Bernie Blasts GOP Threats To S.S./Medicare

[This image of Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) was found at Daily Kos.]

The Republican shutdown of the federal government continues with no end in sight. The latest is that some, like Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin), want to drop the demand for delaying the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and return to efforts to cut Social Security and Medicare (thinking some Democrats might be more amenable to that, and the GOP could save face with their constituents by slashing those programs -- even though those programs have nothing to do with the deficit or national debt).

Fortunately for Americans, they have Senator Bernie Sanders in Washington to help protect their interests. And Bernie is blasting this crazy idea of ending the shutdown by sacrificing seniors with cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Bernie says:

“The Republicans must stop holding the American people hostage.  Speaker Boehner must allow the House to vote so that they reopen the government and pay our bills. Frankly, given the enormous problems facing this country, it is beyond belief that we have wasted weeks debating whether, for the first time in our history, the largest economy in the world should default and plunge the world into a severe financial crisis.

“Yesterday, the Republicans were using the Affordable Care Act as the reason why they had to shut down the government and not pay our bills. Today, it’s ‘reforming’ Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. What will it be tomorrow?

“Social Security, which is independently funded through the payroll tax, has nothing to do with the deficit.  The deficit -- which has been cut in half since 2009 -- was significantly caused by the Bush wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and the Wall Street-induced recession, which led to a significant decline in federal revenue.

“The Republican Party and Paul Ryan cannot be allowed to get their way by threatening the American people with a continued government shutdown and a default unless Congress cuts Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.  That is not what the American people want.  Rather, we should be passing legislation which rebuilds our infrastructure and creates millions of new jobs, address the crisis of low wage employment by raising the minimum wage, make college affordable and fight for equal pay for equal work."