Bush Urges Haste on Social Security Reform

[Jon8503]

Sure, sure before anybody can figure out what the hell he is really trying to do.

Feb 27, 9:18 AM (ET)
By DEB RIECHMANN

WASHINGTON (AP) - Back from stroking U.S. allies in Europe, President Bush now is lobbying a home-front target: wary lawmakers returning from a long congressional break, where they heard their constituents' concerns about Social Security overhaul. The lawmakers got an earful from voters back home. Now, Bush wants them to listen to him.

"We need to act now to fix Social Security permanently," he said Saturday in a radio address aimed at Congress.

The president is making a fresh push for his plan to let younger workers put part of their Social Security payroll taxes in private investment accounts. He has taken that campaign to eight states and is continuing it next Friday in New Jersey and Indiana.

Bush is making the trips in hopes of persuading voters to pressure Congress to tackle the future solvency problems of the politically sensitive Social Security system. His message is twofold: reassure those born before 1950 that their Social Security benefits will not change in any way and tell younger workers that "Social Security is heading toward bankruptcy."

"Massive numbers of baby boomers, like me, will soon begin to retire," Bush said in his radio remarks. "People are living longer and benefits are scheduled to increase dramatically, and fewer workers will be paying into the system to support each retiree."

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, the new Democratic Party chairman, criticized Bush earlier this week for suggesting Social Security faces a big crisis.

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20050227/D88GTDC00.html

[jean]

in his dream world, if he gets his 'plan' passed, how soon can he access

SS money? I think they plan to loot whatever they can, while they can - but the SS coffers are a little sparse right now.

[BlueEyedSon]

1. "Bushco: Governing by manufactured crises since 2001." nt

[Warpy]

2. He knows he's got to ram this garbage through before

Delay gets marched off in shackles. Once Delay is no longer there to control party purse strings and bully GOP congresscritters into marching in lockstep, the whole thing is going to crumble.

That's the reason he's pushing so hard. This is the culmination of a very long effort to destroy social security. It's their one shot, and they know it.

[PurityOfEssence]

9. That, and the fact that it can't stand the least bit of scrutiny

There's not even a plan. What the hell is he going to ram through, a commitment to create these loser accounts and immediately free employers from some of their contributions? How fast does he think he can suck some capital into the market? Is it just that, once starting the dismantling, he can shrug and say "there's no way to go back now..."?

Is this thing already written, like the Patriot Act, but not to be shown until a stampede is ginned up?

Why don't we just sign the enabling act, swear oaths of allegiance to this smirking little nobody personally, and let him annex a few countries?

This is the most harebrained, half-baked bit of thievery I've ever heard, and anyone who gives it a moment's cover deserves to have his/her career utterly destroyed on the spot.

[snippy]

3. So where was Bush during the last four years?

If there is such an urgent need for action on Social Security, only a lying, uncaring, conniving piece of shit would have ignored this "crisis" for the last four years.

[slor]

4. "hurry please...

before you find out the truth!".

[berniew1]

5. The Social Security "problem" has been deliberately created by the Bushes

The only problem with SS is that BushII, BushI, and Reagan have robbed trillions of dollars out of the SSTF to pay for increased military spending while also giving huge tax breaks to their rich friends and contributors. This year Bush has stolen $250 billion out of the TF to fund his wars and his big tax cuts, that he wasn't willing to pay for through taxes. Similar for previous years and same during Reagan and Bush years. And additionally they have created huge "off books debt" such as the Savings & Loan bailout, Fanny Mae, and other GSEs to cook the books and not show the huge debt as part of the national debt.
The money stolen from the SSTF by these 3 that Bush clearly has no intention to pay back through taxes is the only problem with SS currently, and that should be the focus of attention. What to do with the trillions that have been transferred out of the SSTF to rich people in return for their support of the Repub administrations. These funds came out of the contributions of myself and my generation. Now these recent radical and unethical Repub presidents have stolen the money from it and created a huge problem that we must face. Do we pay back all of the huge amounts that were transferred to their friends or reduce our generations SS benefits. And if the answer is pay them back(as was the original intention of the program and past administrations before Reagan), who pays? Those who the funds were transferred to, or the poor and middle class tax payers.
The periods under Reagan and the Bushes have been the periods of the largest transfer of wealth from poor and middle class to the rich in the U.S. and the greatest difference in wealth between rich and poor in the U.S. in history. We are approaching a distribution very similar to banana republics.
So why doesn't the public understand this and wise up? We can't afford to go on in this direction much further.

[rfranklin]

6. They're going to "fix it permanently..."

Just like my dog was fixed.

[flordehinojos]

7. Yeah, darn bush haste on social security reform. If people dilly dally on

the issue they just might find out how much bush is lying about the whole thing...just like he lied about iraq, probably like he lies about being sober and surely just like he lies about being a democratically elected president. whew! there is so much to be angry at bush for, even without the social security lie and that is just another drop in the bucket before our cup (and surely mine) runneth over!

[berniew1]

8. SS is not the real economic crisis we are facing- Bush has bankrupted U.S

Under Bush the national debt has ballooned to about $7.5 trillion already which amounts to about $30,000 per person or $120,000 for the average family of 4. And a family's annual interest on the national debt is over $5,000 per year. So Bush has given us all a big mortgage with his borrowing to pay for his wars and big tax breaks to his rich supporters. And given his tax policy, its clear that the poor and middle class and your kids are the ones expected to pay off this huge debt.
Additionally we this year had the biggest trade deficit in history, over $600 billion. About half of this is for energy/fuel imports.
The huge debt and trade deficits are causing a devaluing of the dollar and making us all collectively poorer each year. And the Bush policies are accelerating these trends. We are running out of oil and natural gas(and the cleaner types of coal) in the U.S. and the huge energy use of the world's biggest and most inefficient energy user country have already become huge problems that aren't being addressed.
This in addition to the fact that the ever increasing use of fossil fuels is leading to an environmental crisis even more serious than the economic problems. Global warming and global mercury pollution
are having huge effects all over the world and will only get much worse. Nothing to avoid major catastrophies now, but we could still reduce the effects significantly. And there are currently
available cost effective measures involving energy efficiency and rational energy policy(see RMI) that could make huge differences in our economic and energy picture.

[No Exit]

10. "Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to be a millionaire! Call

now! The next ten callers will receive a free roll of the patented Terrorist-Foil Duct Tape!"

High pressure sales from a man who was a failure in business.

[kentuck]

11. Help us push this thing up the hill..

before it comes to a complete stop and runs over our sorry asses as it rolls back downhill...