Mike Levin: “The solution is simple: formally wall off Social Security from the rest of the budget to prevent continued thievery from…”

“The solution is simple: formally wall off Social Security from the rest of the budget to prevent continued thievery from the trust fund. I know the majority is sensitive to references to stealing from Social Security, but the above quote is not from Democrats but from a leading official at the conservative Cato Institute. Surely the Republicans are proposing the diversion of Social Security moneys. Unlike in past years when the overall deficit was so huge, we are now at a point where we can undertake the difficult but vital task of assuring the long-term soundness of Social Security. This means putting Social Security first, and then a tax cut. Being a 90 percenter, diverting 10 percent of Social Security funds, is wrong. This bill also erodes the fiscal discipline that we fought so hard for in 1990 and 1993. In 1997, we passed a tax cut. I voted for it and would do so again. We paid for it with program cuts deep enough that they caused many to vote against the bill. Today the majority turns its back on that hard-won fiscal discipline. They pay for this cut from the budget surplus, Social Security's surplus, waiving the budget rules. This Nation has benefited from fiscal discipline. We who voted for it in 1990 and 1993 were right. So the better course is to save Social Security first and then act on a tax cut for American families. The majority puts the cart before the horse, trampling both on Social Security and on fiscal discipline.”