Retirement News : Seniors : Seniors slam plan for Social Security

Seniors slam plan for Social Security

Date Added: 11-04-2005

OAKLAND — If President Bush brings his campaign to divert Social Security deductions into private investment accounts to Northern California, he may be faced with hordes of angry senior citizens and union members, if participants in a public forum in Oakland on Saturday have their way.
There were no kind words for President Bush at the forum at an Oakland union hall, sponsored by the California Alliance for Retired Americans.

Union members and senior activists were urged to follow the example of the public employees, firefighters and police officers who dogged Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's trail, criticizing his plan to change the state pension system to more like a private 401(k) plan. Schwarzenegger shelved his plan last week.

"Look at what happened with state pension plans over the last three months, the media did a lousy job," said Pete Albert, president of Alameda County Retired Employees. "The media didn't talk about how to fix the system; they followed Arnold around.

"What worked was public employees following Arnold everywhere," he said. "It's the same thing with Social Security; the media follow Bush around."

The answer to   Social Security is to follow Bush around and make reasons for objections to his plan clear, Albert said. "We need to go to our community groups and get them involved. We can't count on the media."

There were plenty of warnings about dire events ahead, if the president succeeds in diverting part of future wage earners' Social Security deductions.

"The Bush plan is ironic," said Ron Washington of Berkeley's Center for Independent Living. "What is planned returns Americans to theGreat Depression when people were on the street and had no income.

"Those causes led to the election of Franklin Roosevelt and Social Security," he said.
United Health Care Workers West president Sal Rosselli said Social Security faces the biggest challenge in its history. "Without Social Security more than half of our seniors would be in poverty."

The Bush administration is peddling a pack of lies about Social Security, he said. No collapse is imminent, there's enough money in the Social Security account to pay full benefits until 2042 without making any changes at all.

"We think there are many ways to meet the needs of Social Security in the future," said Rosselli. Presently,   employees pay 6.5 percent of their income up to $90,000 for Social Security, matched by employers.

"The Bush plan will divert funds and weaken the Social Security trust fund. Under the plan, the averaged retired person would lose $150,000 in guaranteed benefits if he or she lives 20 years after retirement," he said.

Aides to Reps. Pete Stark, D-Fremont, and Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, read statements strongly opposing the Bush plan. But speakers at the forum said it's time to light a serious fire under the Democrats.

"Why don't the Democrats come up with   their own plan?" asked Terry Green.

California Alliance for Retired Persons represents more than 115 organizations with more than 70,000 members.

For More Information: http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_2648554