The American Human: A Cause I Can Believe In: Increase Social Security Benefits

Monday, February 4, 2013

A Cause I Can Believe In: Increase Social Security Benefits

We're sixty, and we're listening.

I've followed Atrios (blogger Duncan Black at Eschaton) for years, even attending his EschaCon conference in Philadelphia in 2006, and he's really on to something: increase Social Security. His semi-official announcement on his blog today says in part:

I, of course, was there [at the conference] to deliver the truth bomb - we need to increase Social Security benefits.

My new modest goal in life is to get this going. Liberal groups, people recruiting candidates, rich benevolent folks...it's time to turn the tide. This needs to be a key liberal position.

He had me at truth bomb. Seriously, Atrios is right. This is and must be the go-to liberal position. Reducing an already skimpy benefit is Beltway Stupid. Raising a benefit that is key to improving the Boomers' lives, hell, is a total no-brainer.

Ask a Boomer: Should we raise taxes to increase Social Security? Go ahead, ask them. You know the answer.

Atrios for Social Security prom king! Seriously, it's an idea whose time has come. Repeat it until everyone says yes. Here's a truth bomb: It's good for the economy.

"That Atrios? Tell him he's a helluva guy!"

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My General Principles

1. Civilized societies require the rule of law.
2. Science is my preferred method for examining and understanding reality.
3. Religion is superstition.
4. An educated society is a healthy society.
5. Democratic governments are by their very nature socialist.
6. Market economies are by their very nature capitalist.
7. Markets are not (entirely) efficient or rational and thus require regulation.
8. Don’t confuse politics with public policy.
9. Civil discourse requires rational argument, even if yelling or stomping your feet or name-calling is more fun.
10. If you consider making stuff up a viable tactic, you are disallowed from civil discourse.
11. Puritanism is America’s original sin.
12. Income redistribution is good for society, hoarding is not.
13. Everybody, from time to time, needs help.

About the American Human

The American Human is written by Calvin Ross, a retired teacher who at various points in life has been a musician, woodworker, restaurateur, narrator, English teacher in Japan, novelist, technology journalist, and private tutor to Japanese children here in the U.S.

Happily residing in the wine country of Sonoma County north of San Francisco, Calvin has lived in the Philippines, the Netherlands, and the aforementioned Japan, as well as in Chicago, Colorado, Georgia, and many different towns in California, including, of all places, the Mojave Desert.

Calvin, you may note quickly, is a liberal progressive who doesn't think being called a socialist is all that bad, especially since he sort of would like living in Denmark if it weren't so cold. He blogs because he can.