Pass along this information about Social Security!

This flyer was created by Citizens for Political Reform of Newton Co AR, using information from the Social Security Trustee's Report at www.ssa.gov We held a demonstration today where we passed these out, and thought it would be good if we posted it on-line so folks could copy/paste the information onto email. Thanks for your help!

SOCIAL SECURITY SOLID UNTIL 2043

One of Bush's major campaign promises to the American people was that his administration would not attempt to reduce Social Security benefits (Florida campaign speech, 9/11/2000)

On February 25, 2004 in a speech at the White House, Bush reneged on this promise. He said, "My position of SS benefits is this: Those benefits should not be changed for people near or at retirement." He refused to say he opposed cutting future benefits for younger and middle aged workers.

Wall Street is fighting to privatize Social Security because they will reap about $249 billion in fees in the first 12 years if they manage the accounts. The US government wants to privatize Social Security because it doesn't want to repay the billions it has borrowed from the SS Trust Fund. If our government pays its debt to SS, it will have to cut its pork barrel spending and it will have to revoke the tax cuts for the rich. However, the government is legally obligated to repay these loans just as it is obligated to repay other loans. Don't let our government finance its outrageous deficit spending on the backs of Social Security beneficiaries.

In March 2004, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan told Congress they need to cut SS benefits to reduce these deficits. At the same time he urged that the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy be made permanent. He said SS is becoming unaffordable because the baby boomers will soon be retiring and there's not enough money to pay future generations full SS benefits. THIS IS A LIE!

The Social Security trustees report that the SS retirement fund is solid until 2043 without any changes or benefit cuts based on an average GDP growth rate of 1.7% annually. For the past 50 years the GDP annual rate has been well over 3%. By 2043 most of the baby boomers will have died.

Social Security is NOT in financial danger./b] The danger comes from the corporate controlled Presidency and the US Congress, which has been bought and paid for by corporate special interests.

Write, phone, or email your Senators and Representatives and tell them you're not buying the lies about Social Security.

Dean hit Greenspan and Bush on this bigtime in his PreGridiron speech.

That is why they are running the deficit so there won't be any money for social programs.

I have some posts here that disappeared quickly, about the Heritage Foundation's role in this. They have been talking down Medicare and Social Security for most of the decade.

They have nearly won, too.