Conflict of interest for SSA Trustee? Thomas R Saving

Houston Chronicle
Feb. 24, 2005, 9:06PM

A&M professor to advise Social Security reformers
With the election over, organization will target policy
By DON JORDAN
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - A Texas A&M University economics professor has joined the multimillion-dollar political advocacy debate on Social Security privatization as an expert for the pro-reform group, Progress for America.

Thomas Saving, who is also a trustee for the Social Security Administration, will serve as an adviser and spokesman for the group. Former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin also joined the organization as an adviser.

"I'm interested in the issues and I'm working on them and I'll continue to work on them," said Saving, who is also the director of the Private Enterprise Research Center at Texas A&M. "I already do an awful lot of speeches about Social Security and Medicare."

Progress for America is one of many tax-exempt organizations that spent vigorously on advertising and campaigning during the last election but now focuses on policy, especially the heated debate surrounding Social Security. The group has run two national television ads advocating Social Security reform.

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This article is: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3056334
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From Talking Points:

February 25, 2005
What's wrong with this picture?

Social Security has seven 'Trustees'.

Five of the Trustees serve ex-officio, i.e., they're automatically a Trustee because of their office -- like the Treasury Secretary, Labor Secretary, etc.

One of the two who were appointed directly is Thomas R. Saving. If you look here you'll see that he was a Trustee in 2004 and I've just confirmed with the SSA that he remains a Trustee for 2005.

Yet, according to this morning's Houston Chronicle, he has just signed on to be an advisor and spokesman for one of the lead pro-Social Security phase-out astroturf groups, Progress for America.

Are his duties as a Trustee compatible with going to work for Progress for America?

-- Josh Marshall

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2005_02_20.php#004908