Kerry: Bush 'January Surprise' for Social Security

[Purveyor]

Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:46 PM ET

By Mark Egan

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - If re-elected, President Bush plans a "big January surprise" and will move quickly to allow some private Social Security accounts that will reduce benefits for retirees and swell the U.S. deficit, Democratic Sen. John Kerry said on Sunday.

With just 16 days before the Nov. 2 presidential election, Kerry kept up his relentless criticism of Bush's record on the economy in his bid to win a neck-and-neck White House race.

Speaking at a Baptist church in Columbus, Ohio, Kerry seized on remarks by Bush published in The New York Times Magazine on Sunday that if elected to a second term he would "come out strong after my swearing in with fundamental tax reform, tort reform, privatizing of Social Security."

Kerry said Bush's plan would cut benefits by up to 45 percent and would swell an already record deficit by $2 trillion over a decade.

"We just learned yesterday that the president told his biggest and wealthiest donors about his big 'January surprise,"' Kerry told the black congregation. "He's to come out strong, in his words, to fight for his plans to privatize Social Security."

--snip--

Link to entire Reuters article

[Cha]

1. I hate that fucking bush trying to

mess with Social Security and I'm estatic that Kerry has "seized on this"!

[Born Free]

47. It's not just Social Security

Some of the same fanatics that believed Iraq would be a cakewalk also believe the answer to saving America is to bankrupt the federal government, their goal is to destroy the federal government and privatize everything. The statement was something like "shrink it until it is small enough to drown in the bathtub" In reality this effort should be considered an act of treason, but the bush coward and his fanatical friends keep the hope alive to destroy the federal government. If the majority of Americans realized this is their goal, they would run them out of town, but as always the bush coward lies and hideds behind God and anyone that can cover his true identity.

[flyingfysh]

2. starve the beast

This is what Reagan supporters used to say in advocating huge deficits. They were so opposed to any kind of social program that they wanted to get the government far into debt so it would be unable to afford any social programs at all. This would not hurt the rich, since it would be them holding the Treasury notes and collecting the interest payments from the US government.

Bush and Greenspan have talked several times about the "need" to reduce Social Security benefits, so it looks like Bush is actually trying to make the "starve the beast" strategy happen.

[classof56]

6. They've taken the first step in reducing SS benefits

By raising Medicare premiums 17.5% starting in January. We're getting right back to the Reagan era mindset: If you're poor, it's your own damned fault and you deserve to live in desperate poverty. I hate Bush and everything he stands for. We must defeat him!!

[Pirate Smile]

3. Edwards just mentioned it at his rally on Cspan.

[dansolo]

4. Bush is already stealing pension funds

Kerry should also mention that the Treasury is "borrowing" pension funds until after the election to avoid being forced to raise the debt ceiling once again.

[peacetalksforall]

5. To privatize is to devastate. How can any person believe corporations

are NOT going to take us to the cleaners. Again.

The right wing will do ANYTHING to get our money into their hands. Greedy pompous thieves who think we are stupid.

Isn't it about time for well intentioned corporations to speak up. isn't it time for our representatives to do something - expose it simply?

If you start out with a history of criminality, you will end up 'taken'.

[havocmom]

12. Exactly! Corporations became more involved with selling stock than

selling products & services. When they fleeced most of the investment and discretionary income of the middle class, suddenly, their card houses started falling apart and the mega-corp bankruptcies started.

The overpaid CEOs STILL don't have any creative solutions to fix their sinking yachts so they need to SELL MORE STOCK! 'Hey, y'all, let's privatize Social Security! That'll prop us up for another few years. By then, we will have zillion$ stashed away and the retired workers can just go off and die. Hell, they won't last long, what with not being able to get medical care and all....'

Make a pledge to personally explain it to your congressional reps if they seriously consider this turkey give-away to the corporations.

[KayLaw]

21. Sorry, but...

...some of us are stupid, and they're the ones pumping their fists and nodding their heads while they listen to the known drug abusers and perverts on the radio and TV.

[PartyPooper]

7. FDR is rolling over in his grave.

John Kerry must remind all voters that it was FDR and the Democrats who were responsible for implementing this important social program that we've all come to rely upon!

Now the Rethuglicans want to take it away! Shame on Bu$H and the rest of his evil, rich, and crooked enablers!

[tapper]

11. And remind folks it's *insurance*, not a pension

That Social Security was never intended to be about a retirement pension, but rather is insurance against abject poverty for elders and families which have lost a parent! Those statements about the 'return' of what a person has paid into Social Security, and comparison with what one might supposedly get in a private investment, is so much cr*p!

[Amigust]

8. "tax reform, tort reform, privatizing of Social Security"

tax reform = replacement of graduated tax rates with a regressive non-graduated tax that by its nature would permanently lock in enormous tax benefits for the wealthiest and transfer the tax burden to everyone else

tort reform = strategy to starve the Democratic Party of the support of trial lawyers, as part of overall strategy to kill off the Democratic Party except in name only

privatizing of Social Security = part of strategy to eliminate all programs enacted by Democrats during the 20th century to benefit the general public

Add to these three agenda items this one from Without a Doubt, referenced in earthside's comment #9, below: expansion of federal support for faith-based institutions, which is nothing more than payback to the fundamentalists Bush expects to hand him the Oval Office = taking his cue from Saudi Arabia, telling the fundamentalists they can control everything social and cultural, while he hands off economic and defense aspects of government to corporate cronies and neocons


The Democratic Party is Toast, By Grover Norquist
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0409.norquist.html

Eat the Rich ("starve the beast")
http://www.michaelfraase.com/index.php/hasten/eat_the_rich/

Karl Rove’s Master Plan: A One-Party America
http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/04/08/con04361.html

[Steelangel]

15. wow. just wow..

we MUST get rid of KKKarl Rove for good. he is danger to america and the world.

[earthside]

9. Read 'Without a Doubt' - PLEASE!

The urgency of Kerry's charge comes from the Ron Suskind article, Without a Doubt.

EVERYONE needs to read this ... it is a treasure trove of anecdotal evidence that Bush is a nut case.

[Edmond Dantes]

31. Yep, this MUST reading.... and note brief discussion of Sweden

... and then know that about a week ago, a pro-Bush, militant Swede (located in Sweden) posting on a Yahoo Group frequented by American military intelligence (ex and current) made mention of an alliance between the Bush Administration and "the Nordics".

He was quickly silenced by ex US military intelligence.

Does this mean the alliance may have, in fact, been established once Bush realized that Sweden actually HAS an army? Does anyone know?

[OKNancy]

10. It will make a lot of people my age very angry

I'm 55, I've been working since I was 16. I'm sure in the next 10 to 12 years, there is no way a private benefit program would be possible for me.
He better not screw with the baby boomers.

[harpo]

13. this will play well

[The Zanti Regent]

14. But my aunt says THE CHURCHES WILL HELP THE TRULY NEEDY

She watches Jesus TV all the time and the TV Preachers say if YOU SACRIFICIALLY GIVE TO THEM God will bless you and you won't need anything from the godless government.

Meanwhile she says this while collecting her Social Security Check, her VA check, her State Teacher retirement check and her corporate pension check.

I keep asking her if the CHURCH is taking care of HER and she ignores me and goes back to watching Jesus TV

[SammyWinstonJack]

25. Would this be the

"I got mine, screw you" mentality?

[Mike Niendorff]

35. Translation:

"By declaring that God will help you, I absolve myself of my own responsibility for pushing you further into poverty."

That's what it comes down to, although not one of these phony "Christians" will dare admit it.


MDN

[Carolab]

45. Break her TV

and tell her to pray to Jesus for a new one

[catmandu57]

16. Anyone know how this affects SSDI?

Being personally involved makes this life and death for me. I don't believe any religious oranization is going to cut me a check every month.

[mom cat]

18. SSDI is a different program with different funding so it will not be affec

directly by this particular Social Security privatization scheme. It is more a matter of Bush trying to hurt every non-billionaire.

[happynewyear]

22. thanks for your answer

Very stressful to hear this if you are on SSDI and permanently disabled. Does the press (or anyone else) care about this? It angers me quite honestly.

:dem: :kick:

[The Zanti Regent]

42. Remember: Phil Gramm called for elimination of SSI in 1996

When Chucky Heston's pal Phil Gramm ran for President in 1996, he made it clear that he would eliminate SSI and have the churches take care of the truly needy.

[JBB555]

17. Is this such a bad idea...

To allow someone to direct their retirement money instead of letting the SS Adm piss it away. Granted I am getting to be an old fart now, and I wouldn't want to have my SS money to be directed by myself at this time. But if I was in my 20s or 30s and had this option I think it would be a good one. The Stock Market has historically returned MUCH better than the Social Security admin. I haven't read the article, what about this plan would slash benefits by 45%?

[mom cat]

19. Social Security has not pissed our money away, but Bush has.

[JBB555]

33. But wait, theres more!

I have seen MANY president come and go before Bush became president. He has no monopoly on pissing away SS funds. But he IS the one who has proposed that people might be allowed to invest their retirement money instead of letting the government have it to use. Most of my working years I have paid the max amount of SS tax on my income. I will never even see a fraction of this, unless I live to be over 100. I don't plan on that happening. My point is that most people who invest have figured out how to do it and pay the least amount of administrative fees, the govt has not learned this tho...

[Jose Diablo]

43. Well, others may disagree

"people might be allowed to invest their retirement money instead of letting the government have it

You can take it to the bank the people will not be able to just invest it anyplace they choose. Yes, there will be penalties for withdrawing early and regulations that by and large prevent people from moving their money freely from investment to investment.

Now, it is widely known that there are predatory investors that take advantage of advance information and lags in the movement of money from one form to another.

For example we only need to look at Jeb Bush's activities with the Florida teachers union pension in which he, by nature of his position as governor of Florida chaired the committee controlled the investment direction of investments this pension contained from good solid investments into worthless junk Enron shares of stock. I understand the pension got clipped to the tune of $300M. Now think for a minute who it was that benefitted the most from selling their shares of Enron stock to the market then to the teachers pensions. Why it was the officers of Enron, for THEY were able to dump their stock when the teachers pension fund was buy the Enron stock. And you want to trust your disability and a certain amout of retirement savings to a place these people operate in?

We do not have have effective policing of the financial markets since Reagan, Bush I and now Bush II have gutted oversight of the markets, to make sure the markets are not dealing in underhanded methods with small investors.

Now, the SS funds are not invested in the stock market, nor real estate, nor 'openly' traded financial instruments. No, any excess money collected, is loaned to the general fund and you know who issues what are in effect IOU's.

In so far as a private investment accounts to replace SS for those 36 and younger, this is what will happen.

The money collected previously for SS would in effect be pumped into the either in equities or bonds thus putting more money into a relative fixed amount of stocks. You can bet the stock market will soar. But what we will see is the periodic retraction of the stock market as the Fed periodically reduces the available money supply. This is what Greenspan has been doing the last 20 years. You really believe our market operates by some 'free hand' of capitalism, then I have a bridge I would like to sell you.

In addition of the feds periodic extraction of savings for retirement, you can bet the Republicans will get in office periodically to allow the predators to raid companies from time to time. Any bets on who will get hit the hardest in the raids? Ask Jeb.

This talk about private savings accounts to replace SS is the thugs in the market and in governments huge wet-dream.

These accounts would be like sheep's staked in the middle of a field surrounded by wolves. Don't believe anything this administration is saying. Nothing.

Now as for the other administration pissing away the SS excess funds, do you know who it was that raised the constribution rate to its current 15% (roughly not counting medical contributions)? Why it was one of Greenspans first efforts in Reagans administration. Think about that. Much of what we put in has been diverted by the Republicans and Democrats also. But the fund is solvent until 2040. Thus something does need to be done, not private accounts though, that is not the solution.

[happynewyear]

20. yeah right

When I was in my 20s and 30s I could have CARED less about Social
Security and how much I MIGHT get.

Wake up quickly before your children end up paying for you to live with them. I bet they just love you to death too. :loveya:

Ah, those family values. :grr:

:argh:

[tlcandie]

28. What stock market?

:shrug: Right now it's eating everyone alive.. FEW are benefiting and those are the sharks.

If SS was managed correctly just like all retirement/pension accounts SHOULD be via all companies there would not be an issue.

Maybe if some want the option to take it out...let them with a signed agreement and counseling on WHAT will be waiting down the road for them. Once they've received correct financial counseling on all the pitfalls then maybe they will not agree. But if they do.. then that is their life and their choice.

[JDPriestly]

29. Judging from my 401(k)s

privatizing social security is a stupid idea. I have been putting money in 401(k)s (10-14% of my salary in recent years) since my employer started one in 1991. That's 13 years, and judging from my statements, I haven't made much money. Sure, I still have (most) of the money I put into the various mutual funds and annuities, but I haven't fared much better than I would have done had I just put my money into an ordinary bank account.

Social security is not enough. You have to save money on top of that, but, although it isn't very much, only social security is dependable.

Privatizing social security is a red herring. It isn't going to help anyone.

[TexasBushwhacker]

44. Geez, I agree

Especially if your only choices for your investments are mutual funds, 3/4 of which LOSE MONEY! Ah, but they're professionally managed!

Not to mention, where did anyone get the idea that the money you put into Social Security now is for YOU. The workers now pay for the retirees now. The "problem" is that 1) the Baby Boomers are a huge generation and the subsequent generations are much smaller and 2) the age at which you get Social Security benefits is too young, at least by the way the system was set up originally.

When SS was first set up, you could start getting benefits when you were 65, which also happened to be the average life expectancy, so the plan was that half the population would never see a dime because they died before 65. Now the average life expectancy is approaching 80 and we've only just recently raised the benefit age for some people (like me - age 47) to 67. That means we'll be paying a much bigger percentage of the population SS benefits because we're living, on average, at least 10 years past the eligibility date. Who was minding the store on this one?

[koopie57]

32. It is a bad idea because

most people don't know much about investments, and most are not disciplined to put that money away or invest it, the people who will make the most money are finacial advisors, there is too many things that can go wrong or do you always believe all financial advisors are honest. And the SS adm is not pissing it away cuz it has worked too well for so long. Pissing it away...good grief

All I know is that if it were not for social security I would have been raised in the streets. It does so much good and prior to the greed setting in, I think many people found comfort in knowing it is there. These greedy bastards need to keep their hands off social security. They have destroyed so much, why do they have to go there.

[Andromeda]

36. This is not a good idea...

because Social Security is NOT A PENSION PLAN! It is an INSURANCE POLICY!

For people who depend on Social Security to survive the plan to privatize would be a disaster. People can always invest in an IRA if they want their retirement money to be controlled by the markets but Social Security SHOULD NOT BE SUBJECTED TO THE UPS AND DOWNS OF THE MARKET.

[trueblew]

23. Bush says you will get your SS checks...

just they will be cut in half. :(

[pfitz59]

24. Money managers want their "share"......

10-15% of the top for investing "your" social security funds! This move goes to the heart of the Bush family fortune. G.H.Walker Inc earned hundreds of millions of dollars in "management fees". (Walker, as in George WALKER Bush!) Granddaddy Bush was a money-mover for Brown Brothers Harriman! Uncle Jonathon has his own compnay (which is currently tied up in the Riggs Bank scandel). The BFEE just wants their "pizzo", their "little bite" of Social Security. Same as any crime family...... oh yes, 'past performance is no gurantee of future earnings'. Turn SS into one big crap shoot, but the money managers get their share no matter which direction the market moves!

[Eye and Monkey]

37. bingo

[SammyWinstonJack]

26. Have to wonder why the chimp and co. would let this out

this close to the election. They have to know it will lose them tons of votes. Hmmmm? Maybe because they know they have the election wrapped? Or maybe they think we are actually stupid enough to buy into their ponzi scheme.

[Bozos for Bush]

27. DU link with the Scary Social Security letter posted

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x906139

My friends, myself, Salvorhardin, Koko01, Teach1st and others have been working this very same issue since yesterday.

The Scary Social Security letter comes from Gary Jarmin (moonie) who was/is partners with Tim Lahaye, who links directly to the religious right, end of the world cults, and George Bush.

John

[tibbir]

30. I'm 53 and disabled and on Social Security Disability.

Barring a miracle I will never be able to work so I will never be able to make up the expected reduction in my benefits and I'm only just getting by now. The idea that this asshole might be back in office another 4 years scares the living crap out of me. After he's done with Social Security he'll start in with Medicare, my only form of health insurance. (Four more years! Four more years! - gag)

[Bozos for Bush]

34. You're right tibbir, and sorry for your situation.

The AFSC American Federation of Senior Citizens) is part of the HSA (Health Savings Accounts) Coalition, which advertises itself as a coalition of non-profit organizations - so it looks like what you predict might be sooner rather than later :(

[crossroads]

39. We have to beat this man!

:dem:

[Bozos for Bush]

38. My letter to Kerry HQ in Florida - will be faxed tomorrow morning

Dear Senator Kerry and Staff,

I am writing to you because my mom received a very scary letter about Social Security three days ago. I am faxing this letter, along with a copy of the envelope and the "Social Security Preservation Card" that she was asked to sign and mail in, along with a donation. Obviously, this type of scam is horrendous - however, there is much more to this then meets the eye.

Over the last 24 hours, many members of Democratic Underground and myself have been researching this letter, who is behind it, etc. The following are the main facts that we have uncovered so far:

1. The American Federation of Senior Citizens (AFSC) is at the same address as many other so-called charitable organizations, such as Christian Voice, JAR-MON Consultants, US Cuba Foundation, and the American Christian Cause. The address is 208 North Patrick Street, Alexandria, VA, 22314, and the phone number is 703-548-1708.

2. The AFSC is ran out of a house at this address by Gary Jarmin, a Moonie. Jarmin was partners with Tim Lahaye, another Moonie, co-founder of the Moral Majority, and author of several books about the end of the world, how to bring it about, etc.

3. As I said above, Jarmin and Lahaye are documented partners - I do not know what their relationship is now, but they founded the American Coalition for Traditional Values, which once hosted a huge conference that discussed how the religious right could take over America. All of this is well documented online and easy to find using Google advanced searches.

4. Tim Lahaye, as I am sure you know, is a major reason why George Bush was (s)elected president in 2000. It was Lahaye that visited Bush on behalf of the religious right, and approved him as a candidate they could back.

So what we have here is a letter full of lies, asking for money to save Social Security, money that is probably funneled to the Moonies and/or the Bush campaign, or perhaps to groups like the Swift Boat Liars.

This is not a hoax. I will Fed Ex you the original letter if you want it. I have no doubt that thousands of seniors received the same letter that my mom received, and I believe that she was identified by an AOL list of members that Gary Jarmin somehow got ahold of - in the fine print at the bottom it mentions the email address [e-mail].

Anyways, this is not a hoax, and I am a rational man, but after the last 24 hours, I have had perhaps irrational thoughts - for example, did we go to war in Iraq to help the religious right advance "the Rapture?" Until yesterday, I thought it was all about oil, but now I am not so sure.


My name is John Dean, and I live in Orange County, CA. I am a common man - I was in the Air Force from 1976-1992, got out in 1992 because the forces were shrinking in size and many guys like myself were offered early outs with benefits, and these days I work at an electronics company. Recently I have become more and more active in grassroot attempts to stop George Bush, and I plan on traveling to Nevada on election morning and assisting the effort to get out the vote there, since California is Kerry country already. I believe that America has become a fascist nation while many people like myself slept, but I also believe it is not too late to take our country back. "Hope is on the way."

As I said before, I will Fed Ex the original letter to you if you want it. Thank you for reading and investigating all of this, and you are welcome to contact me anytime as follows:

John Dean
(address and phone number followed)

[lovuian]

40. The American People will revolt if Social Security is Destroyed

I can tell you that!!!

[tibbir]

41. It just has to stay solvent....

I depend on it to live.

[truthisfreedom]

46. bizarre! rove must be changing his depends right now. how did bush

manage to slip and use the "p" word? the rethugs have steadfastly avoided that word since bush started this nonsense.

[Supersedeas]

48. plans revealed to his biggest and weathiest donors--*'s base