But she’ll never walk the same…

This will be my last major rant for 2010. I'm preparing a year-in-review post for later in the week, and then I'll be back at full strength on January 3rd, 2011.

I have told friends of mine that I expect to not collect Social Security. I turn 67 in the year 2031 and I expect that Social Security will no longer exist by then. We've fought off challenges to the system before, but the first stab in the back came just before Christmas. I just never expected that it would come from a congress controlled by Democrats and a Democratic President.

Along with the continuation of the Bush tax cuts that Obama green-lighted and was passed by congress came a couple of other things. One was a restart of unemployment benefits for a few people. The other was a reduction of the tax on social security that is paid by an employee from 6.5% to 4.5%. Yes, that's a tax cut, and it's designed to destroy social security. Yes, you'll get a little more money in your paycheck - not a lot, mind you - but it's a devastating blow to your retirement.

The total amount of social security tax is 13.5% of the first $200K or so that everyone earns. Half of that is contributed by your employer, but it's still 13.5% of your wages. That drop of 2 percentage points is nearly 15% of all the money that Social Security takes in every year. That's right, Social Security's funding was just slashed 15%. Before this happened, the fund was solvent through 2035. It was solvent for the next 25 years. Now, when you add in the fact that baby boomers aren't going to be contributing to it for much longer and the income is about to drop, we've lost close to 25% of that time. So now it's only solvent through 2027.

Look back at the second paragraph. When do I supposedly retire again?

Now, you might be thinking that I'm being too much doom and gloom here. After all, this social security cut is only for one year. Yeah, right. It's a poison pill is what it is. It's an automatic tax increase for 2012, right in time for the next elections. How much do you want to bet that no one wants to be associated with what will be portrayed as a tax increase?

Even worse, I expect that if the tax does come back, that it will be the perfect time for the Republicants to say "why not take that money and put it into personal accounts instead of the Social Security fund"? This is what they've wanted to do for a very long time - all the way back to the days of Reagan and before - and they now have the perfect opportunity to make it so. And they'll get this passed too - even if the Senate reforms the Filibuster this will pass; too many Democrats cross the aisle regularly and Obama has shown a surprising lack of spine.

Obama kept using the metaphor of having to deal with a hostage situation; that passing the tax package exactly like the Republicants wanted was in fact help release the economic hostages they were holding. Well, one of those hostages was Social Security, and before we got the hostage back they shot her in both kneecaps.

Didn't we used to put people like that in jail?

Cheap shots:

Yet another way we're going to be screwed with instead of helped.

Tell you what. Let's release a small tactical nuke in his shorts. The energy release would be tremendous.

I suppose it's worth pointing out that the states that WON the Civil War aren't so interested in commemorating the 150th anniversary of the start of the war.

Here's why I rent.

President Cheeseburger has turned vegan? Somebody check the temperature you-know-where…

Looks like we're going to have Newt to kick around for a bit longer…

It's as if millions of nerds suddenly cried out - then were silenced.

"Pole Position"? Or are you thinking of pole dancers?

And this asshole wants to be President.

Is he channeling Edward R. Murrow? Probably not, but still - give the man credit. And to Gretchen over at Fox, we don't consider him a journalist - just a better one than you.

And because I love you, Rush - with what is still to this day my favorite song of theirs. That is the most amazing guitar solo - simple, elegant, and sends shivers down the spine.