Pete Peterson

The Jeff Daniels character from The Newsroom would know what to ask the operators of an allegedly "grass roots" group called "No Labels":

"Why won't you publish your list of donors?"
"What's wrong with having legislators debate the issues publicly? Isn't that how representative democracy works?" more »

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Millions of people have read the Hunger Games stories, about a depraved future society where young people are forcing to fight each other for scarce resources while elites in the Capital plunder the nation's wealth. more »

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Today a bunch of rich white guys held a "Fiscal Summit" and agreed that:

1. Despite the fact that unemployment is causing untold suffering for millions of people, it's not very important.
2. Despite the fact that wage stagnation is destroying the middle class, that's not important either. more »

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On Tuesday, May 15, one of America's wealthiest men, Peter G. Peterson, will use his foundation's money to lecture the rest of us about why the federal deficit is the most serious problem facing our country. more »

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Heard about the meeting that's being held to decide your economic future? If the answer's "no," don't feel bad: That's because you weren't invited. But Tim Geithner was. So was Rep. more »

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"Hmm," writes a blogger. "Liberals need to get off their fainting couches." It's in an argument for cutting Social Security benefits - and it comes from a liberal.

Benefit cuts would hurt millions of disabled and elderly people, harm our economy, and wound our social character. more »

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It's a trope with our politicians, including the President, his likely Republican opponent Mitt Romney, and an emerging third party candidate over at Americans Elect and NoLabels, Pete Peterson's long-time Sancho Panza, David Walk more »

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In 2010 the men's magazine Esquire enlisted Lawrence O'Donnell, along with a panel of Republicans and economically centrist Democrats, to duplicate the anti-Social Security efforts of the Simpson/Bowles Deficit Commission. more »

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A Huffington Post commenter responding to my recent piece on the Washington Post's recent Social Security article by saying that I "claimed 'inaccuracies, falsehoods, and downright lies' but delivered problems of tone, and emphasis." more »

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Do you hear a noise like power saws cutting away at your Social Security benefits? That's the sound of the politicians working on the "Chain Gang."

They're promoting the "chained CPI," Washington's latest gimmick for tricking voters and cutting their hard-earned benefits to protect the wealthy. That may sound like inflammatory rhetoric, but the numbers don't allow for any other conclusion. People retiring today could lose more than $18,000 in benefits over their lifetimes - and people who are already retired will feel the pain too.

What's wrong with this idea?

1) It's an underhanded way to cut Social Security benefits (its true intent).
2) It's unnecessary.
3) It's unfair to women, the poor, minorities, and the very elderly.
4) It reflects a un-American political culture of pessimism and lost faith in the future.

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