19 Comments

Social security is NOT an entitlement! I am sick to death of republicans saying this. Truth in journalism is needed.

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The GOP has tried to sully this word, but I’m not ready to cede it. An entitlement is something to which you are legally entitled. Social Security is an entitlement because you paid into the system and were promised those support payments. It has nothing to do with “being entitled” as a person, any more than having a “right” makes you “righteous.” This is a semantic game they play that we should not indulge or capitulate over.

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Yup, and policyholders PAY more PREMIUMS each year as their SSA "taxable income" CAP (that is really not a cap as it keeps going HIGHER) increases.up to $127,900 this year.

Higher premiums in 2023.

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The underlying problem with the GOP is that they have finally reached the point of party over country, party over God, party over everything else. This is why so many Republicans are looking forward to a rail strike. They figure that it will bring the country to economic ruin, and they'll be able to blame it on Biden, thus getting support for Trump in the next election. It's something that voters should be able to see through pretty easily, but they're apparently figuring that if voters are homeless, hungry and unemployed, they'll vote for anyone who wasn't in office when the storm hit. This is what happens when the "party of limited government" transforms into the "party of absolute power."

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Regarding the baked-in extremism of the GOP, I’m concerned about local activism that seems not to be on media’s radar. In rural WA, there is a “grassroots” organization called Awoken Patriots, seeking precinct leaders to “protect” individual neighborhoods. Their website is vague, but I’m getting a strong Brownshirt vibe. Would you suggest where I can go to get more info?

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See if the Southern Poverty Law Center or the ACLU has any info.

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i trust you. thank you for all you do.

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No "excuse" needed Jay for your worthy link to the eyepatch facts from the 26 year old 'focused' author, Leigh NcManus from Ireland

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OMG-I almost spit out my coffee when I read that!

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Unfortunately, we can no long rely on the mainstream media to put any of this into perspective. They seem hellbent on engineering and enabling chaos and division, solely for the sake of ratings, clicks and profits. They enable all of the things you mentioned by never asking a direct question. If they do, there's rarely a followup challenging the ridiculous answer, or worse, they let them continue to lie and gaslight. We will never be rid of this unless there is accountablity by both the press and the Justice Department. They do all of this because they can. They need to start being told that they can't. This must stop. We cannot white knuckle our way through elections, every two years, wondering if our country will survive. That's no way to live, and it in no way resembles freedom.

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Can someone please explain to me how gerrymandering is legal?? I'm not a constitutional law scholar, but it seems pretty suspect to me ... I'm honestly asking someone to explain it to me like I'm a 4th grader. Is it simply bc the people who want to get elected are the ones who make the laws and therefore set up the voting districts??

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Love the reference to Denzel Washinton's character, Maria. The more vexing "gerrymandering" is changing the electorate's identity close to the Election date when it becomes "too late" to do anything by "Federalist Society" judges. Some changes in districting are warranted & are created by a neutral & fair system such as in CA. House Rep, KATIE PORTER, lost 70% of her Irvine CA constituents. KATIE had to go door-to-door, face-to-face to introduce her politics to a much more conservative voters. KATIE was re-elected !

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The Stewart Rhodes comment made me spit out my drink!

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Two things: the Ohio Supreme Court told them to redraw the unfair maps and they ignored it w/o repercussions. And every single year my mother got a raise in Social Security she was charged that exact amount in an increase in rent.

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You are so right on. I have my popcorn ready for the show to begin 👏

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And I have my puke pail. 😬

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Good article, but missed larger point in your item under: ]The GOP is an Anti-government Party That Is Trying to Govern". GOP has been an anti govt party since at least Reagan. Nothing new. What has surfaced since Newt, Tea Party and MAGA, is the philosophy of not caring whether govt works or not. If govt collapses under GOP, so much the better to build up with theological/ autocratic society.

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My sole issue with this informative and well written article is the reference to Social Security as an entitlement. It is NOT an entitlement, it is earned, and we should not fall prey to the Republican vernacular.

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IMO there are no “moderate Republicans”. There are a few “more moderates”. This is a big difference in terms.

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