Posted on 06/08/2005 10:02:59 PM PDT by CHARLITE
Faced with intense opposition to his ideas from Democrats, unease among many Republicans and skepticism from the public, Mr. Bush used a speech here to press doggedly on with his call for the creation of private investment accounts within the retirement system and cuts in the benefits now promised to middle- and upper-income workers.
"Now is the time for Congress to come to the table and get something done," Mr. Bush said.
In his remarks, to a conference of the Associated Builders and Contractors, Mr. Bush laid out a clear if risky strategy for prevailing on the issue. He said he was succeeding in convincing the public that there is no good alternative to addressing Social Security's projected long-term problems immediately.
In seeking to build public pressure on Congress, Mr. Bush is banking on his ability to mobilize public opinion at a moment when his standing in the polls has been hurt by the continued fighting in Iraq and his handling of a number of issues. He is also bucking considerable doubts among voters that his solutions are the right ones.
An ABC News/Washington Post poll released this week found that 34 percent of respondents approved of Mr. Bush's handling of Social Security, and that 62 percent disapproved.
The Republicans on the committee will meet Thursday morning, and Mr. Grassley is expected to push hard for agreement - soon - on how to assure the system's solvency.
Even if they reach agreement on that front, Republicans on the committee are unlikely to agree unanimously on and produce a majority for investment accounts of the sort sought by Mr. Bush. Senator Olympia J. Snowe, a Republican from Maine and a member of the committee, is opposed to the accounts.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Thanks a bunch there, Olympia.
Social Security should be abolished. It's Unconstitutional. It's a Ponzi scheme. And it's the bedrock of socialism in America.
If Olympia opposes an idea, it clearly must have been a really good idea.
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