President Bush explains his social security reform proposal

I do ..He said I'm a dumb ass and I'm cracking under the pressure of overreaching myself

Maybe he couldn't keep up with whoever feeds him his lines?

obviously, he was speaking in tongues.

One wonders why you are presenting such a small fraction of what he said about it. Kind of a cheap way to make your side look good, isn't it?

I was just reading through the thread about nuking the meteor Brandon, and admiring you. Please don't spoil it.

you need to be a Harvard Biz School alum like Dubya to understand his remarks.

I don't have a side, but he still looks foolish to me regardless of what parts are pulled out

The scarry thing is that I'm sure Bush rehearsed that answer many times...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-04-28-bush-conference_x.htm


Bush: Rein in Social Security

By Judy Keen and Richard Benedetto, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON ?- President Bush endorsed for the first time Thursday a Social Security plan that would slow future increases in benefits for middle- and upper-income workers.

The move, an effort to keep the system solvent, comes as the public and many in Congress are balking at Bush's plan to allow younger workers to invest part of their payroll taxes in stocks and bonds.

Under a formula known as progressive indexing, low-income workers would continue to see their benefits rise based on wage increases, as they do now. "This reform would solve most of the funding challenges facing Social Security," Bush said. (Related story: President touts 'progressive indexing plan')

In an hour-long news conference, Bush said he won't haul North Korea before the U.N. Security Council because it refuses to give up a nuclear weapons program unless four other nations involved in talks agree. "Our aim is to solve this problem diplomatically," he said. (Related story: Bush opens up to media)

Bush's appearance came as his job-approval rating stands below 50% and he marks the 100th day of his second term and the end of a 60-day Social Security sales blitz this weekend.

Bush did not detail changes in benefit calculations. But Democrat Robert Pozen, who served on Bush's Social Security commission and conceived the plan, has said people who make less than $25,000 ?- about 30% of all workers ?- would not see slower growth in benefits.

But initial benefits for workers making $113,000 a year or more would be based on inflation. That would mean lower benefit increases, because wages rise faster than prices. Benefits for people making between $25,000 and $113,000 would be based on both. Pozen says his plan would cut Social Security's projected deficit from $3.8 trillion to $1.1 trillion over 75 years.

Democratic leaders Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California and Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada said Bush showed that "he will pay for his risky privatization scheme by cutting the benefits of middle-class seniors."

Bush also adjusted his plan for individual accounts. Because some people worry about investing in the stock market, he said, one option would "consist entirely of Treasury bonds," which are backed by the government. He also said:

He worries gas prices are forcing businesses to curb hiring. "I do think it's affected the economy."

He'll get troops home from Iraq "as soon as poss ible. I don't think it's wise for me to set out a timetable. All that will do is cause the enemy to adjust."

John Bolton, the nominee for United Nations ambassador accused of trying to have intelligence analysts fired, "is a blunt guy" who "can get the job done."

Contributing: Barbara Slavin

Re: President Bush explains his social security reform propo


No, I couldn't figure it out. But I suspect I know what it MEANS!

i have it on good authority that Mr. Bush was practicing a hypnosis technique designed to induce mental confusion. sounds like he succeeded.

On a practical note,

does anyone else think that after the 'speech' last night, Bush is seriously screwed on this issue?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/29/9508/44105

Check out some of the daily headlines...

Cycloptichorn

Isn't he basically saying, "Look, don't worry about the details, just trust me and I'll take care of it."

He's been doing this since the beginning, and he's not going to stop now.

I heard a good plan on the Randi Rhodes show today. If they remove the cap on Social Security tax from 100,000.00 and make 100% of a wealthy persons income taxable for Social Security, Social security would have a massive surpluss.

The reality is that it's the middle class and the low income people who are baring the brunt of the Social Security tax and the rich aren't paying their fair share.

We vote these idiots in against our own self interest. What the hell is wrong with you people?

I thought all he said, came out of the mouth of a Donkey, and certainly not an Elephant. Too me, what he said was nothing but Globalism FLUFF. GW seems more interested in the ILLEGAL Mexicans rights than ours. Citizens of the U.S. that is. According to him, "ain't China great?" "Can we survive without Europe?" And now we see what he did to Tom and the others. How he supports the Log Cabin bunch, homosexuals. "Ohhhh, ain't it all great? Let's just get together in love. Can't we just all get alonng?". That was our dear brother Rodney King that said that. Not me. A stinkin' criminal said that. ahhhhhhh--haaaaaaaa--gw has finally *let the other shoe drop* & keeps on dropping N.W.O. junk type shoes dropping,but no one wants to say or hear anything negatory about gw I'VE been trying to tell all the gw supporters that he is A New World order dude just like his daddy. This Government is DELIBERATELY DESTROYING THIS NATION!!!-Economically--spiritually--& MORALLY--There are somolians emigrating here hindus-from India--arabians--syrians--Iranian---66thousand chinese a year--as stated by the immigration dept,deliberately encouraging immigrants from every third world country to come here where they are put on SS--Aid to dependent children--paid for housing, training for high tech jobs at 1/3rd the usual pay scale,---Think not??Search out those govt.paying help for immigrants--& this is NOT even counting ALL the Illegal south-americans that are flooding our southern borders....Which by the way the feds are Widening ALL the border crossings so those mexican--brazilian,venezuelans,truck drivers will not be held up so long at the border crossings..Which are dangerous because the trucks are not subject to American safety standards--which are involved in numerous deadly traffic accidents that go UNreported by the so called news?media???--FACTS NOT GUESSES!!!!!!!!--Have a pleasant --wonderful day... IF possible..& how about Emailing--making phone calls sending telegrams to those supposedly *Represenatives of WE THE PEOPLE*in the state capitols & the U.S. Congress & Senate & SEE what their reasoning is of our nation being deliberately destroyed BY THEM!!! Its hard to see the truth sometimes when one has invested so much emotion in believing in a man. The more emotion one invests the longer one is caught up in deception and the harder it is on them when they finally come to the realization that they have been used.

If we tax them 100% then they should be able to pull 100%. That is the only way it would be fair. If they aren't allowed to pull 100% then all the govt is doing is turning SS into another welfare program and that isn't what it was meant to be.

I for one don't think that people who are financially stable at retirement age and can support themselves should receive retirement checks.

I disagree because Social Security is intended to keep our seniors from living on the street. not to let them live in luxury while they wait to die.

We live in a society and everyone has to pay their fair share, and not take more than they deserve.

It's proven that propping up the wealthy and making them wealthier doesn't work for a society. On the other hand, socialism actually does work and everybody gets their fair share.

We give welfare to corporations all the time and the richies don't complain about that, because it's more money in their pockets.

You don't mind taking their money but you sure mind them getting it back. If they pay into it then they should get it back as well. Our country wasn't founded on socialism and it should be run as a wellfare country.



Well what on Earth did old people do before SS was put into place 60 years ago? I mean there has been old people since the dawn of time and SS wasn't there for them. How did they did it?

I know familes helped each other back then that's how. Now with govt being a wellfare check we don't have to worry about taking care of our familes any more, the govt does it for us.



What you mean is that everyone has to pay but not everyone gets a share. You don't like the fact that people have worked their whole lives to make money and now that they have that money you want take it from them. Why this push to take money from people that they have worked so hard for?



It has also been proven that taking the money from people and dispersing it to everyone else doesn't work either. Look over the lessons learned by the Russians, they tried that and it failed.



Could it be because the richies actually do something for society and the poor don't?

The only people that are going to be hit is the people with high income. The people that in theory don't need social security as much as people lower on the class spectrum.

Bush's new plan may lower cost benefits but at least there will be benefits. The government has something like a 1.3 trillion dollar debt with SS and everyone has recognized it as a problem but have been afraid to do something about it considering it to be the "third rail" of politics. Meaning the issue youu don;t touch. (Think metro you have 2 rails and then the third rail carrying electricity that supposedly if you touch you die or are over with) Anyways if people want to solve the problem like SS Bush is the man to get the job done IMO. He has been elected for a 2nd term so in theory he doesn't have a re election to lose. And Bush is a crusader for what he believes in so hes not gonna just let this issue dissapear for future presidents to solve. At least BUsh has been trying to come up with ideas where as the democrats just thwart President Bush's plans denying any accounts of an upcoming problem in SS for a long time.