LYING About Medicare & Social Security

(The above picture shows President Johnson signing Medicare into law. Looking on are President Truman and his wife (Bess), who received the first two Medicare cards issued.)

The Republicans have never liked either Social Security or Medicare, and they voted against both programs when they were proposed. And even though those programs have worked exactly like they were supposed to work (providing financial and medical security for millions of elderly Americans), the Republicans still don't like the programs and are doing everything they can to do away with both programs. Their latest efforts are to privatize Social Security and turn Medicare into a voucher program -- putting seniors at the mercy of Wall Street and the giant insurance companies (neither of which has an ounce of mercy).

In order to achieve their goal of dismantling both programs, they have been telling Americans that the two programs are in deep trouble and will soon be broke (and unable to continue providing benefits). In Thursday night's debate, Paul Ryan repeated this saying:

Medicare and Social Security are going bankrupt. These are indisputable facts.

This is not just untrue, it is an outrageous LIE! Neither program is on the verge of bankruptcy. The truth is that both programs can continue providing benefits far into the future. Thanks to changes made by Obamacare, Medicare will be able to provide full benefits through the year 2024, and even if no changes are made, would after that provide 88% of current benefits through the year 2085. That doesn't sound to me like a program on the verge of bankruptcy.

Do some changes need to be made to insure full benefits far into the future? Yes. But the program certainly doesn't need to be abolished. Controlling the rise in the cost of medical care, allowing the program to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies, strengthening Obamacare, and other reasonable measures can provide the fix that is needed.

And Social Security is in even better shape. It can provide full benefits for another twenty years, and 75% of benefits after that. And it could be fixed easily and simply to provide full benefits far into the future. Raising the cap on income subject to FICA taxes (payroll taxes) would extend full benefits for at least another 70 years, and removing the cap altogether would make the program fully viable for generations to come. And this would not raise taxes for the working or middle classes, but would only require the rich to pay the same percentage of their income in FICA taxes that are currently paid by all other workers.

DON'T BELIEVE THE REPUBLICAN LIES! Neither Social Security nor Medicare is in mortal danger, but seniors would be if we let the GOP have their way and dismantle these vital programs. Vote for a reasonable fix to these programs in November. Vote against the Republicans, and their hard-hearted efforts to throw the elderly under the economic bus.