Social Security: Mitch Daniels and the Millionaires' "Means-Testing" Scam

By Richard (RJ) Eskow

February 2, 2012 - 2:56pm ET 

Last week Republican Mitch Daniels once again pushed the "means testing" argument against Social Security, saying that we can no longer "afford to send millionaires pension checks" or  "pay medical bills for even the wealthiest among us."

Daniels even appropriated the rhetoric of the 99 percent, arguing that we must "stop sending the wealthy benefits they do not need, and stop providing them so many tax preferences that distort our economy and do little or nothing to foster growth."

I kept waiting for Grover Norquist or Karl Rove to yell "mic check!"  But behind Daniels' 99-percent rhetoric lies a means-testing scam designed to protect millionaires, not restore justice.