The ultimate Ponzi Scheme

[Confed]

BERNIE MADOFF Takes money from investors with the promise that the money will be invested and made available to them later
Social Security Takes money from wage earners with the promise that the money will be invested in a "Trust Fund" and made available later.
BM Instead of investing the money Madoff spends it on nice homes in the Hamptons and yachts.
SS Instead of depositing money in a Trust Fund the politicians use it for general spending and vote buying.
BM When the time comes to pay the investors back Madoff simply uses some of the new funds from newer investors to pay back the older investors.
SS When benefits for older investors become due the politicians pay them with money taken from younger and newer wage earners to pay the geezers.
BM When Madoff's scheme is discovered all hell breaks loose. New investors won't give him any more cash.
SS When Social Security runs out of money they simply force the taxpayers to send them some more.
BM Bernie Madoff is in jail.
SS Politicians remain in Washington.

credit to Neal Boortz website

[dakotaj70]

Well when you make the laws, you make them so as not to slow your roll. BM was small stuff, what was he into Billions? Our government only deals in Trillions.
Medicare unfunded liability is currently $14,155,000,000,000. Come on it's not like they are flying themselves and their families all over on private jets or something. Oh wait. Sorry maybe I. Ok, so maybe once in a blue moon they do.

[Texagain]

Does this mean you support GOP representative Paul Ryan's new budget proposal?

He wants to eliminate Social Security and Medicare. Republicans bashed the Democratics over plans to cut 400 billion out of Medicare but now, the newly fiscally responsible GOP sees that controlling Medicare costs as essential to balancing the budget. Wow!

A Republican who asked to have his name withheld said the party’s leadership and rank and file aren’t ready to follow Ryan’s lead. “There’s a lot of worry that we beat the Democrats up on health care for cutting Medicare and now we’re going to turn around and do it (orrselves),” the Republican said.

The major difference is that the Dems had very targeted cuts aimed at whittling away at inefficiencies in Medicare, while Ryan's budget just goes after Medicare with a chain saw.

I hope they bring it to a vote!

It would expose the Republican hypocrisy in the HCR debate and would force an extremely difficult political vote. Who wants to cut off the poor and the seniors in an election year? The GOP!

[dakotaj70]

Maybe if they just gave us a refund for what we paid in. That would be nice since,I don't think I will see any of it. OH, silly me that little fund has a BIG, VERY BIG, negative next to it.

Not to upset anyone but have you looked at Europe lately and looked at what their social state is coming to? Well, maybe GBR would be a better example. ERR no again. It is the road we just accelerated on. Buckle up it could get a little bumpy.

Please Sir can I have some soup? NO SOUP FOR YOU. For the unenlightened quote courtesy of Seinfeld.

Wasn't it someones spiritual adviser who said, " America's chickens are coming home to roost"? I just can't put my finger on that name.

[Texagain]

So, you do support Ryans' budget proposal?

Obama is aking the GOP to come the table to lay out their plans and see how they can be incorporated into bipartisan agreements. They can't possibly say 'no' to that without losing what little face they have left. Problem is, the GOP now has to scramble to actually come up with something since they've spent the last year doing nothing but saying 'no'. They havent laid out anything but the barest of bare-bones plans for anything up to this point, except how to NOT allow Dems to proceed New falsh to the base and the Tea Partiers: that is not the solution to anything.

What Obama needs to do now is just start forcing the issue -- he was a nice guy for a year. They smacked his hand away everytime he reached out, and then complained that he never wants to shake hands. Time to get some stuff done...and this has to include getting the RepuliDems to fish or cut bait -- just get out of the way.

Now it' is time to balance, control and direct the power of government and corporations for the benefit of the American people. I agree that a government should be as small and streamlined as possible, but not so weak that it cannot protect individuals from the power of corporations. Government can be controlled by the people if the electoral process is free and itself protected from undue corporate influence. Only government can protect the individual from corporate power. Corporations are by definition entirely self interested. Tea Partiers don't understand that, for one thing.

Say, anyone following that Florida GOP money scandal being revealed today? http://www.tampabay.com/news/politic...cle1071784.ece

[dakotaj70]

I don't know. I haven't seen his proposal. I just don't want a budget emergency to dictate in 6 months the care for my daughter or parents. If your asking if I would like a whole bunch of old people starving without medical care? No way.
We have a very short time to learn to live within our means. We better get to the heart of the problem quick as the bank is drying up quick.

[Confed]

So, you do support Ryans' budget proposal?

Obama is aking the GOP to come the table to lay out their plans and see how they can be incorporated into bipartisan agreements. They can't possibly say 'no' to that without losing what little face they have left. Problem is, the GOP now has to scramble to actually come up with something since they've spent the last year doing nothing but saying 'no'. They havent laid out anything but the barest of bare-bones plans for anything up to this point, except how to NOT allow Dems to proceed New falsh to the base and the Tea Partiers: that is not the solution to anything.

What Obama needs to do now is just start forcing the issue -- he was a nice guy for a year. They smacked his hand away everytime he reached out, and then complained that he never wants to shake hands. Time to get some stuff done...and this has to include getting the RepuliDems to fish or cut bait -- just get out of the way.

Now it' is time to balance, control and direct the power of government and corporations for the benefit of the American people. I agree that a government should be as small and streamlined as possible, but not so weak that it cannot protect individuals from the power of corporations. Government can be controlled by the people if the electoral process is free and itself protected from undue corporate influence. Only government can protect the individual from corporate power. Corporations are by definition entirely self interested. Tea Partiers don't understand that, for one thing.

Say, anyone following that Florida GOP money scandal being revealed today?

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/lachlan...lth-care-ideas

[dakotaj70]

Tex I do agree with his plan as does the CBO, I was impressed. I will cut and paste the Medicare piece. It just shows be careful who you listen to.
The Roadmap secures Medicare for current beneficiaries, while making common-sense reforms to save this critical program.

It preserves the existing Medicare program for those currently enrolled or becoming eligible in the next 10 years (those 55 and older today) - So Americans can receive the benefits they planned for throughout their working lives. For those currently under 55 – as they become Medicare-eligible – it creates a Medicare payment, initially averaging $11,000, to be used to purchase a Medicare certified plan. The payment is adjusted to reflect medical inflation, and pegged to income, with low-income individuals receiving greater support. The plan also provides risk adjustment, so those with greater medical needs receive a higher payment.
The proposal also fully funds Medical Savings Accounts [MSAs] for low-income beneficiaries, while continuing to allow all beneficiaries, regardless of income, to set up tax-free MSAs.
Based on consultation with the Office of the Actuary of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and using Congressional Budget Office [CBO] these reforms will make Medicare permanently solvent
Modernizes Medicaid and strengthens the health care safety net by reforming high-risk pools, giving States maximum flexibility to tailor Medicaid programs to the specific needs of their populations. Allows Medicaid recipients to take part in the same variety of options and high-quality care available to everyone through the tax credit option.

[dakotaj70]

CBO Analysis of A Roadmap for America's Future


Washington, Feb 9 -

According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), absent reforms to gain control of federal spending, deficits, and debt, the U.S. economy will stagnate and then literally crash. Unless reformed to slow their spending growth, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security will go bankrupt and be unable to meet their obligations to seniors and low-income families. CBO highlights the fact that the real risk to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security is doing nothing.

CBO analyzed A Roadmap for America’s Future (H.R. 4529) and produced a detailed 50-page review of the plan and its impact on the long-term budget and economic outlook. According to CBO, A Roadmap for America’s Future provides reforms that make possible a growing and prosperous U.S. economy. It ensures the Medicare program does not go bankrupt and makes Social Security permanently solvent. It does so without changing benefits for those who are currently 55 and older. It balances the budget and pays off the debt. In short, CBO concludes that the Roadmap would put the budget and economy on sustainable path compared to current policies that will bankrupt America.

[dakotaj70]

Tex I want to thank you for that post. I really hadn't seen that proposal. It's his personal plan and doesn't represent the Republicans which I think is to bad. If they backed a common sense plan like this I may start supporting them again. I will post the link to the proposal as written. Please compare how it has been characterized and what it says.

http://www.roadmap.republicans.budget.house.gov/plan/

[Confed]

Tex I want to thank you for that post. I really hadn't seen that proposal. It's his personal plan and doesn't represent the Republicans which I think is to bad. If they backed a common sense plan like this I may start supporting them again. I will post the link to the proposal as written. Please compare how it has been characterized and what it says.

http://www.roadmap.republicans.budget.house.gov/plan/

There's a lot in there I like.

[Texagain]

Even Ryan admits it's not actually a budget, just a bunch of suggestions which wouldn't eliminate the the national debt until 2080 (!). He asked the CBO to score it using the existing income stream, but cuts taxes in his plan for businesses and the wealthy, while doubling taxes for families and and individuals making between 50,000 and $1000,000, among other disasters.

Under the current tax code, an individual making more than $160,850 pays a 33 percent rate; under the Republican plan, that taxpayer could choose to pay 25 percent instead. (For a family, the income threshold is $195,850.) For a family earning more than $349,700, the rate rises to 35 percent, but filers could still choose the 25 percent rate. But the plan assumes you will pay the higher rate.

If taxpayers did decide to pay the lower rate, government revenue would plummet by roughly $300 billion per year, said economist Dean Baker of the liberal-leaning Center for Economic Policy Research.
"It would destroy most federal programs," said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel, which seems to make conservatives happy.


He privatizes SS and medicare, and also makes major cuts to Medicare. Ryan saves his money after he privatizes the programs. Under his proposal, seniors stop getting Medicare, which is both government-run and pays for any procedures that can be shown to help improve their condition. Instead, the seniors get a voucher to buy private insurance, and that voucher grows more slowly than medical costs. That means the coverage that voucher buys is going to grow more slowly than medical costs. Seniors will be in the same position the rest of us are in: Either you can afford the coverage and care you need through savings or subsidies or both, or . . . you can't.

Yuk, but I'm glad you like it.

[dakotaj70]

Tex. As usual we will have to agree to disagree. It is funny I always like the idea of taking the decisions for my life away from the government. You always want to give your liberty for government control. Isn't the proof of failure from all the countries that have tried government rule a problem for you? What do you think made the US unique? Just curious to understand.

[OBNurseJeanne]

Seniors vote and politicians know this so I doubt that they will privatize medicare. Even the elderly tea baggers have signs saying "Government keep your hands off my Medicare"--as if this wasn't a government program.

I think the nation is having a collective brain phart.

[dakotaj70]

OB,
No argument on that. I guess we will see what happens.