Reply #8: Santorum finds many minds made up on Social Security

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Santorum finds many minds made up on Social Security
Senator on tour seeking support for Bush plan
Tuesday, February 22, 2005

By Maeve Reston, Post-Gazette National Bureau

JOHNSTOWN -- Sen. Rick Santorum launched a 10-stop tour of Pennsylvania yesterday to advocate for changes to the Social Security system, but landed -- even at his very first stop -- at the center of an already-roiling debate about the proposals.

This week, Santorum and other Republicans members of Congress are hosting a series of town hall events around the country at which they hope to convince the public that Congress must act this year to address the Social Security program's long-term financial difficulties.

One of their chief goals is to soothe anxiety about President Bush's proposal to allow workers younger than 55 to divert a portion of their payroll taxes into personal retirement accounts that would be invested in a conservative blend of stocks and bonds.

But minutes into Santorum's first presentation at Duquesne University, jeers and skeptical questioning arose from a considerable segment of the crowd. Some of the most pointed questions came from older workers whose benefit payouts would not be altered under the president's plan.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05053/461038.stm