Posted on 02/05/2005 12:16:50 PM PST by FairOpinion
Good morning. I'm Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee. ADVERTISEMENT
This week, President George W. Bush delivered his State of the Union address, and though he claimed our nation is strong, he did not and could not say that America is stronger today than it was four years ago.
Four years ago, when President Clinton left office, our nation was experiencing the longest economic expansion in our history. We had moved from record deficits to record surpluses. Unemployment was at a historic low and America was respected in the world.
But after four short years of Republican control, our economic growth has slowed. We've returned to the days of deficits and debt, and America is no longer seen as a beacon of freedom and progress.
And now these same Washington Republicans want to privatize Social Security. While Social Security faces challenges, Bush's privatization plan would make things worse.
Here's how: First, in order to pay for the creation of private accounts, Bush wants to borrow $2 trillion from foreign nations.
Secondly, Bush wants to cut benefits. How? He wants to change the way Social Security benefits are calculated, and by doing that, future retirees will see a nearly 50 percent cut in benefits compared to the current system. And that's whether you set up a private account or not.
And here's the worst part. Even after all those cuts and massive borrowing, private accounts would actually do nothing to help save Social Security. Don't take my word for it. Bush's own White House admitted that this week. In fact, private accounts would actually speed the insolvency of the program.
Benefit cuts, massive debt and more insecurity are not the type of drastic changes we need to make to our nation's retirement security.
Americans deserve better. After all, Social Security is not a handout. It's an earned benefit, one that every American pays into over his or her lifetime and one that every American deserves to get back guaranteed.
For our part, Democrats are for giving Americans more options and choices when it comes to retirement security and savings. And we agree there must be discussion about Social Security and the challenges that lie before us.
But according to the Congressional Budget Office, Social Security is solvent until 2052. And even after 2052, it still will not be bankrupt as the president has said. There's no dispute that Social Security faces problems down the road, and we must address that. But we have the time to do it right.
And that begins with telling the American people the whole truth. Bush's plan, as I've said, will force America to borrow $2 trillion from foreign nations, further increasing our national debt. It will also result in a guaranteed cut, and that's the truth.
Democrats want any plan to solve the Social Security challenge to be rooted in fiscal discipline with budgets that pay as we go. Democrats will insist that any change in the system not result in benefit loss. And those two principles for the safety and security of America's seniors we will not yield.
Democrats will reach out. We will work across the aisle. But we will also hold feet to the fire and make the Washington Republicans accountable for their selfish agenda.
This is Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
And thank you for listening.
The Dems are getting more and more outrageous in their lies, trying to scare the American people into rejecting Bush's Social Security reform, which is needed now, to prevent a real crisis in the very near future.
This is just another demonstration, that the Democrats only care about their own power, even at the expense of the well-being of the American people.
No need for a "Lies Alert" with McAuliffe's name already in the title.
The Republicans could make an excellent commercial for SS reform by playing Clinton's 1998-1999 remarks about the looming crisis.
The Democrats are only being the worst kind of partisan obstructionists. They said it was a crisis back when Clinton said it was. Now it doesn't have any problems and Bush is only trying to steal money from old people.
You got that right!
This tripe makes me sick. When klintoon was President the US was the worlds biggest wusses. Just like when Peanut head was President.
When Peanut head had hostages taken in Iran he was paralyzed with fear. It took Mr. Ronald Reagan to turn that around.
With klintoon we had a President that despised the military and tore it down every chance he got. We were not respected in the world under klintoon, we were the laughing stock of camel herders the world over.
Until President GWB came onto the scene and said enough is enough, people are going to pay for this and the bill just came due.
Klintoon was a terrorist appeaser on the same level as all the Euro-crapweasels. I would be surprised if klintoon didn't strike a deal with the terrorists to not leave the US alone in exchange for tax payer dollars.
An interesting Newsweek poll on Social Security:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1336802/posts
No need for a "Lies Alert" with McAuliffe's name already in the title.
Yep, the MSM is to the Dems what Al-Jazeera is to the terrorist thugs,,,their mouthpiece!
Thanks for your excellent post!
APPLAUSE!
This is a distinction without difference. The Democratic National Committee will therefore jump from disaster to disaster. The lemmings are replacing one lemming with another as the leader of their efforts. The folly continues. Let us pop some popcorn and enjoy the show.
Congressman Billybob
Thanks for posting. Outstanding FReeper comments bump!
I say lets follow McAuliffe's advice and do nothing. Let it go bankrupt and be over with it! (Sorry old folks. Should have known better than trust the Govt. with your money and retirement!)
You are totally correct, but lets look at this from our perspective which makes me to continue to be very optimistic. Terry has been highly successful from our viewpoint.He has lost every major election since he took over the stewardship of the Democratic Party. Further he has contributed some of the greatest Democratic leaders to Our Party as an example, Senator Zell Miller. I can only believe that Howard will far exceed Terry's performance in being highly successful for Our Great Party.
The Democrats are underestimating the younger people, who are starting to get interested.
Here is an interesting article:
Bush Social Security retool interests all ages
http://www.hernandotoday.com/MGB2T5MQR4E.html
BROOKSVILLE - Check their voter registration cards.
The documentation identifies Oscar Lindo and Dustie Spencer as Democrats, but the two said they would support President George W. Bush's proposed Social Security reforms.
Lindo and Spencer are students of James Hansen's American Federal Government class held at Pasco-Hernando Community College's (PHCC) North Campus in Brooksville.
Lindo said Democrats in Congress "who hate Bush" are the biggest obstacles for revamping the current Social Security system.
"I'm a Democrat, but I agree with Bush on this," he said.
The majority of Hansen's class agreed.
"By the time we retire, Social Security as we know it today won't exist," said McNeilly.
"Young people will be taking a stand on this (Social Security), because you're the ones who are going to be the most affected," Hansen, an adjunct professor, told his class.
Well, look at it this way. None of the Democrats liked Clinton either, they went along with him because he was popular.
Yes.
However, if conservatives really wanted to make headway in helping our nation, they would spend more time and energy expressing outrage ever the Republicans' continual anti-conservative agenda.
Is McAuliffe a sleaze?
Yes.
But why preach to the choir? George Bush does nothing about open borders, but conservatives spend most their time bashing Democrats. Many Republicans fail to support the President over Social Security reform, yet conservatives spend most their time bashing Democrats.
The $2 1/2 trillion in new budget proposals are coming up soon, oozing with over $1 trillion in welfare spending that BUsh is proposing, yet conservatives spend most their time bashing Democrats.
Yes, it is fun to make jokes and post cartoons and funny pictures of Manslaughter Kennedy, bozo Barbara Boxer and the ugly sleazebagette Hillary Clinton. But the fact is the Republicans have allowed this nation to become so welfare heavy and socialistic that we are gradually losing our nation to centralized statism. The Republcians are no better than the RATs in this respect.
Bashing the Republicans would gain us more value than bashing Democrats. When conservatives give the Republicans a free ride, the Republican politicians believe they can move left all they want since the conservative constituents only care about bashing Democrats rather than fighting to reclaim our core principles.
You want to reclaim the America of old? Express your outrage more against Republicans and less against the RATs.
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Sure, let's destroy our own, and give the Democrats more power, that'll fix the country. Is that your solution?
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