent to 0.5% of GDP)"

Fellow pinks, this amounts to a near-total capitulation to the Black Hundreds of Wall Street. Nothing could be more outrageous than to consider increasing taxes on payroll when they obviously need to be dramatically reduced, and this whole paper tiger masquerade hoiked out of the universe of public discourse like a third-grade spitball.

The only reason Uncle overtaxes payroll and accumulates trust funds is to undertax profits, rents, interest, dividends, etc. What for God's sake is a union stooge doing suggesting -- yes even suggesting -- an increase! -- No matter how modest, how gradual, how long-postponed, how lubricated and softened. Just the thought of it makes me want to fly down to wherever that poor grubbing dolt lives, find her mentors, and and and ...

Ahem. [Restraightens collar, runs puggy rubicund fingers through sparse but theatrically frizzy hair]

Okay, okay, I know, honest folks can get gulled, even smart honest folks. After all, the hegemons make us swim in their mischief 24/7. Not all of us have the trust capacity of a rattlesnake, like us Paines. So to uphold the code that has guided my life since 2000 ("fairness and balance at all times; scrupulous generous balanced unflagging fairness"), let me add the author partially recovers her feet with this parting bit of good class arithmetic:

"This can be achieved... better... by taxing earnings above $106,800, as Medicare already does."