Saving Social Security: A Victory, For Now

The one time Democrats could be heard cheering during President Bush's State of the Union speech was when he tried to blame them for derailing his Social Security privatization scheme last year.

In an era with precious few victories for working families, it was a proud moment: The minority party, backed by the labor movement, retirees and a majority of other Americans, put a stop to the Bush scheme to destroy the most successful social program in the country's history while filling the pockets of greedy Wall Street firms.

Strictly speaking, the proposal is still on the books, but pundits on both sides agree the president and Republicans in Congress won't touch it in an election year.

"Our victory in the Social Security battle of 2005 shows what we can accomplish when the American people fully understand the issues and are able to reject the White House spin," CWA Executive Vice President Jeff Rechenbach said. "It should be our playbook as we fight now to save and expand health care benefits for all Americans and protect their pensions."

One idea Republicans floated last year is likely to surface again: Raising the retirement age to 69. Currently it is 65 1/2 but is being raised gradually to 67.

"A higher retirement age would be a cruel blow to those who have been displaced by a rapidly changing economy and have obsolete skills, or who have struggled with low paying, physically demanding work and can no longer find suitable jobs well before they reach 62," the Economic Policy Institute said.