Social Security Enlisted to Push Its Own Demise New York Times WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 - Over the objections of many of its own employees, the Social Security Administration is gearing up for a major effort to publicize the financial problems of Social Security and to convince the public that private accounts are needed as part of any solution.
The agency's plans are set forth in internal documents, including a "tactical plan" for communications and marketing of the idea that Social Security faces dire financial problems requiring immediate action. Social Security officials say the agency is carrying out its mission to educate the public, including more than 47 million beneficiaries, and to support President Bush's agenda. "The system is broken, and promises are being made that Social Security cannot keep," Mr. Bush said in his Saturday radio address. He is expected to address the issue in his Inaugural Address. [Story, Page 20] But agency employees have complained to Social Security officials that they are being conscripted into a political battle over the future of the program. They question the accuracy of recent statements by the agency, and they say that money from the Social Security trust fund should not be used for such advocacy. "Trust fund dollars should not be used to promote a political agenda," said Dana C. Duggins, a vice president of the Social Security Council of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 50,000 of the agency's 64,000 workers and has opposed private accounts. more... http://tinyurl.com/5gzdl also Social Security Bashing: A Historical Perspective ...Social Security inspired alarm and heated rhetoric in the 1930's because it involved a fundamental reordering of a portion of the economy and a basic change in the compact between the government and its citizens. Seventy years later, President Bush's desire to transform Social Security from a government-provided guaranteed income to a self-directed savings program also betokens far-reaching changes. As such, it is likely to generate its share of far-reaching claims, both for and against. One often-sounded warning about Social Security did materialize. Critics and supporters alike argued that the government might be tempted to spend the reserve funds that would pile up. Indeed, in the last four fiscal years, some $634 billion ostensibly collected to ensure the long-term viability of Social Security has been spent on current programs, according to figures from the Office of Management and Budget. As Mr. Epstein wrote nearly 70 years ago: "Experience everywhere indicates that politicians will hardly be able to keep their hands off such money." http://tinyurl.com/57tze I am not sure how politicians won't also yield to taxpayer requests to have access to 'their' own privatized retirement account money as they did to 401Ks, taking a little off the top of course. Despite his attacks on myself and others Erik and I share some of the same concerns and distrust of politicians. Gary Denton _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
