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Unions, Retirees Rally to Save Social Security
A sign-waving sea of union members, retirees and activists, joined by more than 100 members of the U.S. House and Senate, rallied Tuesday on Capitol Hill to send a clear message to the Bush administration and its supporters in Congress who want to privatize Social Security and cut benefits.
No way, not a chance, never going to happen, they said - or shouted - a hundred different ways as similar groups gathered in cities across the country for what the Alliance for Retired Americans declared a "National Day of Unity to Protect Social Security."
The rallies took place just as President Bush was wrapping up his 60-day Social Security tour. Speakers pointed out that support for Bush's scheme has plummeted as he's crossed the country at taxpayer expense to pitch his plan at phony town hall meetings where only die-hard supporters were allowed inside.
"I know he's never seen a crowd like this because President Bush only talks to audiences who already agree with him," Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid told the 2,000-plus people at the Capitol Hill rally. "We're listening to you. We know privatization is a bad deal. And we're not going to let President Bush and Republicans in Congress weaken the most successful social program our nation has ever seen."
Tuesday's rallies also coincided with the first day of the Senate Finance Committee hearing on privatization. Bush loyalists are pushing ahead with the scheme despite polls showing a majority of the public is opposed, as are all Democrats in Congress and many moderate Republicans. Privatization would cost trillions of dollars while doing nothing to shore up Social Security's long-term solvency.
"Social Security became the bedrock of support for seniors in my state precisely because it's defined and guaranteed," Republican Senator Olympia Snowe (Maine), said at the hearing, quoted in the Washington Post.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (California), along with other lawmakers who spoke, signed a "Declaration of Unity" pledging to strengthen Social Security and reject any efforts to privatize it.
"We stand united today to say that a partial privatization plan that cuts benefits, deepens our debt, and drains the Social Security trust fund is unworkable, unwise, and unacceptable to the American people," Pelosi said. "The President's partial privatization plan would shift the risk of the stock market onto middle-class Americans. Democrats won't let a guaranteed benefit become a guaranteed gamble."
No way, not a chance, never going to happen, they said - or shouted - a hundred different ways as similar groups gathered in cities across the country for what the Alliance for Retired Americans declared a "National Day of Unity to Protect Social Security."
The rallies took place just as President Bush was wrapping up his 60-day Social Security tour. Speakers pointed out that support for Bush's scheme has plummeted as he's crossed the country at taxpayer expense to pitch his plan at phony town hall meetings where only die-hard supporters were allowed inside.
"I know he's never seen a crowd like this because President Bush only talks to audiences who already agree with him," Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid told the 2,000-plus people at the Capitol Hill rally. "We're listening to you. We know privatization is a bad deal. And we're not going to let President Bush and Republicans in Congress weaken the most successful social program our nation has ever seen."
Tuesday's rallies also coincided with the first day of the Senate Finance Committee hearing on privatization. Bush loyalists are pushing ahead with the scheme despite polls showing a majority of the public is opposed, as are all Democrats in Congress and many moderate Republicans. Privatization would cost trillions of dollars while doing nothing to shore up Social Security's long-term solvency.
"Social Security became the bedrock of support for seniors in my state precisely because it's defined and guaranteed," Republican Senator Olympia Snowe (Maine), said at the hearing, quoted in the Washington Post.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (California), along with other lawmakers who spoke, signed a "Declaration of Unity" pledging to strengthen Social Security and reject any efforts to privatize it.
"We stand united today to say that a partial privatization plan that cuts benefits, deepens our debt, and drains the Social Security trust fund is unworkable, unwise, and unacceptable to the American people," Pelosi said. "The President's partial privatization plan would shift the risk of the stock market onto middle-class Americans. Democrats won't let a guaranteed benefit become a guaranteed gamble."