Hi, all, and happy Thursday! In the last 24 hours we’ve seen a bevy of breaking news headlines with different details but a single general theme: lawless MAGAs are being held accountable. Good! These victories won’t solve all of our problems, but they go a long way in providing justice and, one hopes, a small measure of deterrence to future would-be insurrectionists. That’s as it should be. I’ve said before that we have no control over how these various court cases go, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t applaud when they go as they should!
I know you put this out on August 29th, but could you give the Environmental Voter Project’s fundraiser another plug? I think it’s tremendous that they provide postcards to everybody! Here’s the language from 8/29. Thanks!
Environmental Voter Project is holding their big annual fundraiser on September 12th at 8PM ET, and I encourage you to save the date and attend if you can. (No donation is necessary to do so.) I LOVE this organization and think the work they’re doing is critical.
At this event you’ll learn about EVP’s latest voter turnout work and hear from their special guest speaker: Indigenous climate activist and policy expert, Jade Begay.
Register here.
Also, you can donate here if you are unable to attend or would like to make an early contribution.
We need a little nuance and less demagogic language about Social Security in order to have a realistic solution for changes for a wonderful program started in the 1930s when half of us were dead by age 65. The nature of "work" has changed drastically, by and large far less physically demanding. Though Covid reduced life expectancy at birth by 1.9 years, it is currently 77.0 years. Our birth rate has fallen well below replacement of 2.1/1000 fertile females. The concept of "retirement" as disappearing and doing nothing has changed to working because we want to, often as volunteers and unpaid caregivers and part timers.
My bias: I worked to age 75 and was required to start receiving Social Security at age 65 as taxable income. Now the law provides for 1. early social security payments at a lower amount and 2 delayed payments at a higher amount, which is as it should be; payments indexed to CPI inflation. The time at which if is easiest to take less money OUT of the Social Security Fund is to delay starting to receive it. Who notices a one month delay? And that is when the fund has the biggest benefit. Delaying benefits by one month each year would be imperceptible individually and enormous benefit collectively, Also removing the cap on wages taxed would make the Social Security System sound even with a smaller work force and a larger number of retiree/recipients. Old folks are remaining healthier and productive longer and contributing greatly to society.
It cost far more to raise and educate and civilize us from birth to 30 than to care for us from 70 to death. This is a desirable goal for civilization. We should have a program for a sound and reliable Social Security that young people can rely on as well as seniors rather than treating it as a political 'third rail". Thankfully we have put to bed the talk of "privatize" social security.
SPAN looks very smart - I will be signing up. Here's hoping that it makes a big difference in places that need the most help, electorally: Texas, Florida, Ohio, North Carolina...
Dems need to propose incremental increases to the Social Security cap - something like a $2,000 increase every two years for the next five years. In no actuarial expert nor play one on TV but someone can run the numbers and show how that increase can add to the trust fund, and keep the retirement age where its at for xx number of years.
And speaking of SS, can there be a large concerted effort to stop using the word "entitlement" and push back against that. It's INSURANCE.
Good one! Similar: A few months ago I started saying "Woke is liberty and justice for all."
Yesterday I talked to a friend and businessman in Tulsa who is surrounded by MAGAs and Rs. He has been using this phrase a lot over the last few months, and he told me it is working really well. People are just confounded. Great!
I know you put this out on August 29th, but could you give the Environmental Voter Project’s fundraiser another plug? I think it’s tremendous that they provide postcards to everybody! Here’s the language from 8/29. Thanks!
Environmental Voter Project is holding their big annual fundraiser on September 12th at 8PM ET, and I encourage you to save the date and attend if you can. (No donation is necessary to do so.) I LOVE this organization and think the work they’re doing is critical.
At this event you’ll learn about EVP’s latest voter turnout work and hear from their special guest speaker: Indigenous climate activist and policy expert, Jade Begay.
Register here.
Also, you can donate here if you are unable to attend or would like to make an early contribution.
I'll plug it again closer to the event.
We need a little nuance and less demagogic language about Social Security in order to have a realistic solution for changes for a wonderful program started in the 1930s when half of us were dead by age 65. The nature of "work" has changed drastically, by and large far less physically demanding. Though Covid reduced life expectancy at birth by 1.9 years, it is currently 77.0 years. Our birth rate has fallen well below replacement of 2.1/1000 fertile females. The concept of "retirement" as disappearing and doing nothing has changed to working because we want to, often as volunteers and unpaid caregivers and part timers.
My bias: I worked to age 75 and was required to start receiving Social Security at age 65 as taxable income. Now the law provides for 1. early social security payments at a lower amount and 2 delayed payments at a higher amount, which is as it should be; payments indexed to CPI inflation. The time at which if is easiest to take less money OUT of the Social Security Fund is to delay starting to receive it. Who notices a one month delay? And that is when the fund has the biggest benefit. Delaying benefits by one month each year would be imperceptible individually and enormous benefit collectively, Also removing the cap on wages taxed would make the Social Security System sound even with a smaller work force and a larger number of retiree/recipients. Old folks are remaining healthier and productive longer and contributing greatly to society.
It cost far more to raise and educate and civilize us from birth to 30 than to care for us from 70 to death. This is a desirable goal for civilization. We should have a program for a sound and reliable Social Security that young people can rely on as well as seniors rather than treating it as a political 'third rail". Thankfully we have put to bed the talk of "privatize" social security.
SPAN looks very smart - I will be signing up. Here's hoping that it makes a big difference in places that need the most help, electorally: Texas, Florida, Ohio, North Carolina...
Dems need to propose incremental increases to the Social Security cap - something like a $2,000 increase every two years for the next five years. In no actuarial expert nor play one on TV but someone can run the numbers and show how that increase can add to the trust fund, and keep the retirement age where its at for xx number of years.
And speaking of SS, can there be a large concerted effort to stop using the word "entitlement" and push back against that. It's INSURANCE.
Good one! Similar: A few months ago I started saying "Woke is liberty and justice for all."
Yesterday I talked to a friend and businessman in Tulsa who is surrounded by MAGAs and Rs. He has been using this phrase a lot over the last few months, and he told me it is working really well. People are just confounded. Great!