this post was submitted on 18 Dec 2024
226 points (98.7% liked)

News

23606 readers
3491 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious right or left wing sources will be removed at the mods discretion. We have an actively updated blocklist, which you can see here: https://lemmy.world/post/2246130 if you feel like any website is missing, contact the mods. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted seperately but not to the post body.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source.


Posts which titles don’t match the source won’t be removed, but the autoMod will notify you, and if your title misrepresents the original article, the post will be deleted. If the site changed their headline, the bot might still contact you, just ignore it, we won’t delete your post.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials or celebrity gossip is allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis.


7. No duplicate posts.


If a source you used was already posted by someone else, the autoMod will leave a message. Please remove your post if the autoMod is correct. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners.


The auto mod will contact you if a link shortener is detected, please delete your post if they are right.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Summary

At the first meeting of the DOGE Caucus, a new congressional group focused on government efficiency, Republican Rep. Greg Lopez stated that cuts to Social Security and Medicare are likely “on the table” as part of debt reduction efforts.

The caucus, led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, aims to slash government spending, raising concerns among advocacy groups about potential attacks on anti-poverty programs.

Critics, including Social Security Works, warn the caucus may push for privatization and benefit reductions.

This comes despite Trump’s prior commitment to protect these programs.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

A huge, mouth watering steak walks up to you and says, "There's no more food."

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 hour ago

Thank you, I couldn't think of a better analogy

[–] [email protected] 3 points 22 minutes ago* (last edited 21 minutes ago)

Don't worry, the cuts will drain social security just in time for when you go to collect. Current recipients will go un affected. I have no insider knowledge, I just understand that corporate America hates my generation.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 58 minutes ago (1 children)

It's funny at this point. Either the rich pay their share or we Mangione them. Tick tock musky. Tik fuckin tok.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 16 minutes ago

I know a lot of bitter Boomers with bad health and nothing to lose, this could be an interesting year.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 3 hours ago

Yes, they want to roll back the entire New Deal and have corporate serfdom again. They have been saying it for years and now they have their chance.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

No there the fuck will not be cuts to either thing.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 hours ago

Hahahahahahahaahahhaahahaaaaaaaahhahahahaa

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 hours ago

Lovely how this incredibly wealthy person is laser focused on making things worse for poor people. I suppose it's the usual ploy of making people as desperate as possible so people like him can prey on us more easily.

[–] [email protected] 137 points 5 hours ago (9 children)

Friendly reminder that Social Security is a separate government program that funds itself.

What Musk is talking about is stealing from Social Security in order to cut taxes elsewhere (namely cutting taxes for people like Musk).

[–] [email protected] 22 points 5 hours ago (2 children)

That's not completely true. Social Security is supposed to fund itself, however it's currently facing a funding shortfall with current estimates that it will be depleted in 2035. There are many suggestions on how make this program solvent, including bolstering it with general funds.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 hours ago

That's not completely true. Long ago they put it into the general fund. There is always a shortfall in the general fund. Before they put it in there it was solvent, and if they wouldn't have it would be completely solvent today.

It was already stolen. They want the rest.

[–] [email protected] 64 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

I think a good start would be to stop allowing Republicans to raid Social Security for quick cash, like they've been constantly doing since the Reagan administration.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 4 hours ago

But then how could they argue it's insolvent‽

load more comments (8 replies)
[–] [email protected] 92 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Wow! Who woulda guessed they would immediately reneg on a campaign "promise" and immediately attack the side of the population that most reliably votes for them?

[–] [email protected] 45 points 6 hours ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 hours ago

At least until the next pandemic

[–] [email protected] 45 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

"But they won't take away MY social security…"

[–] [email protected] 13 points 4 hours ago

For most boomers, this is true. It’s genx and younger that will suffer.

[–] [email protected] 44 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

Disabled people will be first to be killed by this. It is already a Herculean task to be approved for SSDI and takes years for many despite clearly documented and proven disabilities. And it does not pay out enough for most recipients. That will only get worse if SSA is targeted. I am not legally allowed to state my opinion on this.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Interestingly enough, social security's disability trust fund has enough money to continue paying out until 2098; it's the old person part that's running out.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 hour ago

It should also be mentioned that it wouldn't be running out if they didn't cap the taxable income at $168,000. If you make $168,000 a year you pay the same social security tax as every millionaire and billionaire. BuT iTs InSoLvEnT

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

> some cuts
> the cuts:

[–] [email protected] 31 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (2 children)

doesn't need to be, of course. they just want to cut social security because 'the poors' rely on it more.

debt reduction efforts

deep-six every loophole used mostly or only by the wealthy to avoid paying their share of taxes.

increase funding for irs, streamline enforcement actions, give them the resources needed to go after the big fish.

eliminate the cap on social security contributions, lower the ceiling on benefits for the very wealthy retirees, while raising the minimum benefit.

single payer tax funded health care, paid by higher taxes on the wealthy.

raise the capital gains rates. raise the estate tax, lower the assets value needed to trigger it.

raise the marginal rates for high income earners (by a lot. i want reagan screaming from beyond)

budget problem fixed. well over $2 trillion a year pumped into the economy by people who are now no longer padding insurance companies' bottom lines with it. but we aren't done yet....

$12/hr min wage (wait wut?!?!?! wait for it....)

$24,000 universal tax credit for everyone. the higher taxes up^there on high income earners would negate this for them, and they fund it for the others that do receive it.

this is a compromise between the $15 (or higher) crowd and small businesses. a little lower fed min wage than what's being pushed, but then essentially doubled based on full time work via the tax credit all receive.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

The wealthy, who have had help all their life but imagine they did it all on their own, see needing help when you're poor as a disgusting moral failing. Many of them will also call themselves Christians.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 hours ago (3 children)

This could end badly for them. Old people without a means to continue surviving either have to continue working till they die, or die fighting the government.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

Bill reacted to his death and resurrection into the Entity's Realm by treating it like Valhalla

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

So so shocked. But but they said that they would never go after social security.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 hours ago

I don't know what's more intriguing- the lies or the fact that his base doesn't notice it or doesn't care.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 hours ago (5 children)

Bring it, bitches. It's high time we face the consequences of our collective stupidity.

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 hours ago (3 children)

This is going to go down like a lead ballon, even with the 60+ year old MAGAs.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 hour ago

All they have to do is tell them the reason it has to be done is LIBRULS and boom. All anger directed at Nancy Pelosi, all is forgotten.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

I hate to tell you but it won't. My in-laws fall into that category and I constantly watch them twist themselves into knots trying to justify this stuff. They would also rather do without insurance than watch someone "undeserving" get it for "free".

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 hours ago (2 children)

I'm sure they say that now, but I wonder what happens when they actually have to live it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 hour ago

I have a feeling they will just grandfather people in, and reduce for future recipients.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 hour ago

I guess we're about to find out

[–] [email protected] 28 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

They will blame immigrants, single mothers, non-whites and LGBTQ+ people, and ignore the facts.

load more comments
view more: next ›