Bumpy road ahead for America’s seniors

By Becci Robbins
SC Alliance for Retired Americans

For advocates working to protect the health and well-being of America’s seniors, the recent failure of the Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform to muster the votes to send its proposal to Congress was a relief, although that’s likely to be short-lived. The proposal included cuts to Medicare and Social Security, as well as raising the retirement age to 69, a move that would hit hardest those with physically demanding jobs.

Such disregard for older Americans is unbecoming of such a wealthy nation. But it’s no surprise, as the report echoes the larger problem of Congress choosing at every turn to promote the interests of Wall Street over Main Street. Sadly, US Rep. John Spratt, who served on the Commission and supported the proposal, betrayed the retirees in the 5th District who helped keep him in office 28 years.

It was a missed opportunity. As Chairman of the Budget Committee, Congressman Spratt knows better than most that Social Security has not added a dime to the deficit and shouldn’t be used to fix a problem it didn’t create. He could have opposed the proposal as a parting gift to his constituents — and to inspire his Democrat colleagues to stand for the Party’s core values of protecting the least of us. Instead, he squandered his key vote to appease the Washington establishment.

While the report was DOA, lawmakers and pundits say it provides a road map out of the deficit ditch. Seniors would do well to buckle up for what promises to be a bumpy ride. Just Friday, amid talk of tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, Congress rejected a one-time $250 payment to retirees who, for the second year in a row, have been denied a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA).

That’s not being fiscally responsible. It’s being morally bankrupt.