Social Security on the chopping block

Click here to sign your name: "President Obama: Americans are counting on you to defend Social Security. Tell Congress you will veto any benefit cut, including raising the retirement age" Sign the petition

Dear MoveOn member,

Yesterday, Republicans passed a bill to repeal health care reform. We know that bill won't become law.

But their next target is Social Security—and there, they might just succeed.

Washington has been whipped into a frenzy over the deficit, and there are rumors the White House may try to cut a deal with Republicans by offering cuts to Social Security in the State of the Union¹, just like they did over the Bush tax cuts.

Some key Democrats in Congress have also signaled that they're open to cutting Social Security.² But cutting Social Security is massively unpopular³, and if we can spread the word that this threat is more real than ever, we can create an outcry loud enough to stop it in its tracks.

So we're aiming to get 150,000 signatures saying that any cuts to the most successful government program in history have to be completely off the table. We'll deliver the petition to the White House before the speech next week. Will you add your name?

Click here to sign the petition to President Obama

Tea Party hysteria about deficits is pushing Republicans—and many Democrats—to support big cuts to Social Security benefits. Speaker of the House John Boehner wants to cut benefits³ by over 20%⁴, and he's not alone. Members of the media, and even leading Democrats like Steny Hoyer are trumpeting Social Security cuts—even though Social Security runs a surplus, can't contribute to the deficit, and can be secured for decades without any cuts to benefits.

If the rumors are right, President Obama could be next to embrace cuts, even as soon as the State of the Union address next week. Social Security belongs to us, the people who pay into it, and benefit cuts are deeply unpopular—not to mention devastating for the middle class workers who count on benefits to make ends meet.

We can stop benefit cuts in their tracks, but President Obama needs to hear from us. We need a massive outcry in defense of Social Security, to convince the President to take benefit cuts off the table. We're aiming for 150,000 signatures to get things started—can you add your name?

Click here to sign the petition to President Obama

Thanks for all you do.

–Daniel, Joan, Duncan, Nita, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Liberals warn of Democratic schism if Obama backs Social Security cut" The Hill, January 15, 2011.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205831&id=25858-10220574-It.HOEx&t=5

2. "Raising the Social Security Retirement Age" Washington Independent, July 7, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205828&id=25858-10220574-It.HOEx&t=6

3.  "If Obama Moves Right He Loses Everybody—and Everybody Loses" Huffington Post, January 19, 2011.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205827&id=25858-10220574-It.HOEx&t=7

4. "John Boehner: Raise Social Security Retirement Age to 70" CBS News, June 29, 2010.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20009192-503544.html

5. "Social Security: A Consensus Based on Confusion" Brookings Institution, July 19, 2010.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205791&id=&t=5&id=25858-10220574-It.HOEx&t=8

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PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on January 20, 2011. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.