Dear former Senator Alan Simpson,

I've seen you on television chatting up your debt reduction proposal with Jon Stewart of the Daily Show, Savannah Guthrie of the Today Show and Bob Schieffer of Face the Nation. And while you come across as a likable guy, your claim to be working on behalf of the next generation of young Americans is bogus. Here's why.

You see, your argument rests on a big myth: that in order to save Social Security and Medicare for the young, you have to cut our benefits. This couldn't be further from the truth. There are fairer ways to ensure that these pillars of American progress stand the test of time. One option includes making wealthy individuals pay more by lifting Social Security's cap on wages, currently set at $110,100.

Mad Men is about to make Emmy history with the highest number of nominations for a drama series. The show depicts an era of American history when the priorities, preferences, and opinions of men prevailed in the public and private spheres of American life, often to the detriment of women. While the show is set in the 1960s, we could imagine what its storyline would look like if written for today's era.

Ivy Ngo, Policy Advocate at the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, speaks about the importance of social security, and other social insurance programs, for Asian American communities at a Capitol Hill briefing titled "What's at Stake? Proposed Deficit Reduction Measures Affecting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and the Impact on Communities of Color".

Sinsi Hernandez-Cancio, Director of Health Equity at FamiliesUSA, on the importance of Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security for communities of color at a Capitol Hill briefing titled "What's at Stake? Proposed Deficit Reduction Measures Affecting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and the Impact on Communities of Color".

Leticia Miranda, Associate Director of Economic and Employment Policy at the National Council of La Raza, speaks about the importance of social security for Latino communities, especially for retired beneficiaries and migrant communities at a Capitol Hill briefing titled "What's at Stake? Proposed Deficit Reduction Measures Affecting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and the Impact on Communities of Color".

Dr. Maya Rockeymoore, President and CEO of Global Policy Solutions, speaks about deficit reduction, the role of the "Supercommittee" and social security reform at a Capitol Hill briefing titled "What's at Stake? Proposed Deficit Reduction Measures Affecting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and the Impact on Communities of Color".

The steep drop in stocks since passage of the ill-fated debt deal indicates that even markets understand the disastrous consequences of what has just occurred.

The high stakes debt ceiling negotiations have had Americans and the rest of the world on the edge of their seats. While most of the media elite has focused on whether our political leaders can achieve a bipartisan deal on the debt, the rest of the world has taken note of how dysfunctional our democratic institutions have become.

Congress is currently debating to make serious cuts in Social Security. Some analysts in Washington believe that the cuts are necessary to help the country out of its economic downturn.  However, any changes in the program will severely affect all recipients, particularly African-Americans.

At 84, billionaire Peter G. Peterson won’t be affected by any proposed changes to Social Security and, given his personal fortune (Forbes puts his net worth at $1.7 billion), it wouldn’t matter if he were. Nonetheless, Peterson is obsessed with fixing the entitlement program. He has spent the past 30 years warning that, unless we address the nation’s debt, deficits and entitlements programs, this country is headed for economic disaster.