Democrats: Social Security a Distraction

[corksean]

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush has won very few Democratic converts in Congress for his plan to use payroll taxes for voluntary personal accounts under Social Security, party leaders said Tuesday, accusing the White House of using the issue to distract attention from more pressing national problems.

``We are willing to talk with the president when he has a plan'' for Social Security, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada said as the White House geared up for an intensive public campaign to sell Bush's recommendations. But in a side-by-side interview with reporters in the Capitol, he and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi declined to be drawn into a discussion of possible trade-offs for bipartisan legislation in the future.

Instead, they made clear they will vigorously contest Bush's proposals.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4771904,00.html

[Vincardog]

1. Before we all go invest in Enron aWoL

Why don't you explain what happened to the Surplus we have been paying in for the last 20 years?

If the problem is too few workers for the retired folks
why not do something about getting and keeping food paying jobs in America?

If we have to so something
Why not put the Social Security Tax on incomes above $200,000/yr?

Why not
Let the CEOs pay for all the workers they are eliminating?

[Cha]

2. It's so funny that we have to read

these articles from English newspapers..where the hell are our news reporters?

P.S. I'm happy Harry Reid is standing firm on this!

Thanks Dems for not rolling over on bush's scam to defraud us out of our SS that we put into all these years.

[Liberty Belle]

9. Try this new line when complaining to the MSM:

"Are you on the White House payroll, too? I can only assume you must be, since you failed to cover such an important story. If the European press thinks our Democratic leader's speech is important enough for front page coverage, any honest news outlet in the US should be covering this prominently, too."

[Vox_Reason]

3. That's refreshing.

How about "Let's fix Medicare first, and then we'll consider shoring up SS in a way that doesn't transparently enrich big repug donors from the financial services industry."

Why not call a spade a spade?

[Goldeneye]

4. Here's some more repub. irony

"It's disappointing the Democrats are pursuing a Social Security scare campaign rather than engaging in an honest discussion about the President's plan to preserve Social Security for future generations,'' said Brian Jones, a GOP spokesman.

Bush intends to make Social Security a focus of his nationally televised speech on Wednesday, then embark Thursday on a two-day swing to a handful of states represented by Democratic senators. "

Ahhhh....its the dems that are scaring people shitless about SS...and Bush is going to comfort them tommorow and reassure all of us that SS is fine just the way it is. Its not going to have trouble paying out for at least 30 years, right?

[TacticalPeek]

5. Harry Reid - "It will not happen."

Top Democrat pledges Social Security fight
Senate minority leader says Bush plan 'will not happen'

Tuesday, February 1, 2005 Posted: 6:45 PM EST (2345 GMT)


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush will use his State of the Union speech to argue for a swift overhaul of Social Security, the White House said Tuesday, but the top Senate Democrat called the idea a non-starter.

"President Bush should forget about privatizing Social Security," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid told reporters on Capitol Hill.

"It will not happen -- and the sooner he comes to that realization, the better off we are."

more
http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/02/01/Dems.socialsecurity

[EC]

6. I saw this and the reporters kept baiting them...

they stood their ground and said they would continue to concentrate on the 10 points they gave...I was proud of them...for a change....;)

[AuntiBush]

7. Same here!

I too felt genuine pride watching Pelosi, Reed and so many other's stand up for the American people. Some heavy's I know have repeated said, "Bullshite" is using this as a bait and switch tactic.

In other words, a way to keep our minds terrorized over this so as to keep our attention diverted from (?) Iraq War? Payole's? Torture? Or Something else like Iran?????

:kick:

[Daphne08]

13. These have been my thoughts as well, since

surely they must know that this Social Security overhaul will never fly with the American people.

I've had a bad feeling... that there is something else we're NOT supposed to be noticing right now, but I have no idea as to what it could be.

[Robbien]

8. Today the CBO pushed out the date from 2042 to 2052, TEN more

years than last years projection on the Social Security Trust.

There may be a problem with SS in 47 years. FORTY SEVEN!

We have to deal with this problem now when there are so many real crisis which need attention right now?

[SoCalDem]

12. Indeed.. There will be at least TEN presidents who might have

a better idea in the intervening years..

It's like saying that YEARS from now, when you are on your deathbead, you will probably have IV's , so why not just hook them up NOW and get a head start :(

[GHOSTDANCER]

10. But Harry, He's got to scare the sheep!!!!!!

[EC]

11. Get this....my Republican Boss, told me his BROKER told him

that the deal that * wants to do with privatization (although he says personal accounts) is a good deal....


So I asked him ...Would you ask a Coca Cola representative if Pepsi was better?

He got the point and then I showed him some studies that Krugman has on his (unofficial)site, showing that further recipients are going to be collecting about 20% less than they would if we left it alone. I also showed him what Krugman says about the denominator they are using was at 6-7% (what the market was making during the tech boom) and he even said well, that's unreal, it would be more like 2-3% maybe 4%...so all I had to say was EXACTLY....

[dbt]

14. Oh, the SUPREME Irony of this!

Democrats are CONSERVATIVE on SS "reform," while Republicans are taking the LIBERAL track!

You'd think heads would be exploding all over TerrorVision by now.

:+
dbt