The conspicuously wealthy turn up urging the character building values of the privation of the poor ~ John Kenneth Galbraith (10/15/1908 to 4/29/2006) a Canadian economist, public official, and a leading proponent of 20th-century American liberalism. He was a Keynesian and an institutionalist. His books on economic topics were bestsellers from the 1950s through the 2000s and he filled the role of public intellectual from the 1950s to the 1970s on matters of economics.
I have posted many a commentary in which I discuss the wacky statements of a certain Conservative blogger, but this, folks, is simply beyond the pale. I just noticed this comment from Dennis Marks (AKA dmarks) posted on the Contra O'Reilly blog...
| Dennis Marks: And speaking of Bernie Sanders, the greediest member of Congress, he has announced plans to steal the contents of the Social Security trust. No lock box is safe from a greedy thief who is good at plundering. (5/6/2013 AT 5:06pm). DSD #13. Screenshot. |
To prove his allegations, Mr. Marks links to a video (which I have included at the bottom of this post). If you watch this video - or are simply familiar with Senator Sanders' stance on Social Security - you're probably thinking WTF? Bernie Sanders is a strong defender of Social Security (if not the STRONGEST). The video in question is titled "Hands off Social Security", and in it Mr. Sanders speaks out against any debt reduction deal that includes cuts in Social Security payments. He is DEFENDING our benefits against those who wish to steal them!
That Dennis has flipped reality upside down causes me to believe he is on the side of those who wish to steal from the fund. Remember when ex-preznit gwb said the fund contained "just IOUs"? He said that because he wanted to cut payments. This is what Republicans do - they pretend there is no surplus and that the fund is in trouble and needs "reforming". But, as Senator Sanders points out in the video, the fund has a huge surplus. Cutting benefits to retirees is the theft Senator Sanders is speaking against!
In opposing Senator Sanders on this Dennis MUST be siding with those who wish to steal from needy seniors. These are the "greedy thieves" from which "no lock box is safe". In making these false allegations Dennis sides with the plutocrats who are worried that their taxes may be increased to help pay down the debt. These plutocrats want seniors to pay. They want to raise the retirement age, which is benefit cut. They want to adjust the COLA, which is a benefit cut.
Should we slightly increase taxes on the wealthy, or, God forbid, get rid of the Social Security payroll tax cap (so the wealthy would pay SS tax on all their earnings and not just the first $113,700)? The wealthy elites (and Dennis Marks) say HELL NO! Our debt is something that should be foisted on to the backs of our needy seniors. Our seniors are the ones who should pay for bush's needless (and illegal) wars. Our seniors are the ones who should pay back the money bush shoveled out the door (to reward his cronies, including VP Cheney's Halliburton) for "nation building" in Iraq and Afghanistan (a large chunk of which was simply wasted or lost).
In peddling this blatant falsehood Dennis voices his support for this thievery - that is, unless he is joking. This is a comment Mr. Marks made in response to a "joke post" by the Contra O'Reilly blog proprietor, Willis Hart. In Mr. Hart's joke post he insisted that Progressives have a plan to confiscate the entire salaries of CEOs and give it to lower wage earners in those companies. In the title of his post the Hartster claims, "I shit you not".
Surprise, it turns out he was shitting his readers with a not-at-all funny "joke". But even though it was a "joke", this post shows: [1] How much of a Conservative Mr. Hart is, and [2] How much Mr. Hart hates Progressives.
If what Mr. Marks said was a "joke", it is a joke that makes absolutely no sense. Who is he saying Senator Sanders is proposing the government steal from? Senator Sanders says benefits should not be cut, which means he is OPPOSED to stealing from those who have paid in and EARNED their benefits. The only "stealing" I'd have guessed Mr. Marks would be opposed to would be "stealing" that involved raising the taxes of the wealthy so the bonds in the SS trust fund can be paid back.
So, what do you think me-buck? Is Dennis batcrap crazy for nonsensically claiming that Bernie Sanders is a "greedy thief" who wishes to "plunder" the social security trust fund, or is he an unrepentant stooge for the plutocrats (who knows exactly what he is doing in disseminating these lies)?
Video 1: Bernie Sanders defends Social Security and speaks against it's theft (15:01).
Video 2: Cenk Uygur explains how they plan to steal from the Social Security trust fund. Note: This is the video to watch. The first one is too long - I only included it because it is the one Dennis thinks proves his point that Senator Sanders wants to steal from the SS trust fund (3:38).
See Also
[1] Bernie Sanders: Hero Of The Ruling Class, A Greedy Thief Who Is Good At Plundering, DSD #13.
[2] What Is Dennis Marks' Agenda Re Bernie Sanders Positive Comments When He Previously Spoke Negatively About Sanders? TADM #82, 10/5/2015.
[3] Chris Christie As Preznit Would Be A "Greedy Thief Who Is Good At Plundering" Re The Social Security Trust Fund SWTD #316, 11/1/2015.
Dmarks is full of lies like there were WMD's in Iraq, or the ACA is causing businesses to close and people lose their jobs. He's a conspiracy theorist, a nut job, a clown, and an intellectual midget. Have fun with him, but take nothing serious from the dolt, although he is totally serious, which makes him one of the wackos. .
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