Soc. Sec. Admin. modified documents for Bush agenda, Lieberman quotes them

Someone want to explain this to Lieberman?

NEW REPORT DETAILS THE POLITICIZATION OF SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
UNDER PRESIDENT BUSH
WASHINGTON - Today Reps. Henry A. Waxman, Rep. Charles B. Rangel, and Rep.
Sander M. Levin, along with Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Whip
Steny Hoyer, and Reps. Obey, Miller, and DeLauro, released a new report that
shows how the Social Security Administration has modified its communications
strategy to undermine public confidence in Social Security.

The report, based on a review of over 4,000 pages of Social Security
documents from 1995 to 2005, reveals that the agency has systematically
altered agency publications, press releases, PowerPoint presentations,
website content, and even its annual statements to foster the impression
that Social Security is "unsustainable" and "must change." The agency's new
pessimistic tone and emphasis echo President Bush's warnings about the
future of Social Security.

"The job of the Social Security Administration is to run the Social
Security program, not to provide political cover for President Bush," said
Rep. Waxman. "The agency has sacrificed its independence and abandoned its
tradition of nonpartisan administration of Social Security."

"This blatant change in message and tactics is shameless politicization,"
said Rep. Levin. "The Bush Administration must stop using the SSA as it
tries to scare up support for privatizing Social Security. The agency must
reassert its independence and promote its goal - professional, nonpartisan
administration of the Social Security programs."

The report provides detailed, side-by-side examples of the changes in
Social Security Administration documents during the Bush Administration.
These changes include:

a.. "The Future of Social Security" booklet - which used to begin: "Will
Social Security be there for you? Absolutely" - now begins: "Social Security
must change."

a.. Agency press releases on the solvency of Social Security have grown
more dire even as the projections of the program's long-term solvency have
improved.

a.. Agency presentations have eliminated statements that assure
beneficiaries that "there is no immediate financial crisis."

a.. The annual Social Security statement sent to Americans has dropped the
assurance that Social Security will "be there when you retire" and no longer
encourages Americans to think of Social Security as a "foundation on which
to build your financial future."
http://www.democrats.reform.house.gov/investigations.asp?Issue=Social+Security+

The complete report is available at http://www.democrats.reform.house.gov.

http://blog.dccc.org/mt/archives/002269.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/18/opinion/l18lieberman.html?

"Paul Krugman ("The $600 Billion Man," column, March 15) claims that when I say that every year we do nothing about Social Security's coming insolvency we add $600 billion in unfunded liabilities, I am "helping to spread a lie."

Nonsense. Experts we've consulted at the Social Security Administration have confirmed this estimate.

Everyone knows that Social Security is on a path to insolvency. Every year that we wait to make the program solvent will cost us more."

I wish I could say I was surprised but I am not. The thing is, they keep coming out with these reports faster and faster. They obviously are getting sloppy or do they care? They want to change the rules of the Senate so they can do anything they want, so I think they are doing it in the open. They are truely turning this into a totalitarian government, they are trying to kill the Democratic party and become a one party system.

From Milton Mayer's They Thought They were Free, about Germany in the 30s.

" You can see how easy it was, then, not to think about fundamental
things. One had no time."

"Those," I said, "are the words of my friend the baker. "One had no time to
think. There was so much going on." "Your friend the baker was right," said
my colleague. "The dictatorship, and the whole process of its coming into
being, was above all diverting. It provided an excuse not to think for
people who did not want to think anyway. I do not speak of your "little
men", your baker and so on; I speak of my colleagues and myself, learned
men, mind you.

Most of us did not want to think about fundamental things
and never had. There was no need to. Nazism gave us some dreadful,
fundamental things to think about - we were decent people - and kept us so
busy with continuous changes and "crises" and so fascinated, yes,
fascinated, by the machinations of the "national enemies", without and
within, that we had no time to think about these dreadful things that were
growing, little by little, all around us. Unconsciously, I suppose, we
were grateful. Who wants to think?"" End quote.

Maybe that would slow him down some. He's doing so much damage to the party.

He must be very unaware.

We need to write Joe L. about this.

using doctored documents??? What a dope.

are. We know that Rumsfield took the old assumptions about war and whittled them down until he got what he wanted (150,000 boots to the ground in Iraq rather than the old assumptions and 300,000 boots on the ground..that would have crushed the insurgency).

These neocons & their assumptions. But until you know what their plan is and what their assumptions are.... it is impossible to shoot it down (or agree with it). For Bush to put 'pen to paper' and tell us what his plan is.

Yes we know that growth within the US will be very much slower than growth outside the US. Yes we know that there will be more old people than young working. But WHERE IS THE BEEF! Even Lieberman cannot claim to know what is best until he sees the whole document on SS. And by not seeing the plan.. it leaves the door open for Bush to change the plan as he goes along.

Bush keeps claiming that the Democrats have to put their plan on the table first. Why? What is it in his plan and within his assumptions that he thinks is so worthy of being new that he hides it? I'll show you mine if you show me yours... a neocon would never do that unless they think they have something.

I say the something is tax reform and the fact that incomes will no longer be taxed. We will all pay sales tax. But I don't know really. None of us do. Also there will be deflation in the future and wages are very sticky on the way down but prices of imports will not be. So that is obviously why he wants SS income to not be based on wages but on the cost of a basket of goods. So fine... that tells me that deflation is in the assumptions of his SS plan. But how much? And why do you and your big dog friends get to know about it ... but I don't? Don't I have a right to good information like (there will be low level deflation in the 50 years to come). If that information is only for your rich friends... then the assumptions about the market (perfect information) do not work. A lack of transparency helps the rich for sure.

Mr. Bush - put 'PEN TO PAPER' and tell us what your plan is on SS. Tell us what your assumptions are!

We need to stop looking at our government as half full when it's mostly empty.

http://reform.democrats.house.gov/investigations.asp?Issue=Administration+Use+of+Propaganda

More here. Lieberman should have known this.

Friday, January 21, 2005
Members Raise Questions about SSA Documents
Democratic Leader Pelosi, Democratic Whip Hoyer, Rep. Waxman, Rep. Obey, Rep. Rangel, Rep. George Miller, Rep. Levin, and Rep. DeLauro raise concerns that the Social Security Administration’s 2005 communications plan could violate the prohibition on publicity and propaganda by promoting the message that Social Security is facing a collapse.
- Letter to SSA
- SSA Communications Plans


Tuesday, January 11, 2005
GAO Asked to Investigate Administration's Use of Covert Propaganda
In light of recent incidents in which taxpayer funds have been improperly used to influence public opinion, Democratic Leader Pelosi, Rep. Waxman, and six other senior members of Congress ask GAO to examine the use of covert propaganda by departments and agencies under the Bush Administration.
- Letter to GAO


Friday, January 07, 2005
Lawmakers Call on President to Renounce Use of Covert Propaganda
Democratic Leader Pelosi, Rep. Waxman, Rep. George Miller, Rep. Obey, and Rep. Cummings write the President about three recent incidents in which taxpayer funds have been improperly used by Administration officials to pay for covert efforts to influence public opinion.
- Letter to the President
- GAO Report on ONDCP Video News Releases
- GAO Report on HHS Video News Releases
- Background: Download ONDCP Video News Release