Queens Reps In Congress Bash Bush’s Latest S.S. Proposals
by john toscano

Left to Right: Jimmy Van Bramer (President, West Queens Independent Democratic Club,WQIDC), Congressmember Joe Crowley, Kate Brennan (Vice President, WQIDC), Joan Pagan (Treasurer, WQIDC).

President George W. Bush offered some new wrinkles in his Social Security proposal last week, but Queens’ congressional representatives, all Democrats, are not buying any of it.

Congressmembers Joseph Crowley, Carolyn Maloney and Gary Ackerman all remained adamantly opposed to the president’s most radical change—private accounts for retirees due to enter the system—and said other suggested changes made with no details would drag benefits down for older retirees.

Crowley summed up: “[The] “president’s proposed benefit cuts to Social Security benefits [are] an absolute disservice to the American working class.”

Maloney stated, “The president’s new Social Security proposal is just as bad, if not worse, than the bad plan he had offered before.”

Ackerman declared: “I strongly oppose any plan that would privatize Social Security—now or in the future. The current plan needs adjustments from time to time and that’s to be expected. This time-proven mandatory [sic] has stood us well and should continue.”

The president in a prime time press conference last Thursday night, broached some new suggestions for changes after having stumped the country for the past 60 days with his main proposal. That proposal would allow new people coming into the system to set aside some of their Social Security contributions into private accounts, to be invested in mutual funds or bonds.

Democrats have opposed this vehemently, charging it would lead to huge, trillion-dollar deficits to start up the new system and would lead to reduced benefits for older retirees, many of whom depend on their monthly check as their major source of income.

Among the new ideas floated was one to reduce benefits for affluent retirees in order to keep benefits level for lower income Social Security members.

The president stated it this way: “I believe a reformed system should protect those who depend on Social Security the most. So I propose a Social Security system in the future where benefits for low-income workers will grow faster than benefits for people who are better off.”

Commenting on the president’s presentation, Crowley stated:

“The fact is that the misleading Bush plan puts benefits at risk. You can call it anything you want, but the fact is that what the president is proposing is major benefit cuts.”

Crowley charged that cuts under the president’s plan would amount to across-the-board benefit cuts to retirees of more than 40 percent.

The Queens/Bronx lawmaker called instead for a rollback of tax reductions given to the top one percent of income earners when the reductions expire in 2011. The funds saved could pay back the Social Security Trust Fund to preserve the security of retirees.

Maloney said the president’s proposal would not only slash guaranteed benefits to all except the very poorest and require massive federal borrowing and debt, but would also hurt middle income families most by targeting them with even higher cuts in benefits.

“This new Bush scheme to overhaul Social Security is another attack on the basic fairness and stability of the current Social Security system,” she said. “Rather than working to strengthen Social Security, the president is continuing his misguided attempt to privatize it and to cut benefit payments in a way that will hurt the vast majority of Americans most.”

Ackerman said he would not necessarily be opposed to people being able to shelter additional before-tax dollars in a private fund tax free till retirement. He said many people already have such a plan, but it must not replace Social Security.