Social Security A Defining Issue for Congressional Election

05/25/2005

Paul Munnis

In our zeal to save Social Security I have been reading some daffy things being said by Democrats in the press. The latest one is that: “Democrats Oppose Private Retirement Savings Plans.”

Huh? Yes, that was in a recent Editorial.

That is wrong, real wrong. We support 401K’s, we support IRA’s we support Roth IRA’s. They all help form a core of retirement savings. Democrats all voted for them.

What is opposed by Democrats is the GOP initiative to remove Social Security benefits for future generations. We want these kept in place to supplement the retirement plans of our kids and grand children. They are more important than ever as private pension plans provided by companies begin to fail and fold up and stock markets go bust over business confidence issues.

If people want to buy stock, invest in IRA’s, and get matching funds from employers, we encourage them to go for it. We also think that they ought to feel comfortable putting money into their Social Security Trust Fund.

We get livid, and Republicans should too, when Bush stands in front of Government IOU’s and says they are worthless pieces of paper. The U.S. government and the Congress had better start planning a method to repay these IOU’s or there will be trouble.

In fact, the 2006 election of members to Congress is going to get tough on this matter of worthless paper. You just watch the number of born again Congressmen waiting to sign up for a fix to SS Trust Fund repayment when they “get it” come this summer recess.

In the meantime we think that there is a problem of sufficient payment into the SS Trust in the out-years and we had better demand fixes for that too from the Congress and not by destroying Social Security but by finding ways to fund the shortfall.

Remember, Congress governs only with the consent of the people. They do not have our consent to embezzle our Social Security Trust.