Bush is cooking the books again on Social Security

[Ignacio Upton]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060501/ap_on_go_ot/social_security

The year that SS is supposed to exhaust its trustfund, and in turn cut benefits so that you receive only 70%-80%, has been pushed back for the SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR. In 2004, the report said that the date was 2042. Last year, in the midst of Bush's "bomboozle-palooza" for privatizing Social Security, the the SSA changed the year to 2041 9which, FYIm, is the worst-case scenario year.)

http://money.cnn.com/2005/03/23/retirement/2005_trusteesreport/


This year, Bush and Congress failed to reach a deal on appointing new trustess, so Bush simply gave a recess appointment (gee, there's a surprise) to the old ones, whose terms expired this year. Even Grassley is upset about this:

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060429/NEWS09/604290335/1001/NEWS

It should be noted that the two trustees did consulting working for the Treasury Department, and according to the administration and Grassley, they were paid only for travel (well....Keep skeptical about that.) Also, since their terms expired last year, they have not overseen the finer details of the report, according to the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/24/opinion/24mon1.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

....Also, could someone find out for me which Social Security board is packed with privatization supporters? I'm not sure if some of the permanent trustees are privatizers, or if it is the Social Security Administration (SSA.)

[partylessinOhio]

1. Destruction of the Social Security Administration will

affect every worker in America. They should all be alarmed and stand up against this buffoon that has some agenda to destroy the security of each of them and the country.

[AzDar]

2. "Get your paws off Social Security, you filthy APE.." (with apologies

to Charlton "now, where'd I leave my loaded .38?" Heston).

[Ignacio Upton]

3. My prediction for the 2007 report:

Social Security's date will slide to 2039, and in 2008 it will be 2038 or 2037. Then, once we take back the White House we'll be able to show it's real state.

I know that the political news cycles don't favor talking about Social Security privatization, but it's still an important issue. Republicans have been fighting to destroy Social Security (and all of the New Deal for that matter) since it was passed in 1935, and just because they were unsucessful last year, doesn't mean that they won't try again.

[jaxx]

4. Anything to take the focus off the war of choice, the scandals,

possible Rove indictment.......and most of all, dubya himself. I hope they beat the drums loud on SS again because it motivated people to get away from the pubs and their anti-people attitudes. Just start contacting your reps again, and yell loud............NO!

[Ignacio Upton]

5. Where's Josh Marshall when we need him?

Time to repost the "Fainthearted Faction" list to remind our Dems to stay on message.

[jaxx]

7. Absolutely. When I saw that article today, I saw red.

The stinkin adm. will dig at the people's overall security to live out their lives with a small check each month, but they can depend on it....and keep their pride. This is scare tactics, pure and simple.

[Ignacio Upton]

9. "Starve the beast"

Wages are stagnant, so this could be contributing to the decline in "exhaustion" year, in part due to the tax cuts and Bush's laissez-faire economic policies.

[DanCa]

6. I am asking for a favor from DU

On the day t he chimps out laws social security disability can some wheel me to the white house and dump me on the front lawn. Hell my medicine (which cost 320 without insurance) is the only things that allows me to move my limbs so Bush might as well get the full visual.

[jaxx]

8. Dammit I hope it never comes to that.

The pubs have been after SS since the day FDR got it passed. It's a democrat program, and therefore a pub enemy. We the people can have loud mouths when it comes to saving our lives.......and I don't mean Homeland Security! ;-)

[Ignacio Upton]

10. Kick!

This issue needs to be addressed!

[Ignacio Upton]

11. Kick numero dos!

!!!!!!!!!:kick: :kick:

[Kansas Wyatt]

12. But but but but......

If there are so many employed people in this country like BushCo claims, then why aren't they boosting the Trust Fund?:shrug:

Oh, I see now. More payroll taxes being paid into the fund makes it go down.:wtf:

Could it be that they are not collecting as much in payroll taxes, because they have out-sourced higher paying jobs and have replaced them with low paying temporary jobs?

Maybe more people are actually unemployed and under-employed, than BushCo would like us to believe, and it's biting into the Trust Fund?

Could it be a combination of both?

[Ignacio Upton]

13. It's "starve the beast"

Bush's policies todaya are intended to weaken the New Deal TOMORROW.

[Kansas Wyatt]

14. They have been weakening the New Deal

Over the last few decades, by putting in place a regressive income & payroll tax system that enslaves the Working Class and enriches the Wealthy Elite and Corporate America. By the time they are through, they will have leveraged the Working Class into demanding an end to the New Deal or the Working Class will erupt into a rage against the modern day Robber Barons.

A Newer Deal is overdue.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

15. Think about this.... iffin you rig things so that people will have to

go to their graves working for a living, you have just damn near saved SS. A method to the madness in the U.S.?? You bet.

[Ksec]

16. bush is just stupid enough to think if you say the same thing enough

it becomes fact.

The people have spoken. They told this ahole to keep his supply side grubby-ass hands off of SocSec. He keeps trying to destroy it and hes going to just kill his party. Maybe we should let him go on and on. Its not an issue they can win on and the Dems own this issue..

[opihimoimoi]

17. Its those Pubs and "You are on your own shit"

They really want a poverty stricken class to exist side by side with their own mega rich lifestyles...

This is why they will destroy dilute programs for the masses...Ya always hear about them INVESTING....so they can get richer...

Where is the poor mans investments if not for the social programs, etc that our taxes pay for?? Now we understand why he wants to bankrupt America...only they will be rich and the rest of us...well, we be on our own guys...wake up..this conservative movement is really a plan to DIVIDE AMERICA..rich and poor...pure and simple...the Aristocrats on one side and us beggars on the other...