Tom Harkin Has It Right

Do we all remember when in 1992 Tom Harkin, Senator from Iowa, ran for President. Harkin is an unabashed liberal. It is good to see that there are a few left. Harkin states his hero as FDR and he last week spoke out in the United States Senate against the recently passed Payroll Tax Cut.

As I wrote here recently Michelle Bachman, the usually dependably crazy Congresswoman from Minnesota, had spoken out against the plan as well and to her credit did so stating that shorting Social Security funding was a bad idea.

Still I felt better knowing that Harkin, an unabashed liberal, in voting against the bill stated that Democrats should know better. Social Security is the most successful part of Government, a program that FDR should still be proud of. He stated that against all the scorn Republicans put on the plan we have always been able to say that it does not cost the treasury a cent and does not increse the bidget deficit. Harkin shows that his has all changed now. By stating that the reduced contributions to the fund will be made up from the governments general fund it becomes clear that this part of the fund will be adding to the deficit. In short Democrats have allowed, and this time they have done it to themselves, their signature success to become politicized and part of the budget process.

They and the country will regret the day. Tom Harkin is right. Most Democrats in their hearts know this as well. It is remarkably short sighted.