Erskine Bowles Attacks Elizabeth Dole on Social Security

WRAL ^ | September 16, 2002 | AP

[jern]

CARY, N.C. -- Erskine Bowles pledged to fight privatizing Social Security, saying Monday that his Republican opponent for the U.S. Senate is treading dangerous ground by supporting partial privatization.

Bowles used a black marker to sign a pledge that he will oppose partial or total privatization of Social Security.

[jern]

Constitution Day; mykdsmom

[My2Cents]

Irksome Bowels.

[djr]

Years of forcasted federal surpluses turned into years of deficits overnight - and these SOB's want to convince us of the relative long term riskiness of the stock market.

These fools need to be reminded that investing in the stock market is investing in America. Paying taxes is not.

[JessicaDragonet]

Boy...what a choice!! Dole or "Boils"!! We are screwed either way we go.

[Blackyce]

This is gonna be interesting to watch. How does a liberal run against a moderate Republican in a conservative state. Going to the left is death and moving to the right means he has to run on personality against Ellie Dole. So with almost nothing to talk about, North Carolinians will be treated to a month and a half of rigorous Social Security debates.

We all know you're not going to be able to change anything with SS Erskine, why dont you pick a REAL fight. Let the people know how you feel on abortion or 'BIG' Tobacco. We KNOW the answer.

[pray4liberty]

Bowles said simply giving people the option of a private account is unworkable.

Fine. Then give me the "choice" to "opt out" of Social Security altogether and give me back what I put in--with interest--now!

[mykdsmom]

NC Ping!

[oldironsides]

Quick, call Misty Clymer

[dubyagee]

"It will cost $1 trillion to set up the private accounts," he said. "That's $1 trillion that can only come from cutting the guaranteed benefit, from raising the payroll tax or increasing the national debt by another $1 trillion."

Anyone know if there's any truth to this?

Call me naive, but I don't see it that way. You take the younger tax payers money and invest it. This is money they're already paying in. How could it possibly cost 1 trillion dollars to invest incoming tax money? Sounds like fuzzy math to me. Anyone?

[daler]

You're going to lose, Erskine.

Why not just apologize now (for running, that is), and go home?

[gargoyle]

...Frances Phillips said it,"".

...They're the individuals that will vote for Bowles...

[gargoyle]

...Moving to Charlotte, NC sooner or later. Hope sooner, I might be registered to vote in the election, on this issue alone...Freegargoyle...

[dwilli]

My state is not a conservative state anymore. With the
influx of northerners, research people, government
employees, university staffs,etc. this state probably
demographs left of center. I give you little Johnnie
Edwards.

[j271]

From the article, the Democrat Social Security scare talking points:

• it's risky
• it's out of step with families
• it's costly
• SS is a guarantee, not a gamble

And the effective Republican counter:

• Republicans are trying to save Social Security.
• We want our children to get their Social Security when they retire.
• What's the Democrat plan?

[ladyinred]

Erskine Bowles ! Eeek! A Hillary lackey. Just the name gives me nightmares.

[Sgt_Schultze]

I honed in on that line too. Dole would do well to respond thusly:

"Foreskin Blowes has claimed that giving our citizens the right to put aside their own money will require an extra cost of $1 Trillion. I don't really know how that is possible. In Foreskin's last job he claimed that all Social Security money was placed in a lock box. It was earmarked for that taxpayer. If that was true, there would be no added cost.

What he seems to be saying is that he wants the government to continue skimming your retirement money to fund their special interest programs."

[winin2000]

These fools need to be reminded that investing in the stock market is investing in America. Paying taxes is not.

LOL! That's witty, dude. And profound. Kudos.

[John Locke]

You take the younger tax payers money and invest it. This is money they're already paying in. How could it possibly cost 1 trillion dollars to invest incoming tax money?

Here's the real deal. Every week, you give gramps $10 to put into your savings account. In fact, Gramps blows the money on beer and lotto, and puts an IOU in the account.

Now you save $1 yourself, and only give him $9. He's out of pocket by the dollar that's really being saved.

That's exactly how Social Security is set up: the worker thinks he's saving the money, but the government is spending it. Any diversion of SS money into genuine savings comes directly out of the government's slush fund.

[Darth Sidious]

Boy...what a choice!! Dole or "Boils"!! We are screwed either way we go.

In a sane world, the 17th Amendment would be repealed. This election being great evidence why popular election of senators was one of the worst ideas in the history of anything.