[rad-green] Bloomberg (Still) Wants to Cut Social Security

*https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/02/18/bloomberg-still-wants-cut-social-security
<https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/02/18/bloomberg-still-wants-cut-social-security>Common
Dreams          February 18, 2020*





*Bloomberg (Still) Wants to Cut Social SecurityBloomberg’s position on
Social Security is to the right of Trump’s stated position — and widely out
of step with even Republican voters, let alone Democrats.by Nancy J.
Altman, Linda Benesch*

*Democratic presidential candidate former New York City Mayor Mike
Bloomberg delivers remarks during a campaign rally on February 12, 2020 in
Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo: Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)*

Of all the Democrats contending for the presidential nomination, Michael
Bloomberg is the worst choice to debate Donald Trump on an overwhelmingly
important issue: Social Security’s future. Bloomberg’s position on Social
Security is to the right of Trump’s stated position — and widely out of
step with even Republican voters, let alone Democrats.

Bloomberg has a long history of supporting cuts to Social Security,
including raising the retirement age
<https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/08/scolding-both-sides-bloomberg-calls-for-deficit-reduction/>.
He’s disparaged Social Security, one of the most popular and successful
government programs in history, by comparing it
<https://nypost.com/2011/02/17/social-security-like-a-ponzi-mike/> to
Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the
Bowles-Simpson
<https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2012/03/today-is-simpson-bowles-day-for-michael-bloomberg-003164>
austerity
commission, which tried to jam through huge Social Security cuts behind
closed doors.

"A close read reveals that Bloomberg hasn't changed his views. He's just
gotten smarter about hiding them."

Now, Bloomberg is running to be the Democratic nominee for President — even
though he was a Republican for years, and only became a Democrat in 2018.
For months, Bloomberg was the only major candidate without a Social
Security plan. Now, he’s finally released one
<https://content.mikebloomberg.com/Retirement-Policy-Prose.pdf>.

Bloomberg’s Social Security plan is very carefully worded. Unlike
Bloomberg’s past statements, the plan does not overtly endorse Social
Security cuts. That’s no surprise, since cutting Social Security is incredibly
unpopular
<https://socialsecurityworks.org/2019/03/26/social-security-polling/> with
voters across the political spectrum. But a close read reveals that
Bloomberg hasn’t changed his views. He’s just gotten smarter about hiding
them.

The plan says that Bloomberg would “consider options for preserving and
strengthening Social Security’s long-term finances, while maintaining and
enhancing benefits for the neediest recipients.” Bloomberg does not specify
what these “options” are. But what he doesn’t say speaks volumes.

Politicians that want to cut Social Security but don’t want to be held
accountable at the ballot box think they can sound reasonable, while hiding
their true views, by arguing that all options should be on the table. This
is a cynical way of avoiding taking a public position. Moreover, it is a
conservative dream to maintain benefits for the poorest Americans while
slashing them for the middle class, transforming Social Security so that
it’s no longer earned insurance. Social Security’s earned nature is what
makes it so effective and politically strong.

When their public positions are popular, politicians have no trouble
articulating them. No politician hides support for cutting middle class
taxes. Similarly, every other Democratic candidate has said unequivocally
that they support expanding Social Security, and oppose cutting it. They all
support
<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/business/social-security-2020-candidates.html>
restoring
Social Security to long range balance by requiring those at the top to pay
their fair share.

"His promises to 'strengthen' and 'preserve' Social Security are
meaningless. Those words are frequently used by billionaire elites like
Bloomberg as code for 'cut Social Security to save it.'"

Even Donald Trump has said as recently as the State of the Union that he
won’t cut Social Security. This, of course, is a lie, since a week
later he released
a budget
<https://www.vox.com/2020/2/10/21131316/trump-2021-budget-entitlement-cuts>
that
does cut it.  But, he is certain to keep lying in the lead up to the
election.

It wouldn’t have been difficult for Bloomberg to release a plan that
unequivocally rules out cuts. Bernie Sanders’ plan
<https://berniesanders.com/issues/expand-social-security/> does, as
does Elizabeth
Warren’s <https://elizabethwarren.com/plans/social-security>. Pete
Buttigieg’s plan says that he would
<https://storage.googleapis.com/resources.peteforamerica.com/documents/PFA_Retirement_white_paper_2.pdf>
“fully
protect Social Security for the next generation without cutting anyone’s
benefits by ensuring the most fortunate pay their fair share.” Joe Biden’s
plan <https://joebiden.com/older-americans/> says that he would “put the
program on a path to long-term solvency by asking Americans with especially
high wages to pay the same taxes on those earnings that middle-class
families pay.”

Neither Biden nor Buttigieg should be fully trusted on Social Security.
Like Bloomberg, Biden has a record
<https://www.forbes.com/sites/nancyaltman/2020/01/23/why-joe-bidens-social-security-record-matters/#4724af75c277>
of
supporting cuts. Buttigieg recently made the error of embracing austerity
economics
<https://prospect.org/politics/austerity-pete-buttigieg-deficit-economic-policy/>.
That said, both Biden and Buttigieg make it clear on their websites that
they are running on protecting and expanding, never cutting, Social
Security.

For those who have followed the Social Security debate closely, Bloomberg’s
words about “options” are a clear signal. His language is insider speak, a
wink and a nod to the donor class that he, like them, favors cutting Social
Security. His promises to “strengthen” and “preserve” Social Security are
meaningless. Those words are frequently used by billionaire elites like
Bloomberg as code for “cut Social Security to save it.” Nor does
Bloomberg’s support of targeted Social Security increases inspire
confidence. Bowles-Simpson also included targeted benefit increases,
alongside huge cuts to overall benefits. So did Paul Ryan’s plans.

To get right on Social Security, Bloomberg must repudiate his past support
for cuts. He must pledge that he will never support cutting a single penny
of current or future benefits. Unless that happens, supporters of Social
Security should consider him an enemy of the program —  and vote
accordingly in the Democratic primary.
<https://www.commondreams.org/author/nancy-j-altman>

Nancy J. Altman <https://www.commondreams.org/author/nancy-j-altman> is
president of Social Security Works and chair of the Strengthen Social
Security coalition. She has a 40-year background in the areas of Social
Security and private pensions. Her latest book is *The Truth About Social
Security
<https://smile.amazon.com/Truth-about-Social-Security-Misunderstandings/dp/1947492160/?tag=alternorg08-20>*.
She is also the author of *The Battle for Social Security
<https://smile.amazon.com/Battle-Social-Security-Vision-Gamble/dp/0471771724/?tag=alternorg08-20>*
and
co-author of *Social Security Works!
<https://smile.amazon.com/Social-Security-Works-Isn%C2%92t-Expanding/dp/1620970376/?tag=alternorg08-20>*
<https://www.commondreams.org/author/linda-benesch>

Linda Benesch is the Communications Director at Social Security Works, a
national organization fighting to address our nation's retirement income
crisis by protecting and expanding Social Security.

-- 

--- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Sid-l" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected].
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sid-l/CACKppcyTEkt7GazBKxA4StwsaLdq87K%3DXFPxYTP_bDN3bQqvpg%40mail.gmail.com.

---
To unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]>
List help: <https://riseup.net/lists>