The Nuge Weighs In
by digby
Finally, a serious discussion of Social Security from someone who really knows what he's talking about. Here's wealthy celebrity Ted Nugent sharing his deep knowledge of the program with the readership of the Washington Times:
Sometimes you wanna start higher
and sometimes you gotta start low
Some people think they gonna die someday
I got news ya never got to go
Oh wait, that's one of his musical masterpieces. Here's his policy analysis:
Americans have been used, strung along, ripped off, manipulated and frightened for decades by runaway gangs of power-mongering, deceptive politicians.
I give you Social Security. As usual, it is the exact opposite of what we have been told. This classic Ponzi scheme is anti-social and insecure.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt created Social Security 75 years ago. As with many other Fedzilla programs, Americans got suckered into believing Social Security was a healthy, wealthy and wise program.
Social Security is bloated, broke and busted. FDR’s New Deal turned out to be the Rip-off Deal.
There is an IOU for $2.5 trillion in the Social Security trust fund. Our elected bandits stole all the Social Security taxes collected over the years and spent it on who knows what.
The Congressional Budget Office recently stated that Social Security will pay out $45 billion more this year than what it takes in. Deficits such as this are projected until Social Security rolls over and goes completely belly-up 25 years from now.
The only way to truly reform Social Security is to sink it. Settling for anything less than the total destruction of this financial sinkhole would be perpetuating the problem and allowing Fedzilla to continue to pick the pockets of future generations of Americans.
He goes on to suggest that we raise the cap and the retirement age immediately and start means testing while forcing anyone under the age of 45 off the program cold turkey. After all, if they have any balls at all they too can become rich rock stars just like Ted and won't need any social security.
I think it's great that the right wing has such articulate spokespeople for their philosophy. No wonder they're winning this argument.
H/t to The People's Pension Blog who made this dry observation:
At this point in his demented career, The Nuge – Tedly, Uncle Ted, what have you – is an American institution, a living, breathing parody of contemporary rugged individualism that Glenn Beck and the Tea Party would have to invent if he wasn’t already roaming the Upper Midwest...
Although I rarely offer advice, I would counsel you to do everything possible to encourage the Great Gonzo as he lays siege to the citadel of the right, demanding to know why they aren’t getting serious.
Right on, right on.
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