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Today's Poll: How confident are you that your retirement will be financially secure?

By Howard B. Owens
George Richardson

I'm already retired and somewhat confident that I'll die in poverty. Thank you John Boehner, (pronounced Boner). President Obama please smote them that is agin' us middle class victims and you got my vote.

Sep 19, 2011, 1:28pm Permalink
Janice Stenman

I'm with George and Ed. I know this district is conservative, but unless you are a millionaire the Republicans are not your friends. Please, people, do you research before calling the Democrats the tax and spend party. All they are trying to do is level the playing field.

Boehner and the rest are trying to get you to believe that the wealthy are the job creators. If that were true, everyone would have a job who wants one. Please recall that when Obama became president, the country was hemorrhaging jobs at a rate of 700,000 per month. True, we are not recovering as quickly as we should, but at least we are in the black now.

The Republicans also rant about job destroying regulations. DEREGULATION of the financial system set the stage for credit default swaps which nearly destroyed the WORLD economy. Obama agrees that regulations that affect small businesses unfairly need to be changed. And since Obama agrees, the Republican were for it before they were against it.

There is something wrong with a party whose prime objective is NOT to serve the American people, but to make Obama a one term president.

Sep 19, 2011, 6:21pm Permalink
Janice Stenman

This on today's Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said on Sunday that House Republicans would oppose President Barack Obama's payroll tax cuts for both employers and employees, arguing that the policy had already failed to provide a sufficient boost to the economy. "It hasn't worked," Ryan said, suggesting the current temporary tax cut should be allowed to expire, which will amount to a 50 percent tax hike on workers making less than $106,000 per year.

He also said he opposes the president's proposal to require millionaires to pay the same tax rate as the middle class, known as the Buffett plan. "Class warfare might make for good politics, but it makes for rotten economics," Ryan said.

There is more if you care to read it:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/18/paul-ryan-tax-increases-middle…

Sep 19, 2011, 6:30pm Permalink
Rex Lampke

A simplified tax code is what we need. No more loopholes of tax shelters. Drop the tax exempt status of religious organizations. A flat tax that all pay the same percentage is the only fair way to go.

Sep 19, 2011, 7:20pm Permalink
John Roach

Remember, that payroll tax cut is the Social Security tax. And even Obama admitted that unless he can borrow money he can not guarantee payment. If the tax is not paid, where does SS get its money?

Sep 19, 2011, 7:37pm Permalink
George Richardson

"If the tax is not paid, where does SS get its money?"
John: It comes from the full faith and credit of the United States of America. Have you lost faith? Go try to cash a savings bond and see if the bank tells you no. They are better than gold.

Sep 19, 2011, 9:52pm Permalink
John Roach

George,
The government already has your Savings Bond money, it got it when you bought the Savings Bonds. That money is already spent. What you get when you cash them in is the interest owed you. And that interest paid you is borrowed money. So you still have to explain where Social Security will get its money if the payroll tax is extended.

As a side note George, Savings Bonds were not designed to fund Social Security and sales of them are down.

Sep 20, 2011, 6:58am Permalink
Kyle Couchman

LOL I love the argument the House Republicans are using, hiding behind the label "Class Warfare" and saying it's rotten economics. Because business as usual seems to be so much better economically.

Sep 20, 2011, 8:42am Permalink
Ed Gentner

The simple and easiest way to eliminate any Social Security funding argument is to eliminate the income cap that allows the well-heeled to stop paying into the trust fund. When you listen to the recent debates and you here people cheering at the notion of leaving people without health insurance to die, or the leading candidate cheered for executing more people than anyone modern governor while embracing the notion the Social Security is a Ponzi scheme or unconstitutional, with the rest of the candidates either nodding their heads in approval or remaining silent.

It's time to step back and take a good hard look in the mirror. Is this the kind of society we want to become, where children, the elderly the dis-abled and the poor are abandoned in order to preserve the tax rates for the wealthy?

Sep 20, 2011, 9:08am Permalink

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