If you were wondering what was really behind this "plan" to "reform" Social Security, wonder no more. A leaked memo has surfaced. The idea is to destroy it, eliminating one of the country's most cherished New Deal programs.
Calling the effort “one of the most important conservative undertakings of modern times,” Peter Wehner, the deputy to White House political director Karl Rove, says in the e-mail message that a battle over Social Security is winnable for the first time in six decades and could transform the political landscape.
The memo's existence has been confirmed by the White House.
There are a whole lot of folks who have been busily rebutting the White House's arguments, starting with Brad DeLong and Max Sawicky. Read them, and read Kevin Drum too; you will soon be disabused of the notion the Bushies are trying to sell. The system is solvent and will remain solvent until at least 2042, using conservative estimates. Using slightly less conservative estimates, it holds up till 2052 before it needs serious changes.
Don't drink the Kool-Aid, folks.
I ran across news of this memo from Josh Marshall, who has some more thoughts on the subject.
Posted by Linkmeister at January 6, 2005 12:01 AMI'm feeling very blue.
Posted by: shelley at January 6, 2005 06:10 AMI'm feel very blue...and very old...and poor....
Posted by: Toxiclabrat at January 7, 2005 05:13 PM