The Repugnican't party has waged a 90 year war on Social Security. And every time they try to cut it and screw working Americans, the electorate rises up and smacks them upside the head. You'd think that after 90 years of getting hit over the head, they'd get the message-- SOCIAL SECURITY IS INCREDIBLY POPULAR!-- but I guess some people are either too stupid, or too into living in their own bubble, to learn.
"Democrats could offer additional proposals to boost funding for Social Security, such as slapping a 100 percent tax on illegal presidential emoluments or prohibiting corporate tax deductions for donations to projects defacing federal property (e.g., the arch, the ballroom)."
Sweet music to my ears.
Can't help thinking even some Republicans would be OK with these restorative measures.
At the very least, it would make for some persuasive campaign ads!
You would need a veto proof majority to get these passed and I don't see it happening. And, in the future it would only serve as a deterrent and not help Soc Sec bottom line.
And, Rs continue to believe, & act like, we’re all stupid. They see their big chance with Trump, even though he’s sinking fast, to gut even more programs to help their only constituents, the wealthy & corps.
Republicans prove time after time that they are extremely hardheaded. Our president models this "mental flexibility " perfectly. This iteration of the Republican Party is firmly committed to policies that have proven unworkable. One example is belief that large tax cuts for the wealthy will "trickle down" to the less wealthy and will "pay for themselves." A second theory is that Social Security, and in fact, all social programs are a waste of money and not popular. Of course, the Republicans are wrong on both points. Still, I am sure they will continue to follow their ideology rather than consider any other policies.
See also Paul Krugman’s detailed piece on Social Security a little while ago. He does the numbers and demonstrates that putting Social Security on a sound footing into the distant future is a matter of a minor tweak.
Yes. We know it’s true that SS wd be just fine with one adjustment. Why have Dems not done this when they had power? Same reason they’ve never codified Roe - they’re too timid & beholden.
That is the problem with the Democrats, all talk and timid action when they have the power. PUT OUT A PLAN!! That is why I am an Independent and not a Democratic. They better start welcoming and listening to Independents or they will be toast in 2026 and 2028. James Carvilles', let the Republicans bury themselves is for another age.
thank you for this most timely column. i'm tired of the other anti-social security mindset. baby boomers are basically getting blamed for being born. it's OUR fault social security is in so much trouble. of course we grew up knowing social security and medicare would be there for us one day. now that our cohort is of age, and, after working hard our whole lives, we do get blamed. everything in this column is absolutely true, and we all know it. we pay attention. most of all, however, we had better all vote blue this november. many people ... too many to count ... only have social security live on. do we really want to see older americans swelling the ranks of the homeless? people who only have social security to live on are in a precarious financial situation as it is. VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!
I am very tired of the GOP crying about the budget deficit. There is a fix for it that would improve things for the country. Tax the rich. They need to pay their share.
Interesting that Johnson feels Social Security is what's caused "the hole so deep they can't get out of it " - NOT the billions Trump has spent on vanity projects and a senseless war, the money for ICE, etc.. Americans will be paying for years trying to recover from this administration, materially and psychologically. Billionaires don't pay into Social Security, and they don't need it when they get older, but the rest of Americans do.
I have read that hundreds of thousands of women left the paid labor force during the first several months of Trump's second regime, largely because they could not reconcile caregiving responsibilities with employment. That is hundreds of thousands of people not paying into Social Security, which is bad for their individual futures and for everyone else currently. The labor force has shrunk under Trump, although I have not found reliable statistics on how much.
Yes, and the Rs, instead of working on reasonable immigration policy, seem just fine with Miller’s brutal pogram of the very workers who can help support SS.
Actually the biggest shrinkage to the labor force has been immigrants. These immigrants, who are not yet citizens, pay into Social Security even though they are not eligible to receive it unless they are able to become citizens.
Democrats would be well advised to make this issue primary. "Save your Social Security and Medicare from Republican cuts and reductions! Vote for Democrats."
Right on target🎯. Rs have been trying to destroy Social Security for decades. It's past time to call their bluff. So many of the problems with this country's social safety net are solvable. Starting with making higher earners pay their fair share into SS, and in taxes. We need a wealth tax, a livable minimum wage, and universal health care. Make the top 1% and 5% pay their share. They have been living off the bottom 50% for far too long.
give "billionaires" (those with $1000 million or more) more tax cuts.
It is time for the media to explain in articles what billions and trillions of dollars are in terms we have a chance to understand. A billion dollars is 1000 million dollars! A trillion dollars is a million million dollars!!! Journalists and DEMOCRATS should note these big amounts with the number of millions in parentheses in every article. Examples:
$1.8 billion ($1,800 million) for a slush fund
$70 billion ($70,000 million) for ice and border patrol
$350 billion ($350,000 million) additional for military spending
$1 trillion ($1 million million) in additional debt or describing Elon Musk’s net worth (surely good we gave him additional tax breaks)
As Paul Krugman has pointed out, Musk is basically running a Ponzi scheme. But he is Wall Street’s latest darling. Can’t wait for an even worse repeat of 08-09.
Congress has being borrowing huge sums from SS for years. Why is the repayment of these loans not on the table? I hope the Democrats are smart enough to hammer this issue hard.
Let’s be clear that even a crushing electoral defeat of GOP candidates in the midterm election will not cure the astronomical wealth inequality of our society, restore the rule of law, and bring about the flowering of true representative democracy. Please excuse a knowingly imperfect medical metaphor, but an infection is not cured if one is unwilling to remove the infecting pathogens. Those who have financially benefitted from corruption or have violated the civil rights of others must be prosecuted and jailed. Those attorneys who have undermined the rule of law must be disbarred and ruined. Those who are worsening the climate crisis or damaging public health through fraudulent unscientific claims must be pilloried. Without serious and permanent consequences for very bad actions, the pendulum will just swing back as soon as the short term memory of many voters is exceeded.
Many people say Rs are afraid of Trump, fearing mob boss attacks. That no doubt is part of it. But, they also don’t resist him bc he is their front man for unpopular policies they’ve wanted all along. They will keep doing maximum damage for as long as they can, which (hopefully) ends in November. And, anyone with any rational thinking ability at all has to read Johnson’s remarks for what they are: more lies from Republicans to further take from working people to give more to the rich.
Joe Biden continues to get unfair criticism from democrats and "liberal" media for the lie that "open borders" led to "migrant crime". In truth migrants, including undocumented migrants are peaceful, hardworking, law abiding, pay taxes, don't require government support. Think about it, if you are undocumented then the last thing you would do is commit a crime, try to vote, or apply for government assistance. You'd be scared of getting caught. The truth is that Biden/Harris could not have pulled off "immaculate disinflation", the reduction of inflation without high unemployment and recession, without migrants coming into the country to fill needed jobs. And yet, the truth about what happened is not being communicated to American voters. Regarding social security, fixing it is easy. Stop the cap on taxing for social security and allow for more immigration. The opposite of what America is doing. Regarding increasing the age of retirement, not everyone has a choice. Companies are and have been for a very long time aggressively forcing older employees out of the workforce with early retirement incentives and even layoffs.
Consider also the workers in construction and heavy industry. They tend to get "used up" at an earlier age, and raising the age for receiving benefits is inhumane.
The Dems running for reelection need to shout this out in every stump speech. And the Senators not up for reelection need to be on the campaign trail at every opportunity for the ones who are. These rethuglican fever dreams - to totally destroy the remains of the New Deal need to be shown for what they are - policies which will take us back to the crash of 1929. They didn't work then and they won't work now.
Thanks for another thoughtful editorial. In the fervor to highlight issues such as Social Security - and I support doing so - I am not seeing Democrats and Independents addressing the issue of some sort of late October "Insurrection" event staged by this corrupt Administration to thwart getting to the midterms. Perhaps there are plans that require silence for the moment; however, almost every discussion assumes we will GET to the midterms. I believe we will though would be more confident if I thought there were Democratic leaders who have a strong plan to avoid something late and untoward. Increasing ICE activities, police in the streets to " reduce crime" etc seem like the usual autocratic ways to get many accustomed to this. The same inner circle who have discussed ignoring habeas corpus and other foundational aspects of democracy seem to have no bar too low. Are we preparing???
The Repugnican't party has waged a 90 year war on Social Security. And every time they try to cut it and screw working Americans, the electorate rises up and smacks them upside the head. You'd think that after 90 years of getting hit over the head, they'd get the message-- SOCIAL SECURITY IS INCREDIBLY POPULAR!-- but I guess some people are either too stupid, or too into living in their own bubble, to learn.
"Democrats could offer additional proposals to boost funding for Social Security, such as slapping a 100 percent tax on illegal presidential emoluments or prohibiting corporate tax deductions for donations to projects defacing federal property (e.g., the arch, the ballroom)."
Sweet music to my ears.
Can't help thinking even some Republicans would be OK with these restorative measures.
At the very least, it would make for some persuasive campaign ads!
You would need a veto proof majority to get these passed and I don't see it happening. And, in the future it would only serve as a deterrent and not help Soc Sec bottom line.
They BELIEVE that if they can only enact their regressive changes to the US tax structure, then the results will become popular...
Thr GOP doesn't care about ordinary people. They care about their donors and the oligarchy.
IOW, the Democrats are protecting the GQP from itself in addition to protecting us from the GQP!
so true! maybe they just close their eyes to reality, as you said. stupid! that's a good answer, as well.
And, Rs continue to believe, & act like, we’re all stupid. They see their big chance with Trump, even though he’s sinking fast, to gut even more programs to help their only constituents, the wealthy & corps.
Republicans prove time after time that they are extremely hardheaded. Our president models this "mental flexibility " perfectly. This iteration of the Republican Party is firmly committed to policies that have proven unworkable. One example is belief that large tax cuts for the wealthy will "trickle down" to the less wealthy and will "pay for themselves." A second theory is that Social Security, and in fact, all social programs are a waste of money and not popular. Of course, the Republicans are wrong on both points. Still, I am sure they will continue to follow their ideology rather than consider any other policies.
See also Paul Krugman’s detailed piece on Social Security a little while ago. He does the numbers and demonstrates that putting Social Security on a sound footing into the distant future is a matter of a minor tweak.
Yes. We know it’s true that SS wd be just fine with one adjustment. Why have Dems not done this when they had power? Same reason they’ve never codified Roe - they’re too timid & beholden.
That is the problem with the Democrats, all talk and timid action when they have the power. PUT OUT A PLAN!! That is why I am an Independent and not a Democratic. They better start welcoming and listening to Independents or they will be toast in 2026 and 2028. James Carvilles', let the Republicans bury themselves is for another age.
Why can't we take the cap off?
We can, but rich Republicans will cry "socialism" and billionaires will buy ads showing welfare queens in cadillacs to stir up a culture war.
Because billionaires need a few extra million $
One way that might pass with everyone is to remove the cap on the employee's contribution portion and keep the employer's portion where it is today.
thank you for this most timely column. i'm tired of the other anti-social security mindset. baby boomers are basically getting blamed for being born. it's OUR fault social security is in so much trouble. of course we grew up knowing social security and medicare would be there for us one day. now that our cohort is of age, and, after working hard our whole lives, we do get blamed. everything in this column is absolutely true, and we all know it. we pay attention. most of all, however, we had better all vote blue this november. many people ... too many to count ... only have social security live on. do we really want to see older americans swelling the ranks of the homeless? people who only have social security to live on are in a precarious financial situation as it is. VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!
I am very tired of the GOP crying about the budget deficit. There is a fix for it that would improve things for the country. Tax the rich. They need to pay their share.
Interesting that Johnson feels Social Security is what's caused "the hole so deep they can't get out of it " - NOT the billions Trump has spent on vanity projects and a senseless war, the money for ICE, etc.. Americans will be paying for years trying to recover from this administration, materially and psychologically. Billionaires don't pay into Social Security, and they don't need it when they get older, but the rest of Americans do.
I have read that hundreds of thousands of women left the paid labor force during the first several months of Trump's second regime, largely because they could not reconcile caregiving responsibilities with employment. That is hundreds of thousands of people not paying into Social Security, which is bad for their individual futures and for everyone else currently. The labor force has shrunk under Trump, although I have not found reliable statistics on how much.
Yes, and the Rs, instead of working on reasonable immigration policy, seem just fine with Miller’s brutal pogram of the very workers who can help support SS.
Is there a link to AI taking over jobs and the ultra-rich sitting by the king’s side while terrorizing the country with massive data centers?
Actually the biggest shrinkage to the labor force has been immigrants. These immigrants, who are not yet citizens, pay into Social Security even though they are not eligible to receive it unless they are able to become citizens.
Democrats would be well advised to make this issue primary. "Save your Social Security and Medicare from Republican cuts and reductions! Vote for Democrats."
Restore SNAP and Medicaid cuts.
Right on target🎯. Rs have been trying to destroy Social Security for decades. It's past time to call their bluff. So many of the problems with this country's social safety net are solvable. Starting with making higher earners pay their fair share into SS, and in taxes. We need a wealth tax, a livable minimum wage, and universal health care. Make the top 1% and 5% pay their share. They have been living off the bottom 50% for far too long.
give "billionaires" (those with $1000 million or more) more tax cuts.
It is time for the media to explain in articles what billions and trillions of dollars are in terms we have a chance to understand. A billion dollars is 1000 million dollars! A trillion dollars is a million million dollars!!! Journalists and DEMOCRATS should note these big amounts with the number of millions in parentheses in every article. Examples:
$1.8 billion ($1,800 million) for a slush fund
$70 billion ($70,000 million) for ice and border patrol
$350 billion ($350,000 million) additional for military spending
$1 trillion ($1 million million) in additional debt or describing Elon Musk’s net worth (surely good we gave him additional tax breaks)
As Paul Krugman has pointed out, Musk is basically running a Ponzi scheme. But he is Wall Street’s latest darling. Can’t wait for an even worse repeat of 08-09.
Congress has being borrowing huge sums from SS for years. Why is the repayment of these loans not on the table? I hope the Democrats are smart enough to hammer this issue hard.
Let’s be clear that even a crushing electoral defeat of GOP candidates in the midterm election will not cure the astronomical wealth inequality of our society, restore the rule of law, and bring about the flowering of true representative democracy. Please excuse a knowingly imperfect medical metaphor, but an infection is not cured if one is unwilling to remove the infecting pathogens. Those who have financially benefitted from corruption or have violated the civil rights of others must be prosecuted and jailed. Those attorneys who have undermined the rule of law must be disbarred and ruined. Those who are worsening the climate crisis or damaging public health through fraudulent unscientific claims must be pilloried. Without serious and permanent consequences for very bad actions, the pendulum will just swing back as soon as the short term memory of many voters is exceeded.
Many people say Rs are afraid of Trump, fearing mob boss attacks. That no doubt is part of it. But, they also don’t resist him bc he is their front man for unpopular policies they’ve wanted all along. They will keep doing maximum damage for as long as they can, which (hopefully) ends in November. And, anyone with any rational thinking ability at all has to read Johnson’s remarks for what they are: more lies from Republicans to further take from working people to give more to the rich.
The solution is to tax the rich.
Joe Biden continues to get unfair criticism from democrats and "liberal" media for the lie that "open borders" led to "migrant crime". In truth migrants, including undocumented migrants are peaceful, hardworking, law abiding, pay taxes, don't require government support. Think about it, if you are undocumented then the last thing you would do is commit a crime, try to vote, or apply for government assistance. You'd be scared of getting caught. The truth is that Biden/Harris could not have pulled off "immaculate disinflation", the reduction of inflation without high unemployment and recession, without migrants coming into the country to fill needed jobs. And yet, the truth about what happened is not being communicated to American voters. Regarding social security, fixing it is easy. Stop the cap on taxing for social security and allow for more immigration. The opposite of what America is doing. Regarding increasing the age of retirement, not everyone has a choice. Companies are and have been for a very long time aggressively forcing older employees out of the workforce with early retirement incentives and even layoffs.
Consider also the workers in construction and heavy industry. They tend to get "used up" at an earlier age, and raising the age for receiving benefits is inhumane.
The Dems running for reelection need to shout this out in every stump speech. And the Senators not up for reelection need to be on the campaign trail at every opportunity for the ones who are. These rethuglican fever dreams - to totally destroy the remains of the New Deal need to be shown for what they are - policies which will take us back to the crash of 1929. They didn't work then and they won't work now.
Jen— I love the idea of “100% tax on illegal presidential emoluments “, but 200% (or 500%) would work even better!
Another idea to help SS funding issues would be to raise the income cap on SS contributions from the existing ($158,000ish, I recall) to 2x or more.
There should never have been a cap in the first place. If you make it, pay it. Those who are already that wealthy would never miss it.
Thanks for another thoughtful editorial. In the fervor to highlight issues such as Social Security - and I support doing so - I am not seeing Democrats and Independents addressing the issue of some sort of late October "Insurrection" event staged by this corrupt Administration to thwart getting to the midterms. Perhaps there are plans that require silence for the moment; however, almost every discussion assumes we will GET to the midterms. I believe we will though would be more confident if I thought there were Democratic leaders who have a strong plan to avoid something late and untoward. Increasing ICE activities, police in the streets to " reduce crime" etc seem like the usual autocratic ways to get many accustomed to this. The same inner circle who have discussed ignoring habeas corpus and other foundational aspects of democracy seem to have no bar too low. Are we preparing???