The Lies That Continue

I find it utterly amazing that, considering the magnitude of the losses across the country to the Republican Party, aka Neoconservatives, they seem to still have the erroneous idea that they remain in control.
They seem to come up, almost on a daily basis, with repeats of their plans for destroying the public education system, further lowering our standard of health care and, big time, taking the existing Social Security system away from the people by making false claims that it is failing and will go under.
This last is a major lie and one of the huge priorities in George W. Bush's assault on the middle class, a priority he and the lovable Dick Cheney failed to accomplish. But out there on the horizon are those who would continue the lie, although the word "privatize" has now disappeared from the verbal and written arguments.
Many months back, when my column was yet very new on the scene, I received an e-mail from someone named Jim Gries. He stated that, since we both were obviously concerned about Social Security, perhaps we could meet to discuss ways to correct any problems to the system. I wrote back asking for additional information about who this person was, since his e-mail was signed by Jim Gries, AmeriCare. Something was causing me to smell a rat folks, but I can't explain why. Maybe the fact that the far-righters christen all their projects with such wonderful titles that usually prove to mean exactly the opposite of what they seem to imply.
On Monday, Jan. 12, the Hernando Times ran a front page story about a worried retiree pitching "his individual retirement account plan." It said Jim Gries did not want reform, but to "terminate Social Security" replacing it with IRAs. Hey, pay attention folks, this is nothing new! This is the Bush plan to "privatize" Social Security, knowing it would lead to the plan's extinction! If this plan was already in effect, how much would your IRA have lost in the recent market disaster? My son-in-law lost just under $200,000 from his 401K - how did you do? The Social Security system is actually in strong financial shape, taking in more revenue than it is paying in benefits, extending over the next decade. Raising the cap above $90,000 of income upon which taxes would be paid would probably, by itself, be enough to do away with any problems till 2042.
Think back to when you were in your 20s, 30s and 40s - raising a family, trying to save for college for your kids, pay the mortgage and put food on the table. How much incentive did the average wage earner have to try to save when his or her income was barely enough to make ends meet? Would you have contributed to your private retirement account instead of paying the bills or getting your kid the bike he needed so he could get a paper route? Private accounts will see contributions on a regular basis from the wealthier among us, never from the average working stiff or construction worker who may not always have a job.
If all earned income above $90,000 a year was taxed, but those earnings did not count toward benefits, Social Security would be solvent. Currently, 6 percent of all workers earn more than the $90,000 cap. The current benefit replaces about 25 percent of the worker's taxable earnings, so you have some security in your old age. Where is the benefit of "terminating" Social Security for the average middle-class American worker? We would see a nation of our elderly homeless, without even the bare necessities of life and constantly at risk, during their earning years, of seeing another "crash" in the markets wiping them out, with not enough earning years left to see those losses recovered.
Jim Gries is preaching the Bush "privatization" plan without the use of the magic word "privatization." Don't fall for it! Mr. Gries states in the Times story he's "owned more businesses than I care to count." Does he sound like the CEO/management type or one of us regular working guys? Beware the idealogical right that seeks to impoverish the elderly, constantly reduce funding of education (no mention made to rescind any tax cuts/loopholes enjoyed by the fat cats, have you noticed?), raise your health care premiums while lowering your benefits. P.S. No, I never did meet with Mr. Gries who just did not seem to be on the same "for the people" page I was on. I'm not easy to fool - how about you guys out there? To achieve our ultimate goals is not happiness. It is the ability to solve our problems along the way!
Don't let the far right continue to use fear tactics to take yet more from you and give yet more to the fat cats!