help debunk right wing email(social security)

[iamthebandfanman]

i got this in my email today from a distant(republican) family memeber.

Many years ago in Seattle, two wonderful neighbors, Elliott and
Patty Roosevelt came to my home to swim on a regular basis. They were a
Great couple full of laughter and stories that today I continue to
Marvel. Both are now deceased, but their stories remain. During the
Years of our friendship we had many, many discussions about his parents
(President Franklin D. And Eleanor Roosevelt) and how his father and
Mother never intended for the Social Security and Welfare programs to
Turn out the way they are today. Elliott used to say that if his mother
Returned to earth and saw what the politicians had done to their
Programs she would have burned all of them in hell.

Here is a story I received today regarding the Social Security
Progam and I immediately thought of Elliott's comments Hope you will
Read this and think about it.

Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social Security
(FICA) Program. He promised

1.) That participation in the Program would be completely voluntary,

2.) That the participants would only have to pay 1% of the
First $1,400 of their annual incomes into the Program,

3.) That the money the participants elected to put into the
Program would be deductible from their income for tax purposes each
Year,

4.) That the money the participants put into the independent
"Trust Fund" rather than into the General operating fund, and
Therefore, would only be used to fund the Social Security Retirement
Program, and no other Government program, and,

5.) That the annuity payments to the rtirees would never be
Taxed as income.

Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are now
Receiving a Social Security check every month -- and then finding that
We are getting taxed on 85% of the money we paid to the Federal
Government to "put away," you may be interested in the following

--------------------

QUESTIONS

Q: Which Political Party took Social Security from the
Independent "Trust" fund and put it into the General fund so that
Congress could spend it?

A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the democratically controlled
House and Senate.

--------------------

Q: Which Political Party eliminated the income tax deduction
For Social Security (FICA) withholding?

A: The Democratic Party.
--------------------

Q: Which Political Party started taxing Social Security annuities?

A: The Democratic Party, with Al Gore casting the
"tie-breaking" deciding vote as President of the Senate, while he was
Vice President of the U.S.

-------------------

Q: Which Political Party decided to start giving annuity
Payments to immigrants?

AND MY FAVORITE

A: That's right! Jimmy Carter and he Democratic Party.
Immigrants moved into this country, and at age 65, began to receive
Social Security payments! The Democratic Party gave these payments to
Them, even though they never paid a dime into it!

-------------------

Then, after doing all this lying and thieving and violation of
The original contract (FICA), the Democrats turn around and tell you ! That the Republicans want to take your Social Security away!

And the worst part about it is, uninformed citizens believe it!

If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will
Be planted and maybe good changes will evolve. Maybe not, some
Democrats are awfully sure of what isn't so.






Please give me a response for each, i could respond to a couple on my own but would like someone more educated on the subject to do so if they dont mind.
thanks.

[Robb]

1. Don't have to

Snopes already did:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/sschanges.asp

[iamthebandfanman]

3. lol

DEBUNKED by a debunking website that searches out truths about mythes!
classic!
thanks guys

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. What about the swimming?

:evilgrin:

[proReality]

2. Try this...

http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/sschanges.asp

[OctOct1]

4. see Snopes.com Link.......

http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/sschanges.asp

[YOY]

5. Who starts there BS RW emails? Seriously, is there some wingnut somewhere

typing away or are there actual Republican employees toiling away with the Rovesque tactic of whisper campagns and misinformation?

I wonder...

[Lefty48197]

9. No doubt about it YOY

There is not only a right wing conspiracy among us, there is a right wing industry. I'm sure these lying emails all lead back to Republicans we all know. Whether it's the "Bill Clinton released Osama bin Laden", or whatever lie, they were definately written by right wingers, with full knowledge that they are absolute lies. Those that help spread the emails are involved in the crime.

[BrotherBuzz]

10. 100% Astroturf

Astroturf refers to apparently grassroots groups or coalitions which are actually fake, often created by corporations or public relations firms.

Senator Lloyd Bentsen, himself a long-time Washington and Wall Street insider, is credited with coining the term "astroturf lobbying" to describe the synthetic grassroots movements that now can be manufactured for a fee by companies like Beckel Cowan, Bivings Group, Bonner & Associates, Burson-Marsteller, Davies Communications, DCI Group, Direct Impact, Hill & Knowlton, Issue Dynamics Inc., National Grassroots & Communications, or Optima Direct.


Unlike genuine grassroots activism which tends to be money-poor but people-rich, astroturf campaigns are typically people-poor but cash-rich. Funded heavily by corporate largesse, they use sophisticated computer databases, telephone banks and hired organizers to rope less-informed activists into sending letters to their elected officials or engaging in other actions that create the appearance of grassroots support for their client's cause.

[newportdadde]

11. I've always thought it was right wing think tanks, and they work well.

[gilpo]

6. Here is the original Bill H. R. 4120 Jan. 17, 1935

http://www.ssa.gov/history/pdf/fdrbill.pdf

[LynnTheDem]

8. Refute with FACTS

bush was LYING in 1978 when he said SS would be bankrupt by 1988 if it wasn't privatized.
http://www.bushfiles.com/bushfiles/midland.html

And in 2001:

Commission Impossible:
Why Bush is abandoning Social Security reform

So when Bush became the latest Republican to back away from the commission, its critics were ecstatic. For months they had warned that conservative-style reform would require either unpopular tax increases or equally unpopular cuts in benefits.

Now it looked like the White House had come to the same conclusion.
http://www.prospect.org/print-friendly/print/V12/22/confessore-n.html


Then in 2002:

Social Security In The 2002 Elections:
Candidates Won By Renouncing Privatization

A special Republican Campaign Committee task force instructed candidates there was no way to win votes with the Bush Social Security plan.
http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/6717

Report Predicts Deep Benefit Cuts Under Bush Social Security Plan
http://www.mediatransparency.org/aroundthewebblurb.php?aroundTheWebBlurbID=58

And now, with no voters to woo in 2004:

Projections in a recent report by the Congressional Budget Office say that the trust fund will run out in 2052. The system won't become "bankrupt" at that point; even after the trust fund is gone, Social Security revenues will cover 81 percent of the promised benefits.

The report finds that extending the life of the trust fund into the 22nd century, with no change in benefits, would require additional revenues equal to only 0.54 percent of G.D.P.

That's less than 3 percent of federal spending - less than we're currently spending in Iraq. And it's only about one-quarter of the revenue lost each year because of President Bush's tax cuts - roughly equal to the fraction of those cuts that goes to people with incomes over $500,000 a year.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70E11F73F550C748CDDAB0994DC404482

bush's TAX CUTS for the rich, if made permanent, will cost THREE TO FIVE TIMES GREATER than the amount of Social Security over the next 75 years.
http://www.thedubyareport.com/socsec1.html



Cost of the 2001/2003 tax cuts, if made permanent; $11.6 trillion

Cost of the new Rx Drug Benefit; $8.1 trillion

Combined cost of Rx drugs and permanent tax cuts; $19.7 trillion

Shortfall, Social Security Trust Fund; $3.7 trillion

http://www.cbpp.org/1-4-05socsec.htm

And WHO BENEFITS with bush's "plan"? Why, Wall Street! By BILLIONS!

Investment Pros See Bonanza in Bush Social Security Plan
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0501090320jan09,1,6035889.story


Conservatives rarely point to Britain's partial state pension privatization program, because it's been a total disaster.
http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=8997


BOTTOM LINE:

And if we DO NOTHING whatsoever then retirees will still get 81% from 2052 onwards.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/120804X.shtml

With bush's "plan", you'll only get 75% from 2042 onwards.

So, as always, doing bush's plan IS WORSE than doing nothing at all.

[Greyhound]

12. Good info but that puff-piece in the first link made ill before I

could plow through it.

[LynnTheDem]

13. Yeah that's why I pulled out the good part.

:D