Thomas O’Neill

Social Security In Crisis: Time For Action!

For the first time, Social Security is in clear financial crisis, as more is being paid out than being brought in by the Social Security tax this year.

This has been a growing crisis, which was thought to reach this point in 2016, instead of 2010.

Back in 1983, Ronald Reagan and Speaker Thomas “Tip” O’Neill worked together to come up with a compromise to solidify the Social Security system, with eventual raising of the age for full Social Security benefit being 66 for those born after 1943, and 67 for those born after 1960.

This was a good compromise as it gave future recipients long range notice of the rise in age eligibility. We need the same spirit of compromise now!

The best solution would be to raise the retirement age for full benefits to age 68 for those born after 1970; age 69 for those born after 1980; and 70 for those born after 1990. Age longevity has grown dramatically, and health care hopefully will make promotion of good health for a longer time much more likely.

This is the time for action, in order to preserve Social Security for the long term future, in the spirit of Reagan and O’Neill!

Plaudits For Nancy Pelosi: The Most Powerful Woman In American History!

With the passage of the Health Care reform bill, it must be said that Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, has to be given the most credit for the major accomplishment!

Through thick and thin, under constant conservative and Tea Party and Republican attack, even on a personal level, Pelosi was able to keep her eye on the goal, and to prod and push not only her Democratic colleagues, but also President Obama, to get into the fray and fight for the legislation!

As The Economist magazine has said, Pelosi has become the most powerful woman in American history, and arguably the most powerful Speaker since Joe Cannon in the first decade of the twentieth century. She will go down as one of the greatest Speakers in her impact, along with Henry Clay, Sam Rayburn, and Thomas “Tip” O’Neill!

What angers so many critics is that here we have a woman, an Italian American Catholic, who had the “gall” to challenge the male chauvinist Republicans around her, particularly Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, who came across as nasty, mean spirited, and narrow minded, a man who will go down in history as a “small minded” man who exploited every tactic possible to deny 32 million Americans the basic human right of health care!

So plaudits to Nancy Pelosi for her fantastic accomplishment! 🙂