During the 10/7 debate, Sen McCain indicated people's SS benefits will go down (or something along those lines). How is that going to be received by those responsible people who have just seen their retirement savings -- 401Ks, etc -- go down.

Of course they're going to go down. . .this is nothing new. We've been hearing about this for years. The government is broke. . .and now more broke, if that's possible. McCain answered the question. It's not a popular thing to talk about, but he gave an honest answer.

Let's see what Obama said.

Original question:

Brokaw: The three -- health care, energy, and entitlement reform: Social Security and Medicare. In what order would you put them in terms of priorities?

Obama's answer:

Obama: We're going to have to prioritize, just like a family has to prioritize. Now, I've listed the things that I think have to be at the top of the list.

Energy we have to deal with today, because you're paying $3.80 here in Nashville for gasoline, and it could go up. And it's a strain on your family budget, but it's also bad for our national security, because countries like Russia and Venezuela and, you know, in some cases, countries like Iran, are benefiting from higher oil prices.

So we've got to deal with that right away. That's why I've called for an investment of $15 billion a year over 10 years. Our goal should be, in 10 year's time, we are free of dependence on Middle Eastern oil.

And we can do it. Now, when JFK said we're going to the Moon in 10 years, nobody was sure how to do it, but we understood that, if the American people make a decision to do something, it gets done. So that would be priority number one.

Health care is priority number two, because that broken health care system is bad not only for families, but it's making our businesses less competitive.

And, number three, we've got to deal with education so that our young people are competitive in a global economy.

Hmmmm. . .'

Question: Health care, energy, entitlement programs: Social Security and Medicare

Answer: Energy, healthcare, education???

Nice dodge, Sen Obama.

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"No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?"
- George Orwell Animal Farm

My whole life, I have heard that Social Security wouldn't be there for me. It is, however, solvent until the year 2041. I won't be here when that happens. We do need to tweak it now.

Medicare is an entirely different matter. Part D is tremendously wasteful and was a boon to pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies.

That wasn't my question.

And, speaking of Artful Dodgers, McCain didn't prioritize them at all.

Off point, but are you saying Education in the US is not an entitlement program?

The touchie problem with SS is that if it becomes a need based program, the $hit will hit the fan. And, if it is just an across the board cut, those who really do need it for basic survival will suffer disproportionately.

As for Part D .............. hahahahahahaha. The Bush Adm strikes again for their "friends in high places." I am intimately familiar with this program, how it was developed, how it was rolled out, and implemented. hahahhahahah What a joke on Joe Sixpack.

Do I have this correctly??? Obama wants to give people who can't otherwise afford health care, the same federal health care plan that he and Sen. McCain have?? Does that mean they will be seen in Military Treatment facilities??? I have not heard the full plan really laid out by him, and I can't understand John McCain's plan, either.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

The Senate is covered by private health insurance plans. (They are way less costly than anything available to the general citizenry,) McCain would certainly also qualify to receive VA medical benefits; but Obama would not.

I completely agree with you. LOL!

With regards to Social Security, this has been coming for along time, so it's no surprise. I think the reality right now is that we can't keep spending at the rates we are. The money just is not there. I think eveybody can agree that SS should be one of the last things to be cut. . .there are certainly other things that can go first. But the truth is that everything is probably going to have to be cut, at least in the short term.

If we don't cut, we will simply have to print more money to pay for it. Adding more dollars into circulation only devaules the dollar, and that has global implications, as well as, affects true buying power.

I look at it this way. . .if your family hits rough financial times, you probably have to scale back on everything, that includes even good things like charitable giving (not that SS is charitable giving, but you get what I'm saying.)

__________________
"No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?"
- George Orwell Animal Farm

McCain said that he didn't think they needed to be prioritized, that we can work on them at the same time. But he did address each issue.

Obama was specifically asked to address Social Security and Medicare. He didn't, so we are left wondering what his plan is for those. And it's an important issue for many people. Parts of education are federal entitlements, like Tittle I and Head Start, but education is largely a state issue. . .being paid for with local property tax monies. . .not a federal entitlement program.

__________________
"No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?"
- George Orwell Animal Farm

I found this on-line, and have been trying to investigate the claims with-in it.

Liberty News Forum - Political News Forum

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.