Krugman- Adult Conversation

Erskine Bowles, co-chairman of President Obama’s debt commission:

We have started an adult conversation that will dominate the debate until the elected leadership here in Washington does something real.
Alan Simpson, the other co-chair:

Alan Simpson’s cold relationship with AARP is no secret, but the former Republican Senator from Wyoming took it to a new level Friday. At an event hosted by the Investment Company Institute, Simpson delighted the finance industry audience members by aiming a rude gesture at the leading lobby for senior citizens.

Actually, the rude gesture (more detail, please?) was the least of it. If you follow the link, you’ll find Simpson repeating a whole series of zombie lies about Social Security. He repeats the idea that nobody collected benefits in the beginning because life expectancy at birth was only 63 (life expectancy at age 65, which is what matters, was almost 80 for women and 78 for men). He claims that nobody saw the future burden of the baby boomers, when the Greenspan commission reforms in the 1980s were all about precisely that. And on and on.

And when confronted with contrary numbers taken straight from the Social Security Administration, he claims that they’re left-wing fabrications.

So, let’s get this right: the adults are the people who, bad manners aside, don’t know the first thing about the programs they’re so eager to dismantle. And we’re supposed to take their advice because they’re wise men, don’t you know.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/10/adult-conversation/

Fuck you too, Simpson.

I have no doubt that the GOP will support Armageddon and the Dems will propose something slightly to the left and we will be left with a disaster.

K&R.