Labor & Employment Law

Alliance Renews Call for Simpson?s Ouster

By Mike Hall

If Social Security was on trial, says Edward F. Coyle, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, ?There is not a judge in this country that would allow Alan Simpson to serve on the jury.?

Simpson, who has called Social Security recipients ?greedy geezers,? co-chairs the federal budget deficit commission–even though he is a long-time advocate of making cuts to Social Security, such as raising the Social Security retirement age. Last week, he ramped up his attack on proponents of strengthening Social Security by accusing them of ?babbling in the vapors…and all that crap,? and said Social Security, ?is like a milk cow with 310 million tits.?

The Alliance and many women?s and senior groups called for Simpson?s resignation or firing last week. Coyle urged President Obama to reconsider the White House decision to allow Simpson to remain on the panel, following Simpson?s apology for his remarks. Says Coyle:

Co-chairing a presidential panel is serious business.  Much like serving on a jury, it requires a fair, balanced, and honest evaluation of the evidence.  By this reasonable yardstick, Alan Simpson has disqualified himself from serving on this commission? [the remarks] clearly compromise his ability to objectively weigh the arguments presented to the commission during its deliberations.

Read Coyle?s full statement here.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on August 31, 2010 (boomark / email).