Social Security privatization is back!!!!

[Dr.Phool]

To hell with terror alerts. This is an issue that has to be hammered home this election cycle. Anybody who knows Ned Lamont or his campaign staff should beat Joe Lieberman to death with this issue. He supports it. If you are working on a federal campaign, this should be part of your talking points every day.

Republican leaders in the House and Senate have already made it clear that they intend to pursue privatization again if they retain control. And most Republicans support privatization, although they won't say so publicly.


Article: http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/08/10/back_from_the_dead_privatization.php

Back From The Dead: Privatization
Roger Hickey and Jeff Cruz
August 10, 2006



Roger Hickey is co-director of the Campaign for America's Future and Jeff Cruz is a senior policy analyst, directing CAF's Social Security and Medicare Project.

It is hard to believe, but the idea of privatizing Social Security, which most observers thought had been killed and buried, could return, Dracula-like, from the dead after the 2006 elections.

You won’t hear many candidates for Congress talking about their support for diverting Social Security taxes to fund private accounts—certainly not before the election if they can help it. But most Republicans quietly remain true believers. President Bush, his leading cabinet figures and key Republican leaders in both the House and Senate have been very clear about their plans to again push privatization—despite what the public backlash against Bush’s “big idea” did to them in 2005.

(snip)

Now, perhaps because of his lame-duck status, which gives him the freedom to do unpopular things, the president is vowing to try again. In a June 27 speech at the Manhattan Institute think tank, Bush promised to reintroduce privatization, saying, “If we can't get it done this year, I'm going to try next year. And if we can't get it done next year, I'm going to try the year after that because it is the right thing to do.”

He has backed up his words with actions, such as sending to Congress a budget request for $721 billion over the next 10 years to begin private accounts (unintentionally demonstrating the tremendous costs, estimated at $2 trillion in total, to our government to privatize the system).

(snip)

[Joanne98]

1. ALL pols should have to PROMISE they won't vote for this.

Make them SWEAR on a stack of Bibles.

[sgxnk]

8. which would cleary be

a violation of the 1st amendment

courts of law will allow witnesses to make "affirmations" if they do not feel comfortable swearing on a bible, and they cannot be compelled to under the 1st

:)

[CrispyQ]

2. k&r

:kick:

[fearthem]

3. Democrats need to stay on this, a concern for babyboomers

[Dr.Phool]

9. The propaganda mill is already turning up.

This morning, I received an e-mail from a friend (who's rapidly becoming an ex-friend) on the history of Social Security and the Democratic Party. It was full of distortions and outright lies. Go to Snopes and do a keyword search on "Social Security, Roosevelt". It does a good job of debunking it. I sent it to him, and told him previously to quit sending me this right-wing propaganda.

[rodeodance]

4. so, send this out to ALL that you know. NOT only CT issue!

[Dr.Phool]

5. We've already started attacking Ginny Brown-Waite (FL-5-R)

She's trying to talk out of both sides of her mouth on it.

[rodeodance]

6. nominate

[Xenotime]

7. It was only a matter of time...

This need to be put down once and for all.

[bobbolink]

13. As in, constitutional amendment?

I could get behind that!!

[mom cat]

10. 2 trillion for his buddies, He is relenlessly thieving.

[Nikki Stone 1]

11. Dems need a "Promise to Americans"--a sheet of things we will support

Social Security, Medicare, Improved emergency management.

In essence, a repairing of government.

[earth mom]

12. K & R!

Gawd, I really do HATE these bastards with a passion! Yeah, I know it's not healthy to hate, but I'm just not going to sugar coat it anymore! :grr:

If this issue doesn't put a fire under every middle class person in this country to fight for and save Social Security, then this country is over, stick a fork in it, done. And if so, people better start figuring out how they are gonna make it when they are too old or ill to work. :argh:

[LSK]

14. of course, they are running out of time to pass this

Come next January, they have no shot.

Look for the estate tax to come back a few more times this year too.