Community | April 21, 2011 | 130 comments

Work 'Til You Die: The Alternate Reality - and the Reality !

source: http://crooksandliars.com/rj-eskow/work-til-you-die-alternate-reality-and-re

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kennymotown

http://crooksandliars.com/rj-eskow/work-til-you-die-alternate-reality...

Viewing the less than a minute clip will make you mad as hell!


A new video was released today by the folks at Strengthen Social Security in order to highlight the brutal absurdity of today’s political debate about "entitlement programs," and specifically to address proposals that would raise the retirement age. These programs were supported by Democrats and Republicans for fifty years and are widely popular among voters across the political spectrum. Defending them should be the at the center of centrist thought. Instead it has fashionable in Washington for otherwise reasonable Democrats like Sen. Dick Durbin to push for cuts to these programs.

The retirement age is already scheduled to increase, and raising it even more is nothing less than cruel. That idea's part of the political trend toward "austerity economics," a resurgent downsize-government ideology that'sengendered a wave of enthusiastic - no, make that orgiastic prose - from well-fed pundits. Their display of almost snuff-movie-like excitement should have been predictable, but I found it shocking anyway.

The entire idea of raising the retirement age is based on the false premise that Social Security has a financial problem because we're living longer. The numbers say otherwise. And proposals like Simpson/Bowles would do other terrible things, too: shift more of the tax burden onto the middle class, lower taxes even further for the rich, disproportionately harm women and minorities, and impose drastic financial hardship on the elderly.

In other words, this entire debate is based on a radical right-wing agenda which poses as "a good bipartisan starting point." (For more, see "10 Reasons Why the (then) Deficit Commission Proposal Is Still Unconscionable and Unacceptable.")

Anyone who disagrees with the new draconian agenda is called “impractical,” even though Reagan’s chief Social Security actuary supports our conclusions, as do many (if not most) economists. And anyone who supports the pro-entitlement agenda support by Americans of all political persuasions is called "extreme," while anyone who gets heated when discussing the suffering and loss of life these plans would create is called “uncivil.” Washington's treatment of these policies resembles the Polynesian practice of tabu, so any mention of their real-world implications is a gross violation of propriety (if not downright sacrilegious).

(For more on the selling of this extreme agenda, check out the 20-year old, top secret PowerPoint presentation on selling right-wing radicalism that I discovered recently. It's eye-opening, shocking, and completely made up.)

This video takes a “Twilight Zone”/”alternate reality” tack, which suits me just fine. We've used that approach plenty of times ourselves over the years. (Here's the latest.) With that in mind, we'll adopt our best Rod Serling voice:

Submitted for your consideration … The Ryan budget proposal is called “serious” by the likes of Ezra and others, yet Ryan voted to preserve a tax break for hedge fund billionaires that allows them to be taxed at 15% of income while the rest of us pay much higher rates. That will never people from writing sentences like this one from Ezra: "I like Ryan personally, and appreciate his policy-oriented approach to politics."

Submitted for your consideration …The top 25 hedge fund billionaires made $22 billion last year. If they had been taxed under the same rules that are used for cops, firefighters, nurses, teachers … for anyone who actually helps society, for that matter … the government would have received $4 billion in revenue last year.

Submitted for your consideration …That revenue would have been enough to write a check for $1,400 to everyone that turned 65 last year - all 2,858,000 of them.

Submitted for your consideration …Or that revenue could have paid the entire Social Security retirement benefit for more than three hundred thousand people – more than four hundred thousand, if they were women.

Submitted for your consideration …And that's just by establishing tax fairness for 25 people. Imagine what a return to Reagan-era tax levels would do. Back then, the top marginal rate was 50%. It's 35% now (except for those hedge fund managers, who pay 15%), and both the Simpson/Bowles recommendations and Ryan's "policy-oriented approach" would lower it even more. While, of course, cutting Social Security and Medicare ...

Of course, nobody’s proposing to pay anybody’s retirement benefits out of general taxation – just lift the payroll tax cap so that the wealthy contribute more. Is that unfair? Not if you consider this: The changes made to Social Security under Reagan would have kept it solvent forever, if not for the fact that the extremely wealthy have captured more of our national income than even Alan Greenspan expected. Lifting the cap just redresses that wrong.

Submitted for your consideration …These unpopular cuts to Medicare and Social Security wouldn’t even be possible politically unless Democrats like Dick Durbin were accquiesing, and unless Democrats like Barack Obama weren’t refusing – at least so far - to offer unequivocal opposition. When Obama makes a Harry Reid statement about Social Security, we’ll be fine. Until then I'll worry.

If I have any complaint about the video, it’s that it’s too lighthearted. The reality behind raising the retirement age is a brutal one. (They'll undoubtedly try to mask the cruelty by creating a "hardship exemption" that will fail to protect workers. We've explained why that won't work.) And the same people pushing this "solution" want to cap Medicare benefits. If that happens, people will die. That’s not funny at all.

Submitted for your consideration …The new consensus that's being so warmly embraced by Dick Durbin and others will increase the death rate among elderly Americans, and force millions to continue working despite the brutality of the effort.

And nobody’s outraged. Nobody at all. But then, why am I surprised? Outrage isn’t civil.
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130 comments // Work 'Til You Die: The Alternate Reality - and the Reality !

  • VoyagerFilms
  • corderodedios
  • ithink
    • +3
      ithink  

    • I watched an interveiw with Robin Wright on how she predicted in a book she published in 2005 predicting the uprisings of arab people now wanting democracy and equallity in their lives unhappy that the riches that came to their country through the oil wealth that was brokered with big corp and kings and dictaters that seem to not have trickled down to the majority of their people.All these people standing up with a hand full of papers preaching we have to cut entitlements cut taxes cut our debt because we are placing this burden on our children and grandchilderen.As the wealth in this U.S.A keeps rushing to the top 5 or 10 percent of the millionaires and billionaires and the 90 or 95 percent of the general public get poorer and sicker and dieing younger their children and grandchildren are not going to be happy.So you wealthy people who desire extreme riches above what is extra comfortable and more possessions than you need and you people in congress who pushed for less taxes to get them there you are creating a burden much greater than debt on your children and grand children you left them with great wealth but you also left them with what was once the greatest and most beautiful country on earth that is now on decline and a population that looks at them with total disgust and disrespect.So it might be a good idea to really understand what is going in these arab countries and that it can happen anywhere.

    • 2 years ago
  • gump
  • Paratus
    • -3
      Paratus  

    • Our political masters have mismanaged this other tax for decades. They have ignored the effects of their actions. Social Security is just another excuse to confiscate more money from the people. IF it were placed in a fund that were handled correctly and not spent on objects of benevolence to curry votes I would suggest that we would not be having this discussion. We need to have the opportunity to opt out of this mess. This is the result of an overreaching government exceeding its mandate and irresponsible politicians. Not a new issue, warnings have been around for decades but ignored just as the debt ramifications have been ignored. Stop central planning. Let the people keep their money. Raising taxes is not the answer and this is a perfect example.

    • 2 years ago
  • Toughth
    • 0
      Toughth  
    • Paratus:

      The problem is there are not any funds that are handled correctly after so much has been deregulated. If we handed the funds over to private money managers we would find that more money would disaper than actualy be put toward retirment and disability. Right now I wouldn't trust wall street wth five cents if they gaurented a one million percent return because they would have to figur out how they could keep whatever the dividend was.

    • 2 years ago
  • SFirman
    • +2
      SFirman  
    • Toughth:

      Let wall street have SS . You might as well let the government use it, at least you will get a check each month. Kiss it good buy in the stock market. I don't quite understand why they want to raise the retirement age. It seems to me it is better to keep it where it is. When you retire that job will be open to a younger person.

    • 2 years ago
  • gump
  • VFORVENDETTA
    • +4
      VFORVENDETTA  

    • Here is an old poem written around the turn of the century, I believe it's still relevant today, as corporate slave labor is used to maximize profit all over the globe.

      Our children toil at the factory for 12 hours each and every day,
      out the window seeing the grown up owners hard at work, playing golf on a sunny day.

    • 2 years ago
  • VFORVENDETTA
  • kennymotown
  • ninetyseven
    • +2
      ninetyseven  

    • Money IS the basis of ahhhhh .... "everything".Its Security ....Independence...
      The Love of your heirs....But if ya dont have it....see who invites you to dinner.
      Sooooo ya gotta work to get Money to get Love...Independence and Security.
      Here is another thought (quote)
      Man may work from sun to sun but Womens work is never done !

    • 2 years ago
  • coxian_armada
  • coxian_armada
    • +2
      coxian_armada  

    • Reason for voting Republican, one day they will make you rich. When is that day we are not sure but one day you will be rich. Till then, WORK!!!!!!!

    • 2 years ago
  • Schnookums
  • kennymotown
  • pissedoffinarkansas
    • +2
      pissedoffinarkansas  
    • kennymotown:

      Love the passion Kenny,but I have to disagree about the "blood in the streets" thing. People just don't see it the way we do yet. They will need to see people they know suffer, and in some cases die, unfortunately, before they take to the streets. So I'm waiting I guess.

    • 2 years ago
  • kennymotown
  • VFORVENDETTA
    • +2
      VFORVENDETTA  
    • pissedoffinarkansas:

      Hi pissed-off longtime no see,

      I think I generally agree with you on this, the history that I am aware of would seem demonstrate, that a sweeping change-such as positive social policy-does not occur without some form of mass-and usually totally preventable-suffering or death, one example would be the tragedy of the Titanic, it took more than 1500 lives lost to bring about sweeping change in ocean liner safety design, and maritime safety protocol, on the other hand, history has also demonstrated, what I call the powder-keg affect, social dissatisfaction on a mass scale relatively quiet, simmering below the surface (such as what happened with the Selma Alabama riots in the 1960s) that it can only take perhaps one incident, to start a cascade effect, if a large group of protesters, were gunned down by police or the National Guard-such as a Kent State incident- they could very well be the catalyst for all of that pent up anger to explode all at once, it's happened many times before, any thoughts?

    • 2 years ago
  • SFirman
    • +2
      SFirman  
    • VFORVENDETTA:

      I agree with you on this. I remember Kent State quite well. Not far from where I live. They were protesting the Vietnam war,as a lot of our country was. The students at Kent didn't have guns. For the National Guard to kill and crippled some was a depressing time for me.

    • 2 years ago
  • VFORVENDETTA
    • +1
      VFORVENDETTA  
    • SFirman:

      I understand, and I believe is entirely possible-if not likely-that the same thing is going to happen again sometime soon, there are simply way way too many people in serious economic and physical pain right now and their government has failed them. Nice to see you :-)

    • 2 years ago
  • SFirman
    • +1
      SFirman  
    • VFORVENDETTA:

      Thank you, I hope your wrong, but I think you may be right. People are hurting and the government doesn't seem to care. I don't know what part of the government to blame. Maybe all of them. They don't seem to come together for the good of the people that need them. Have a nice evening.

    • 2 years ago
  • Richard_Wyatt
  • VFORVENDETTA
  • figgdimension
  • VFORVENDETTA
  • Incredulous
  • vixxxen618
  • kennymotown
  • sammykatz
    • +3
      sammykatz  

    • The only budget plan that seriously addresses the root cause of our economic difficulties is the one proffered by the Progressive Caucus: It is fair, balanced, and should be adopted. Review the three proposals side by side, Ryan's Path to Yesteryear, President Obama's, and the Progressive Caucus' People's Plan: It is clear which is the best!!

    • 2 years ago
  • vixxxen618
  • sammykatz
  • totally_dilapidated
  • kennymotown
  • ZiggyStrange
  • kennymotown
  • SFirman
  • dudefromtherock
    • +4
      dudefromtherock  

    • Time to turn your back on a country who turned it's back on you. Come north to Canada and get a government job.I'll retire at 56 with a full pension, medical plan and severance.

    • 2 years ago
  • kennymotown
  • Gravity_Man
  • Gravity_Man
  • dudefromtherock
  • dudefromtherock
  • Gravity_Man
  • Gravity_Man
  • Gravity_Man
  • Gravity_Man
  • Gravity_Man
  • dudefromtherock
  • dudefromtherock
  • dudefromtherock
  • dudefromtherock
  • dudefromtherock
  • dudefromtherock
  • dudefromtherock
    • 0
      dudefromtherock  
    • Gravity_Man:

      I just negotiated a cabin, new teeth, and universal health care for you...all you have to do is sit around the town campfire every Friday evening and tell us how your country is free and numero uno so we might have a grand laugh.

    • 2 years ago
  • dudefromtherock
  • Gravity_Man
  • mickyjon420
  • gump
  • gump
  • scooter3282
    • +4
      scooter3282  

    • The elites of either political stripe see the world in terms of it being one big exclusive country club that they are members of and you're not. They get all the perks that the working class has to struggle for, such as health care, a secure retirement with a pension and the peace of mind that they will always have it made. The whole political process has become a sick joke played upon all of us who once felt that our vote gave us some skin in the game to get a little bit back for our years of sweat equity. But it is becoming clearer by the day, that horse has left the barn and we ain't on it.

    • 2 years ago
  • kennymotown
  • scooter3282
  • kennymotown
  • mspray11
    • +3
      mspray11  

    • The way this country is going, I stopped thinking about retirement in the Reagan years. According to the GOP, 250k a year is considered middle-class, right? Anyway, those of you that do make that much, probably have one hell of a savings. Here in the "real" world, my peers rarely go over 100k/yr per household. When you have kids and god forbid you go through a divorce or have chronic medical problems, forget being able to retire on your own savings. Now, if they take away Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security, we are going to have two choices. You can either jump off a bridge or live under it. Sorry about the Goth.

    • 2 years ago
  • kennymotown
  • mickyjon420
  • kennymotown
  • jonlemnh
    • +3
      jonlemnh  

    • This is just sad; because my father who just retired 2 yrs ago now has to find a job and cant get hired because of his age. Worked construction all his life and is now getting screwed. My father never collected unemployment or welfare because he always made sure he was working and now has to go back to work and cant. Such B.S.

    • 2 years ago
  • kennymotown
  • DeistofSurreal
  • SoCalFramer
    • +2
      SoCalFramer  

    • I called DICK Durbin earlier in the week. I know my future is working until I die, at least it looks that way now. I just hope that I can break the cycle for my children. I hope we can break the cycle for each other, after all we are were the only ones that can change the direction of this country.

    • 2 years ago
  • percipi224
    • +1
      percipi224  

    • e Well nothing new here. people die on the job all the time...any body give a crap? no move along move along......not to long ago I saw one of the crappy morning shows have woman on who was in her 40's advising women on how they can "cutsey" up themselves to look younger and take older things off their resume.....yee gods and little gold fish!!! When I was younger it was hard to get hired by older people, now do you think young folk are going to hire old folks....the only thing I miss (thank you climate change) is an ice flow to go sit on and die.

    • 2 years ago
  • Leen61
    • +7
      Leen61  

    • Kenny, I love the video concept because I am such a big Rod Serling and Twilight Zone fan. I see what you're saying in regards to the tone in regards to a very serious, life and death issue. Rod did have the knack to be brutally honest in his end of show summations and took no prisoners on story lines that he took a very personal offense to. Everyone should be outraged by what is happening in DC because public opinion is clearly against these austerity measures and just like in the UK, the government is turning a deaf ear. If Dick Durbin sells us out on Social Security, we need to start working on a whole new cast of characters for the Democratic Party. What good is it to keep electing the same players if they are not about to act in our best interests? We have long and hard lambasted the voters who have done the same thing on the right, how can we see it any differently here on the left? We can't keep going after that carrot only to be duped over and over again by these compromisers, sell outs and those who are even actively promoting legislation that is a slap in the face to the Democratic base and the American people as a whole.

    • 2 years ago
  • kennymotown
  • Leen61
  • Misti
  • kennymotown
  • Toughth
    • +1
      Toughth  

    • I keep on hearing the phrase,"We need to go back to our pioneering roots in this nation." This is a fine idea if there was any place to be a pioneer without steping on somones toes.

    • 2 years ago
  • stubones
  • stubones
    • +2
      stubones  

    • Fuck Ayn Rand and her highly over rated admirer Alan Greenspan, who sat idly by and watched our treasury get looted by his crooked cohorts...

    • 2 years ago
  • ThatCrazyLibertarian
  • gump
    • 0
      gump  
    • ThatCrazyLibertarian:

      War is a racket. Lets opt out of that instead of murdering the elderly or euthanizeing injured workers. Where is the liberty in cruel death by isolation and abandonment. Do you ever think of calling yourself thatcrazykillertarian ? Love you man.!! Please rethink a little more compassionately.

    • 2 years ago
  • ThatCrazyLibertarian
  • gump
  • stubones
    • +1
      stubones  

    • We need at least 1 Jiimie Hoffa type at every jobsite...He didn't take any shit from the Corporate slavemasters and the MOB helped out!!!
      Hey, whatever it takes-right-Fight fire with fire...

    • 2 years ago
  • gump
    • 0
      gump  
    • stubones:

      Read DOUBLE CROSS by SAM AND CHUCK GIANCANNA . The mob was not helping out. The mob was helping itself. Who do you think killed Jimmy. Jimmy was stuck with the mob like Barrak is stuck with the koch brothers . Sam Giancanna was partners with a more powerful mob than himself . That was the Bush crime family . Who do you think killed Sam Giancanna ? We need more Jimmys. Humanity always does need champions . But the blood sucking fleas should not be thought of as part of the dog.

    • 2 years ago
  • stubones
    • +1
      stubones  
    • gump:

      Thanks gump- Weren't the Giancanna family allegedly involved with the CIA in the JFK assaination? If my memory serves me well???...I know Bush senior was with them and became the Director A few years later...
      I had A lot of respect for Hoffa but as you say the mob had their own agenda...

    • 2 years ago
  • gump
    • 0
      gump  
    • stubones:

      In the book Chuck tells the things that his brother Sam told him . The CIA was partners with Sam. But when Sam was not much valued any more they offed him. Thats what partnerships were like. And still are like . The SAM co-author is Chuck's son who was named after Chucks brother .Some of the most informative reading I ever did. I remember when the authors were on the late night shows about the book. Not going to say much more cause some of my stuff gets removed and I dont know why except for mentioning CIA and things I know about. A coroborating book was written in prison by the Chief of Police of Willow Creek I thought it was titled TRIPLE CROSS. Dont remember the authors name. I hope this stays here long enough for you to read it.

    • 2 years ago
  • uShine
  • kennymotown
  • uShine
  • kennymotown
    • +3
      kennymotown  
    • uShine:

      Thanks, we all should realize that two Wars nobody voted for are being paid for by us citizens, and then they are turning around and trying to cut these social programs. I sure hope they realize we are all pissed off to the point we are coming for them, defense contractors, congress people, lying sons of bitches on the TV and the Radio prepare to meet your maker!

    • 2 years ago
  • JustZ
    • +3
      JustZ  

    • AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME piece Kennymotown; thanks so much for this one! +^d

      I feel THIS ISSUE is the most powerful cornerstone in the fight to restore sanity to our economy and our country.

    • 2 years ago
  • extracrazykiwi2008
    • +1
      extracrazykiwi2008  

    • Save your money now! If we stay the current course with tax breaks for the rich and our super mega huge military spending, we will all be working past 70. (Unless your one of few rich people that make all the rules these days)

    • 2 years ago
  • tlbuffin
  • SFirman
  • remanns
  • kennymotown
  • pollie_graff
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