Tell Congress: Don't Privatize Social Security

[rodeodance]

I got this as an email.

--- Original Message --------
Subject: Tell Congress: Don't Privatize Social Security
Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2005 21:51:22 +0000 (GMT)
From: Working Families e-Activist Network <[e-mail]>
Reply-To:[e-mail]
To: xxxx


Dear Working Families e-Activist,


(click here)

Your members of Congress can give all their constituents a big Labor Day gift by pledging not to privatize Social Security—America’s most successful family protection program.

Shortly after Labor Day, Congress will begin work on President Bush’s plan to replace Social Security’s guaranteed benefits with risky private accounts—and in the process slash benefits, rack up massive new federal debt for our children to pay off, open Social Security up to corruption and possibly raise the retirement age.

Please send a message to your senators and representative right now urging them to pledge to oppose Social Security privatization. Click on the link below:

If we convince enough members of Congress to sign the pledge, President Bush’s plan to privatize Social Security won’t stand a chance. It won’t be easy, but together we can do this.

When Congress gets back to work in September, the push for private accounts will begin quickly with the House Ways and Means Committee taking up H.R. 3304, a bill by Rep. Jim McCrery (R-La.) that privatization proponents claim is a new idea to stop the “raiding” of Social Security by Congress.

Wrong! The McCrery bill is the first step toward President Bush’s plan to privatize and ruin Social Security—and nothing more. It creates private accounts, cuts guaranteed benefits, increases the national debt—and does absolutely nothing to stop the raids on the Social Security surplus or keep the program solvent.

Our members of Congress need to STRENGTHEN Social Security—America’s most successful family security program—not privatize it. Click on the link below now to urge them to pledge to oppose Social Security privatization:

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/PledgeforSocialSecurity

Privatization plans would fatally undermine Social Security by tossing out the program’s promised benefits in exchange for no-guarantee privatized accounts. More retirees would live out their years in poverty because of huge benefit cuts. In the first 20 years alone, privatization could add $4.9 trillion to the federal debt. And privatization would open Social Security up to political corruption and Enron-ization, because politicians would chose which Wall Street firms could make billions off privatized accounts.

Tell Congress to protect workers and their retirement this Labor Day season. Urge them to sign the pledge to oppose Social Security privatization. Click on the link below:

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/PledgeforSocialSecurity

Thank you for taking action for retirement security.

In solidarity,

Working Families e-Activist Network, AFL-CIO
Aug. 25, 2005

P.S. Read the Pledge to Strengthen Social Security:
I pledge to the people of my district and to the American people that I will work to strengthen retirement security, including Social Security.
I will oppose Social Security privatization proposals that would:

1. Require cuts in guaranteed benefits to pay for private accounts.
2. Weaken the system by diverting money from the Social Security Trust Fund to pay for private accounts.
3. Increase the federal deficit to pay for private accounts.
4. Increase the retirement age.