3-28-2005
Former First Lady Barbara Bush laid the boom to the Social Security debate at a rally in Pensacola, Florida. "I’m
here because your father and I have 17 grandchildren... all born after 1950 and we want to know: Is someone going to do something
about it?" she intoned, after having earlier quieted the cheering crowd.
The former First Lady asked an excellent question, which was really intended as a segue for the introduction of her son
George W. Bush, but the point is well taken. President Bush is pushing hard for Social Security reform and is expressly desirous
to have as a part of that reform individual American ownership of personal savings accounts.
All the while, the media continues to follow the ardent talking points of the Democrat Party by constantly attributing
his call for reform and interest in personal accounts as his ‘plan’ for ‘privatizing’ Social Security.
Which, of course, is blatantly false and they know it, but it just follows their agenda to attack President Bush utilizing
misinformation.
The first person to actually submit a ‘plan’ was Nebraska (R) Senator Chuck Hagel who said, "It’s not
a matter of if we reform Social Security, it’s a matter of when and how we reform Social Security," and he added, "I
hope the Democrats will be introducing some Social Security reform legislation. I have not heard them talk about their alternative
other than raising taxes," he finished.
Nor have they yet offered a comprehensive plan. It seems that as long as they have their accomplices in the media promoting
their misinformation agenda by confusing the American constituency about the debate and continue to call for ‘the President
to submit a plan first’... so they will have something else to demagogue... they don’t have to do anything.
Just take for instance the statement posed to President Bush in a question by NBC reporter David Gregory that was completely
inaccurate in its context and was obviously meant to be that way: "Mister President, you say you’re making progress
on the Social Security debate. Yet private accounts as the centerpiece of that plan, something you first campaigned on five
years ago and laid before the American people, remains according to every measure we have, poll after poll, unpopular with
the majority of Americans."
The problem with that politically motivated statement as part of a question is that a recent Washington Post Poll pointedly
proves him wrong. The article in the Post itself was mischaracterized just by the headline, ‘President Losing Ground
on Social Security’.
First of all, the President has yet to unveil an official reform ‘plan’ other than to point out that some sort
of reform needs to be undertaken to save the system from future detrimental funding problems and to assert his belief in the
dignity of an ‘ownership society’ where current and future generations can control their own personal savings
accounts.
So polling Americans about their feelings on President Bush’s Social Security ‘plan’ that has yet to
be presented to the public is at the least a non sequitur or worse, a patent political ploy to undermine his call for reform.
But there is important information the poll does present that most of the media fails to acknowledge. When the respondents
were asked if they supported, ‘a plan in which people who chose to could invest some of their Social Security contributions
in the stock market,’ 56% of the poll responders were in favor of that idea. That is the same idea of personal savings
accounts as President Bush has asserted he supports.
Even more striking is the fact that 60% of the people in the poll under the age of 50 support personal savings accounts
and both of those numbers are higher than they have ever been! Yet the media campaign of misinformation continues. The harder
the President fights for Social Security reform, the more media elitists push the Democrat agenda.
One positive sign amidst the media filibuster are the small trickles of information leaked by the big three media outlets
confirming the benefits of personal accounts, such as the perfect example that exists in Galveston County, Texas and reluctantly
mention that there is a financial problem with Social Security that needs to be addressed.
Even some Democrats are finally acknowledging that something needs to be done, but they are adamant that personal accounts
not be a part of the solution. So why are they so against the personal accounts when the polls actually show that Americans
support them?
Political Pride.
Democrats can accept modifications to Social Security in our modern day society as an attempt to save the program leaving
out personal accounts, because they could then assert that they were responsible for saving the ‘Great Society Program’
from tampering by the hateful Republicans.
If, on the other hand, Social Security reform takes place with personal accounts as part of the program, it’s legacy
will be forever altered to accentuate how the program was rescued from financial disaster by the redemptive actions of George
W. Bush. Effectively adjoining the future history of Social Security based on personal accounts to his legacy.
The future of Social Security if passed with personal accounts and it’s financial solvency will forever be synonymous
with President Bush, not FDR and the Democrats. Ultimately, Democrats don’t want Social Security to go bankrupt, they
just don’t want President Bush to have the opportunity to mark it as an endearing part of his legacy and personal accounts
will do just that.
Media elitists still hate Reagan for the collapse of the Berlin wall and the destruction of the Soviet Union, its almost
unimaginable how hateful they will be towards President Bush if personal accounts become part of Social Security reform.
So you can expect their misinformation campaign to continue... the AARP needs them!
Lee P Butler
