Not the change we voted for

The President's spokesman says he'd be willing to cut Social Security benefits. The Prez wants his "big deal" on the budget and deficit. And apparently he's willing to screw old people to get it.

From Monday's press briefing:

Q    What about reducing the annual cost of living increases for Social Security recipients?

     MR. CARNEY:  Again, as part of a big deal, part of a comprehensive package that reduces our deficit and achieves that $4-trillion goal that was set out by so many people in and outside of government a number of years ago, he would consider that the hard choice that includes the so-called chain CPI, in fact, he put that on the table in his proposal, but not in a cherry-picked or piecemeal way.  That’s got to be part of a comprehensive package that asks that the burden be shared; that we don’t, as some in Congress want, ask seniors to bear the burden of further deficit reduction alone, or middle-class families who are struggling to send their kids to college, or parents of children who are disabled who rely on programs to help them get through. …

     Q    But I just want to be clear what you said at the beginning of that answer, which is the President --

     MR. CARNEY:  It is not our --

     Q    -- as part of an overall balanced approach, he does not rule out effectively reducing benefits for Social Security recipients?

     MR. CARNEY:  He has put forward a technical change as part of a big deal -- and it’s on the table -- that he put forward to the Speaker of the House.  The Speaker of the House, by the way, walked away from that deal even though it met the Republicans halfway on revenues and halfway on spending cuts and included some tough decisions by the President on entitlements.  The Speaker walked away from that deal.
     
But as part of that deal, the technical change in the so-called CPI is possible in his own offer as part of a big deal.

What would so-called chained-CPI do?

Bold Progressives offers a picture.

Besides using "technical" obfuscation to disquise a cut to benefits, cutting Social Security is an injustice. Social Security does not add a dime to the deficit. This idea is a myth propagated by people who don't want to pay taxes for things they do like, such as wars and the Border Patrol.

The Prez is buying a crock here.