SOCIAL SECURITY

Famed rocker Ted Nugent is a close friend of Republican Presidential candidate Rick Perry, but said he will not take a close role in the Texas governor’s campaign since he might be viewed with distaste by much of the electorate.

It used to be the third rail of politics: untouchable. A politician could hardly suggest reforming Social Security without triggering a tremendous popular backlash. But now, the idea of eliminating Social Security altogether has entered mainstream discourse.

President Barack Obama has thrown down the gauntlet regarding the deficit reduction process -- the only question is, does he have the support of the American people to enact his budget vision, or is substantive action unlikely prior to the 2012 election, due to divided government?

Rick Perry has been called “extreme” for his characterization of Social Security as a “Ponzi scheme.” However, he may end up being “extremely correct,” politically, if his creative description energizes his conservative base even more.

The patients' names, account numbers, diagnosis codes, admission and discharge dates, and billing charges were posted on Student of Fortune, a commercial homework help Web site. The information was contained in a detailed spreadsheet, which the site posted on Sept. 9, 2010, to show customers how to create a bar chart from raw data.

President Barack Obama's freshly unveiled $447 billion jobs plan would substantially boost the economy by creating 1.9 million payroll jobs and growing the U.S. economy 2 percent, Moody's Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi said.

When President Obama addressed Congress Thursday night, he wanted to put forward a bold, yet agreeable proposal to help jump-start the economy. Here are five things President Obama would want you to take away from his jobs bill, if nothing else.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, 2012 Republican presidential candidate, has renewed his attack on government entitlements, likening Social Security to a Ponzi scheme.

A report from the Congressional Budget Office found that federal disability payments may be tapped out by 2017, while a larger Social Security fund could be bankrupt by 2040.

Most Americans know the norm of postmodern Washington: Republicans oppose tax increases, and Democrats favor them -- unless it’s the payroll tax, which the GOP favors raising back to its normal level.

New laims for unemployment benefits were little changed last week, a government report showed on Thursday, pointing to a marginal improvement in the labor market.

Baby Boomers - the size of your Social Security payment may be lowered, if the current mood in Congress prevails. That's because 'Gang of Six' debt deal plan negotiators want to change the inflation/cost of living formula -- a change that would result in smaller annual payment increases for inflation.

The Gang of Six group of U.S. senators was finally able to agree to a deficit-reduction plan on Tuesday, but House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., only give it a mixed review, citing his concern about the plan's revenue target while saying it proposes some constructive ideas.

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), one of the most powerful interest groups in the United States, has launched a new ad campaign to protect benefits seniors have earned through a lifetime of hard work.

The rhetoric is getting hot and heavy inside the beltway regarding the debt talks. On Tuesday, the Republicans essentially said the Democrats haven't offered a viable debt deal proposal and President Obama said Republican reluctance to compromise could prevent senior citizens from receiving Social Security payments on August 3.

President Barack Obama has shifted his strategy in debt talks with Republicans, offering a substantially larger deficit reduction package that would include cuts to Medicare and Social Security in exchange for eliminating tax breaks.

As if Republicans didn't have enough to dislike about President Barack Obama's health care law, a new Associated Press report states that a glitch in the health care law could mean that several million middle-class people could get nearly free insurance meant for the poor.

The American Association of Retired Persons has announced it is open to cutting Social Security benefits, a change of course for the politically influential organization that could bolster efforts for entitlement reform.

For all the tough talk about budget cuts, when push comes to shove, Americans aren't willing to make the sacrifices to get there. The New York special election for the House seat of the 26th district proved this much.

Herman Cain is the new exciting Republican candidate in the 2012 presidential race. He has won several straw polls and the first debate among 2012 Republican candidates.

The following are remarks by President Barack Obama, as prepared for delivery, on addressing long-term United States and the deficit on April 13, 2011 at George Washington University, in Washington D.C.