Reply #5: Maybe if you brought a copy of the latest poll on cuts [View All]

[sabrina 1]

to any of the Social Safety Net programs, SS, Medicare and Medicaid and asked him why they are even mentioning these programs in terms of the deficit, since they had nothing to do with it and most people know that. These are issues that relate directly to everyone's lives. Most people have family members, parents, grandparents, children etc who depend on those programs and the minute people hear any mention of 'cutting' or 'fixing' them to 'bring down the deficit' they know they are being lied to. The causes of the debt are by now, well known. The Democrats need to stick to those causes in terms of any cuts. The public is with them on ending the wars, making everyone pay their fair share, including the wealthy.

One other thing, the payroll tax holiday is a very bad idea. Why did they do that when unemployment is so high? Did they not know that this could create a funding problem for SS that was not necessary?

Edited to add OP which provides the poll numbers on the above-mentioned issue:

jtown1123 (1000+ posts) Fri Sep-23-11 04:12 PM
Original message
Bipartisan Poll Shows All Voters Strongly Oppose Social Security and Medicare Cuts

Some Highlights from the Poll:

A recent National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare poll shows that voters across all party lines share unprecedented unity in their views on deficit reduction. By a margin of 50%, Americans across all ages do not support cutting Social Security and Medicare to reduce the deficit.
Key findings of the bi-partisan poll include:

• Voters oppose cuts to Social Security and Medicare in any Super committee proposal by a 50-point margin.

• 82% of Democrats, 73% of Independents and 58% Republicans, a majority, oppose cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

• 72% of self-described fiscally conservative voters oppose cuts to Social Security benefits.

• 68% of self-described fiscally conservative voters oppose cuts to Medicare benefits.

• 54% of all voters, including 42% of Republicans, would punish their Member of Congress for voting for cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

• 40% of all voters, including 48% of Independent voters, would punish President Obama for supporting cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

• The majority of voters (71%) favor gradually raising the cap on wages.

• Younger voters are more likely to oppose raising the retirement age than seniors are.

• The majority of all voters favor raising taxes on the wealthy over making cuts to Social Security and Medicare, including:
o 94% of Democrats
o 82% of Independents
o 64% of Republicans

Link to the PDF of the Poll: http://www.ncpssm.org/pdf/poll.pdf

and http://www.ncpssm.org/pdf/poll_executive_summary.pdf

H/T to DUer jtown1123