FICA tax is composed of two portions:

OASDI (Old Age, Survivors, Disability Insurance) or better known as the Social Security tax. The 2009 FICA taxable wages are capped at $106,800 (up from $102,000 in 2008). The maximum amount of Social Security taxes to be paid in 2009 will be $6,621.60 based upon this $106,800 cap.
Medicare (Hospital Insurance). Medicare tax applies to all FICA taxable wages. There is no cap for this tax. The 2009 Medicare tax is computed as 1.45% of all FICA taxable wages. For example, for FICA taxable earnings of $106,800, the Medicare tax would be $1,548.60.

Therefore, for the first $106,800 in FICA taxable earnings, employees will pay a combined tax amount of $8,170.20 ($6,621.60 + $1,548.60). All FICA taxable earnings in excess of $106,800 will continue to be taxed at the rate of 1.45% for Medicare.”

However – in 2016 receipts from payroll taxes will be less that expenditures on benefits. The “trust fund” will be needed. And this trust fund is a big IOU. The money needed to pay benefits in 2016 has to come from somewhere, most likely from increased payroll tax receipts (lifting the income tax may be enough). To actually use the “trust funds” would require other tax revenues. This could happen via productivity increases or higher general taxes or a combination.

We win at the ballot box, not by focusing on Dem leadership.

I must respectfully disagree. We win at the ballot box by focusing on the leadership, as it is the leadership that sets the agenda, and without the implementation of an agenda that gives people something for which to vote, there will be no electoral victory.

When you have a party of inclusion you cannot crack the whip too hard.

This sounds like a great excuse not to do anything. I guess since it is kind of gray and rainy here you could say I am feeling inclusive today.

Escalate in Afghanistan
Drag out our leaving Iraq
Leave the banksters in control
Stick it to homeowners
Stick it credit cardholders
Transfer Guantanamo to Bagram
Keep military commissions
Use the state secrets argument
Continue domestic spying
Protect torturers

From where I’m sitting 90% of the Bush agenda still looks intact.

What is that old Will Rodgers line; ”I don’t belong to any organized political party, I’m a Democrat”

When you have a party of inclusion you cannot crack the whip too hard. There have been some notable exceptions in modern history such as L. Johnson but he had the southern Senators on his side until he pushed civil rights.

His quote was something along the line of: We’ve lost the South for a generation.

This is the political reality that, as Rachel calls them, the ConservaDems are Republican lite. It will take a couple of more election cycles to weed out the Blue dogs and elect more progressives.

We win at the ballot box, not by focusing on Dem leadership.