The Administration is beginning to remind me of Coca-Cola back in the early 1980s. Remember when the company introduced New Coke and was forced to pull the product after screams of outrage from its customers? Now the Bushies are trying to force changes on the most successful social program the government has ever instituted, and they're using the agency itself to do so.
One internal document obtained by The Times encourages the agency's public affairs specialists to spread the word that "Social Security reform is a presidential priority" and that personal accounts are an essential element of his approach.Another says agency officials should "insert solvency messages in all Social Security publications" and "look for nontraditional locations to educate people about the current Social Security system, such as outreach events at farmers markets, big-box retail stores, etc."
And the truth be damned.
Look. The system is not in need of major changes. The SSA's own actuaries say it's got enough money in the Trust Fund until 2042 (see paragraph one); the Congressional Budget Office, using slightly less conservative estimates, says it will last till 2052. Even at those points, the agency will continue to collect enough in payroll taxes to cover all those entitled at about 73% of the estimated payouts. The situation is analogous to you having no money left in your savings account and having to meet current expenses solely from your paycheck.
Don't believe the Bushies.
Posted by Linkmeister at January 16, 2005 10:03 AM