"Bush is real threat to Social Security"

[hilster]

http://springfield.news-leader.com/opinions/today/0111-Bushisreal-271703.html

excerpt:

Austin, Texas --The Bushies are about to launch a $50 million to $100 million dollar propaganda campaign to convince us the Social Security system is in crisis. Actually, it's not. It's quite robust and has astonishingly low administrative costs, less than 1 percent.

According to President Bush's own Commission to "Strengthen Social Security," the administrative costs of keeping track of private accounts will be 10 to 30 times the cost of administering the current system.

The Social Security System is in no danger whatsoever of going broke or even of having to pay out less than full compensation for at least 50 years. There are any number of statistical models and premises one can argue about here, but when the administration begins with a premise that requires fixing Social Security based on an extrapolation to infinity, you know you are not dealing with people who argue in good faith.

[shraby]

1. Who is footing the bill

for the propaganda campaign? Also wouldn't that money if put into the social security fund do a bit to help it out? Not to mention the 1-2 trillion it would cost to change it?

[Seldona]

2. I am hoping that this turns out to be political dynamite.

In a way I am glad * is pushing this so hard.

When people realize that he is going to put us even deeper in debt then he already has, and CUT BENIFITS by 30% or more, I really think it will open alot of peoples eyes.

I could be dead wrong. But I just cannot see how he survive politicaly, nor his party as a whole, once people realize what he is planning.

Or course it could turn out that most will not pay attention until it is to late.

Either way, here is to hoping that it spells the doom of the republican party and the neocon agenda.

[Skittles]

3. they need to ask every g.d. columnist and reporter parroting the Bush B.S.

HAVE YOU BEEN PAID FEDERAL MONEY TO PROMOTE YOUR VIEWS. And I mean every g.d. one of those whores needs to answer that question.

[DemBones DemBones]

4. DUers don't seem to be very interested in the Social Security issue,

which concerns me. I hope Americans aren't going to let the Bushistas steal our retirement security. While we won't be able to live on our Social Security benefits alone, we'll all be far worse off if we let them gamble the money away. And it is our money -- we've paid into the system.

[whistle]

5. Is AArp coming out in support of Bush on this one too....

...they say not, but once the propaganda blitz is underway, their executives I'm sure will claim that reason dictates they have to support the pResident to save the country from financial ruin. We don't need to out spend BushCo on this, just bring out the truth and fight them with facts.

Social Security is not broken and is solvent up to 2055 in its present structure. More important is to force congressional legislation that secures the social security trust fund against raiding by this and future administrations to finance their extravagant and misdirected deficits and military adventures.

<edit to add discussion links>

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/03/01/fooled_by_the_shell_game/

http://www.cepr.net/Economic_Reporting_Review/2004_11_08.htm

http://www.deadparrots.net/archives/social_security/0412diamond_and_orszags_social_security_plan.html

http://www.policyalmanac.org/social_welfare/archive/crs_social_security_reform.shtml

http://www.brook.edu/comm/policybriefs/pb126.htm

http://www.cepr.net/publications/facts_social_security.pdf

http://hutchison.senate.gov/95-543.pdf

[mutius]

6. How?

How can we the people stop this man from destroying this country of ours? the man is a cheat and a liar. the media will help bush finis the job. he stole the Surplus-plus and now social security.