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Translation, Please
This is from a story entitled, "Bush Pushes Social Security Plan", written by the Associated Press and headlined on the MSNBC News site. Given the front page status of this story on the MSNBC site, one assumes that several editors and producers read through this before they let it out of the box...
Bush’s plan has support from many Republicans in Congress, though some are opposed and others worry it will not sell politically. Trying to shore up support, Vice President Dick Cheney and other administration officials have held a series of meetings with Republican lawmakers.
Clearly, whoever wrote this gobbledy-gook is spending too much time listening to the President speak about Social Security on his tour:
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, she's asking about the cost of the transition. It's estimated about $600 billion over a 10-year period of time to get the personal accounts started on the -- the way we've suggested they grow. It's a good question.
Yes, ma'am.
Q -- really understand how is it the new plan is going to fix that problem?
THE PRESIDENT: Because the -- all of which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculated, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those -- changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be -- or closer delivered to what has been promised.
Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled. Look, there's a series of things that cause the -- like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate -- the benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those -- if that growth is affected, it will help on the red.
Okay, better? I'll keep working on it.
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Dear God, what if this is contagious?
hahaha WOW.
Chuck in Baku with respect to:
"Dear God, what if this is contagious?"
Posted by Casey Morris at February 13, 2005 04:08 PM
My guess that it is contagious and transmitted through fluids like Koolaid. I am not sure if abstinence is the only sure-fire preventative measure or not.
Chuck in Baku
I posted this on the last thread, but it really belongs here...
This is what Bu$h is talking about: "progressive indexing"
Its going to cut her and everyone else's SS benefits over time, that's why he didn't answer the question.
~~the Repubs will begin using the term "Progressive indexing", which results in SS benefit cuts... now that's typical Republican "framing":the use of the word:
Progressive == SS benefit cuts
Plan presents U.S. with hard choices
Social Security cuts seem inevitable
By William Neikirk
Tribune senior correspondent
Published February 13, 2005
WASHINGTON -- President Bush is aggressively selling his proposal for Social Security private accounts as a potential retirement bonanza for young workers. But he is giving less attention to the chillier prospect that their future guaranteed benefits are likely to be sharply reduced.
snip~
Conservative groups said the White House is seriously considering a controversial proposal that would change the way initial Social Security benefits are calculated. Rather than being indexed to the growth in wages, as the initial benefit is now, it would be indexed to the rate of inflation, which is normally less than wage growth.
snip~
`Progressive indexing'
Tanner said the White House is looking at a hybrid proposal by Robert Pozen, a veteran manager of mutual funds who served on Bush's Commission to Save Social Security, that would use a combination of inflation and wage indexing. Pozen calls his plan "progressive indexing."
Over time, experts said, it would mean that initial guaranteed benefits would be smaller than they are now projected to be.
more~
http://tinyurl.com/7xtnz
~~Major kudo's to Sen Harry Reid! (and others who love their state!
Nevada's Clout Evident in Waste Site Battle
Sun Feb 13 Top Stories - Los Angeles Times
By Ralph Vartabedian Times Staff Writer
LAS VEGAS — The federal government's campaign to put a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain in Nevada is in trouble, having encountered political and legal setbacks during the last year that have raised questions about when and even if the project will go forward.
http://tinyurl.com/5kljc
Posted by: on.to.victory4Dems at February 13, 2005 06:47 PM
Speaking of Nevada, I need to go off-topic and vent a little bit.
It's the Nevada morals that are poisoning America. "Anything goes" as long as no abortion or homosexuality is involved. If either is involved, the morals suddenly turn Puritan.
Britney Spears, who had a Las Vegas marriage annulled in 54 hours, exemplifies the corrupt Nevada morals. Yet she became a "moral issues" voter and supported Bush.
As long as the Nevada morals rule America, I will not be sympathetic to the state's cause.
You know, Ally, when I first heard that Congress was considering a "Defense of Marriage" act, I was hopeful that they were talking about a bill that would prevent Anna Nicole Smith from marrying yet another again millionaire old and frail enough that his next orgasm could be his last. But, alas, the Congress instead had villainy on their minds.
Posted by: Cyrano at February 13, 2005 07:50 PM
You're right on. Marriage is under many threats today. Homosexuality was never one of them.
The reason I don't consider Bill Clinton my ultimate political hero is because not only did he sign the DOMA, but he used it to portray himself as a moral homophobe to win votes in fascist states like Colorado.
Bush is unable to articulate his stand on this and many other issues. He is unable to understand this issue beyond how he can get more money into Bu$hco coffers. That the Bu$hco propaganda (BP) machine is publicizing this as a possibility is clear evidence of their corporate, big money goals. BP will do anything to make what is totally unacceptable seem as if it is a reasonable choice. Yet, as that clip shows, even they have a hard time choking down the absurdity of Bu$hco raping Social Security.
Posted by: Cyrano at February 13, 2005 07:50 PM
On the other hand, Cyrano, old and impotent men get their Viagra paid for by Medicaid. Maybe they deserve to die in the arms of women like Anna Nicole Smith since they get their hard-ons from medicine paid for by taxpayers....
Oh, wait... pharmaceuical companies pay monies gained from taxpayers straight into Repuke coffers for their campaigns... which might explain why the money works on their Pinocchio noses that get longer with every lie they tell....
A European's opinion of the visits of Rice & Rumsfeld:
http://czechedout.typepad.com/
It's also posted as a Kos diary w/comments & also sent to Andree, of course.
Did someone mention abstinence?
My modest proposal is that all Republicans "abstain" for a couple of decades while everyone else does not.
Making the rounds in Seattle democracy cell (courtesy Elizabeth):
I think we need to treat this issue (social security) like a get out the vote effort, meaning we need to get activists together around the country and go door to door explaining the proposal and what it means for each of us as individuals. We need to educate the people before they will take to the streets.
Also, on March 19th when there are anti-war demonstrations around the country, let’s try and broaden the scope to include Anti-Bush policy including SS and budget cuts for the poor an tax cuts for the rich. There is no excuse for each and every activist not to participate I the upcoming street demonstration.
Posted by: DiAnne at February 13, 2005 08:21 PM
Amen.... Or like the Sabine women... refuse to have sex with men (especially Republican control-freak men) until they stop their pointless wars.... After all, why have babies if their fate is to die in a war as young adults?!? Pretty pointless giving birth if the children are killed in the bloom of their youth.... The "natural order" of things is for old people to die first, not their children, and especially not in pointless wars for stupid reasons like control of oil which makes the rich men richer, or wars based on lies....
"Sometimes I think men raise their flags when they can't get anything else up..."
~1970's musical, "Pippin"
Police hunt poo protesters
Police in Germany are hunting pranksters who have been sticking miniature US flags into piles of dog poo in public parks.
Josef Oettl, parks administrator for Bayreuth, said: "This has been going on for about a year now, and there must be 2,000 to 3,000 piles of excrement that have been claimed during that time."
The series of incidents was originally thought to be some sort of protest against the US-led invasion of Iraq.
And then when it continued it was thought to be a protest against President George W. Bush's campaign for
re-election.
But it is still going on and the police say they are completely baffled as to who is to blame.
"We have sent out extra patrols to try to catch whoever is doing this in the act," said police spokesman Reiner Kuechler.
"But frankly, we don't know what we would do if we caught them red handed."
Legal experts say there is no law against using faeces as a flag stand and the federal constitution is vague on the issue.
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1248811.html