This is the text of I speech I would love Alan Grayson to give. What do you think?
Social Security
To secure the social fabric of our nation.
To ensure that our society is secure.
A system to give retiree’s a minimum stipend so that they can retire with dignity.
Yet in our great country, more than 60% of our nations bankruptcies are caused by medical debts and we kill 44,789 each year because they do not have health insurance. Yes, 44,789 Americans, dead.
Many of the bankruptcies were people who had health insurance. Health insurance with high deductibles, high out of pocket costs, with low lifetime and low annual caps. It’s a type of health insurance called bad health insurance. And please don’t think I have forgotten the loophole insurance companies cherish called pre-existing conditions.
We as a nation have allowed this to happen by allowing the politicians we elect legislate for the insurance companies and not the people. We are the only industrialized country, that does not find a means to insure all of it’s people. The Democratic party was elected to solve our nations problems after 8 years of someone else creating them and we will solve this problem.
Health Insurance companies don’t need to be taxed more, they need good old American competition. Your elected officials should allow you to keep your insurance plan or have a robust, competitive option that forces insurance companies to offer a plan like Medicare to all Americans. These plans would provide the same coverage as Medicare, but you would have the ability to choose the company that provides it. The same coverage as your grandparents, but with competitive pricing, so that 44,789 Americans don’t die each year from lack of insurance.
To help pay for this I ask that a loophole be closed, or at least partially closed. All workers pay into Social Security, but once you earn $107,000 in this calendar year your withholding stops. Many of you may not be aware that this withholding has a maximum because you never come close to making that kind of money. If you make $207,000, $2 million, seven hundred thousand or even $27 million, you stop paying into Social Security at $107,000 and this must stop. Your social obligation to the nation should not stop at a certain earnings amount.
President Obama made a promise during his campaign not to raise taxes on those making less than $250,000 and I believe we should help him keep his promise. Keep Social Security deductions the same for all those making under $250,000 and any income above that should be subject to withholding.
The addition funds will be used to stop the unneeded deaths of 44,789 Americans and the destruction bankruptcy reeks on those swallowed whole by medical expenses. It would provide financial assistance to those unable to afford health care by having (almost) all earnings made in America contributing towards the well being of all in our society.