Yes We Can! Long Island 2012It was twenty-five years ago this week that I greatly enjoyed A Chorus Line—the show had just opened on Broadway to rave reviews. So, I was surprised to see one of the great numbers from the show back in the news this week.
Actually, the lyrics of T&A have changed somewhat given current circumstance. They now refer to repetitious comments made by Alan Simpson recently. Simpson is a key player on the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. You may recall his “lesser people” comment from a couple of months ago:
Simpson, responding to an interviewer questioning the former senator’s views on the structure of social security: “Where do you come up with all the crap you come up with? We’re trying to take care of the lesser people in society and do that in a way without getting into all the flash words you love to dig up, like cutting Social Security, which is bullshit.”
Was Simpson’s reference to all those not employed in investment banking? (Most of those members of the commission have cut their teeth there). Perhaps he was referring to Americans with modest means or the working poor who rely upon Social Security as their primary source of income in retirement.
Whatever his intent, he presents himself as an arrogant elitist–not someone who should be shaping the future of Social Security. Simpson’s most recent comments put the integrity of the commission in jeopardy. If the commission does recommend cutting Social Security benefits by raising the retirement age for full benefits, members of Congress who vote on it will have some explaining to do for their constituents-especially those in their fifties who have paid a lot into the system, have lost their jobs, and might have to wait longer to collect benefits. (I recently elicited and shared members’ thoughts on how we might best save social security. The vast majority of respondents sensibly recommended lifting the payroll cap, making FICA taxes more progressive.)
Simpson’s attacks on Social Security are undermining the seemingly slim chances of agreement on a responsible and fair way to put the government on a sustainable long-term budget policy path.
So, why the title of today’s message, T&A revisited? The first time I heard the refrain T&A was at a performance of A Chorus Line.
Dance: ten; Looks: three.
And I’m still on unemployment,
Dancing for my own enjoyment.
That ain’t it, kid. That ain’t it, kid.
Thanks to Sen. Simpson the refrain is once again lyrical. Here’s the ‘T’ reference:
And here’s the ‘A’ reference (with a tad of poetic license on my part). A response to Simpson’s remarks on the FireDogLake blog:
What I want to know is – where’s our letter, Al? . . . My feelings are hurt. Don’t we get letters too? Or is your verbal largesse something you reserve for the Older Women’s League and those you think can’t hit back?
JackAss.
And here’s Simpson’s reply to OWL. He is crass, insensitive, elitist–all the traits one would expect a member of a fiscal restraint committee to have (almost lol):
From: Alan K. Simpson [mailto:alsimpson@vcn.com]
Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 6:52 PM
To: Owl@owl-national.org
Subject: To Ashley Carson re 4/27/10 article
Ashley B. Carson
Executive Director, OWL
Dear Ms. Carson,
Someone was good enough to forward me your column of “Enough with the Pink Panthers Bit” of April 27,
2010. Some of what you say is true. Much is not – but that’s nothing new about public life for me! I have news for you too, my friend. There may be no group called the Pink Panthers working to protect Social Security but I sure as hell am! I’ve spent many years in public life trying to stabilize that system while people like you babble into the vapors about “disgusting attempts at ageism and sexism” and all the rest of that crap.
Now hold on tight, because you won’t like what I’m sending you. You may obviously be aware that the Social Security system is “in trouble.” If you don’t agree with that, then there is no need to read any further. But I wish to share with you the presentation by Stephen C. Goss, Chief Actuary of the Social Security Administration on May 12, 2010 to the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. If you think the statistics on poverty for seniors are alarming – then you need to read this little pamphlet to know what is really alarming.
If we can’t get a handle on this system and make it sustainable and assure long term solvency, and make some changes that are “minor” at the present time and will become “major” as each year passes, then take a look at the chart on Page 6 which I hope you are able to discern if you are any good at reading graphs- or anything that might challenge your biases and prejudices.
Anyway, have a look at it and if you should choose, you might communicate with me. If you have some better suggestions about how to stabilize Social Security instead of just babbling into the vapors, let me know. And yes, I’ve made some plenty smart cracks about people on Social Security who milk it to the last degree.
You know ‘em too. It’s the same with any system in America. We’ve reached a point now where it’s like a milk cow with 310 million tits! Call when you get honest work!
Al
********
Well, OWL is hitting back. This organization, the Older Women’s’ League, is calling for Simpson’s resignation from what is often referred to as the Deficit Commission which is to offer its recommendations before the new year
They’re calling for your resignation from the Catfood Commission. We’ll certainly be interested to see if the White House cares about the fact that the Commission’s Co-Chair, a former US Senator, goes out of his way to treat older women is such a patronizing, dismissive and bullying fashion.
As always your responses and opinions are invited and will be shared with YWC!LI’s membership.–Marvin
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