Phil Kerpen

President Obama says he wants to fix Social Security, but by ruling out both benefit cuts and investing in real assets, he leaves only one possibility: a massive, unprecedented tax hike. How big a tax hike? At least $5.4 trillion (for a 75-year “fix”) and at least $16 trillion or even more to permanently balance the books. Yikes.

Read the rest at FoxNews.com Opinion

Phil Kerpen talked about the legislative priorities the Americans for Prosperity and the larger tea party movement want to see out of the new Republican majority in Congress, particularly on the issue of fiscal discipline. Mr. Kerpen responded to a video clip of President Obama talking about his group in Philadelphia on September 20, 2010. He also reacted to a video clip of House Republican Leader John Boehner from November 3, 2010, about the debt limit. He also responded to telephone calls and electronic communications.

http://www.c-spanarchives.com/program/id/237208

By Phil Kerpen

Nearly every major media outlet is reporting that if the president’s fiscal commission gets agreement among 14 of its 18 members, it will force a vote in Congress.  They are wrong.

Read the rest at Daily Caller.

Ownership still only route to protect workers' pensions

By Phil Kerpen

The Washington Times
5:22 p.m., Monday, October 11, 2010

The public's attention shifted to other fiscal problems, mainly the reckless explosion in federal spending and unprecedented intrusion of the federal government into the private economy. Those issues, not Social Security, are motivating voters this year. Democrats are desperately trying to demagogue Social Security to change the subject, but advocates of personal accounts should welcome the conversation because we still have the only real, pro-worker solution.

Read the rest in the Washington Times.

Social Security tax hikes loom in the lame-duck session.

Phil Kerpen
October 7, 2010 4:00 A.M.

The retreat by the Democratic leadership on the extension of the Bush tax cuts until after the election sets up a major tax-policy fight for the lame-duck session — the session that occurs after the elections but before the new Congress has been sworn in. But a far bigger tax-and-spend fight could be brewing: multi-trillion-dollar changes to Social Security, based on the recommendations of President Obama’s deficit commission, which is set to report December 1. The commission’s point-person on Social Security, former Clinton administration budget director Alice Rivlin, said recently that “the stars are aligned” for major changes to Social Security, adding that the lame-duck session was “a convenient moment to do this.” Activists on both the left and the right should be very worried.

Read the rest on National Review Online.

Here are the links to my three-part series on Pajamas Media:

Part I: Moderate Republicans Key to Stopping Lame-Duck Threat

Part II: Special Election Candidates Promise to Stop Lame-Duck Agenda

Part III: Dems Up for Election in 2012 Can Stop the Lame-Duck Agenda

For even more on the lame duck, check out this summary on the Americans for Prosperity site.