More from DeLong:
Violating the Constitution
Max Sawicky watches the Republican clown show continue:
MaxSpeak, You Listen!: LENINIST-OLIGARCH EXPROPRIATIONIST WATCH: This is becoming too frequent a feature. It never pays to underestimate the craven, reactionary mendacity of the Grand Old Party. Republican Senator Wayne Allard of Colorado takes his stand for expropriation of my Little Nell's Social Security benefits:
"I believe we have a problem with Social Security that will emerge in 2018," he said. "At that point in time, Social Security pay out will be more than what is in the fund put in by working people or employers."
Allard said there are no reserves in Social Security because what is there is automatically transferred into the general fund, leaving a debt of $28 trillion. But he doesn't believe the money will ever be repaid to the fund.
"The money is spent," he said. "I don't believe in my own opinion we'll be able to raise the funds to pay it back."
Yesterday a note from historian David Kaiser crossed my desk that points out that things are worse than Max suspects. Not only does Wayne Allard support policies that are craven, reactionary, Leninist, oligarchical, and expropriationist, it is also the case that Wayne Allard's very words are a gross and unconstitutional violation of his oath of office as a senator. As Kaiser writes, section four of the Fourteenth Amendment begins:
"The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned."
If the [Social Security] Trust Fund should ever have trouble collecting on that asset... some citizens' organization should file suit under this provision to... reaffirm the validity of the Federal Government's obligation to the [Social Security] Trust Fund.
My view: Why wait? Expel Wayne Allard from the Senate immediately for this gross violation of his oath of office.
-- Doug _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
