Poll says most want to increase Cost of Living Increases for Social Security

The following poll should tell Democrats that the best and strongest position as a party would be to stand for something and fight for it. Currently, Democrats are playing defense, trying to stop the Republicans from ending our social safety nets.

From a position of strength and public support, conservatives would have to spend all their time trying in vein to convince people that what they instinctively know is right is horribly wrong. Good luck with that;

The "chained" CPI is a Social Security benefit cut (not an innocuous "adjustment"), and the majority of voters understand this, with 55% opposing this policy proposal. A new poll, Strengthening Social Security: What Do Americans Want? from the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI), highlights working people's opposition to benefit cuts, including the "chained" CPI, which reduces the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).

A large majority, 64%, thought the COLA should be increased to better protect seniors and other beneficiaries from inflation and rising prices of food, utilities and other necessities.

There is no "cover" for elected officials, conservative or liberal, who want to cut Social Security benefits. Voters across the political spectrum hold intense beliefs, as evidenced by numerous polls, that lifelines like Social Security and Medicare are promises that should not be broken.

Politico's David Nather recently wrote a piece that some liberal think tanks open to a "chained" CPI would provide cover for elected officials … But NASI's new poll, along with others conducted in the past few months, shows that this benefit cut, along with others, are extremely unpalatable. Social Security Works Co-Directors Nancy J. Altman and Eric Kingson write in a response to Nather's article:

First, the majority of liberal groups oppose including Social Security changes in any budget negotiations since the program is legally off budget and does not contribute to the deficit. This is the official stance of the Strengthen Social Security coalition.  

In light of a retirement income crisis that is expected to worsen in the coming decades, these liberal groups see our Social Security system as a bulwark of financial security that is more critical than ever. While Social Security benefits for the average retired worker are just $14,900 a year, they provide the majority of income for two-thirds of seniors and over 90 percent of the income for one-third of seniors. In the poll conducted by NASI, 71% favored lifting the Social Security FICA tax cap over a period of 10 years. As it stands now, high-income earners only pay Social Security taxes up to $113,700 of their income.