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Look for Opportunities to Fight for Social Security!

Congressman Sam Johnson held a town hall meeting March 7, at CCCC at Spring Creek campus in Plano. This report came in:

DiannePipkin@cmc-usa.biz Mar805:
Hi Gene:
This is going to your cc list and also to my list of Plano democrats working to defeat the plan to dismantle Social Security.

Sam Johnson Likes Privatization

Sam Johnson seemed to actually believe that private accounts are a good idea. He stated that he will introduce a plan that would divert 6.2% of each worker's FICA tax into private accounts. He would allow everyone age 21 and older to opt in or out of Social Security. Everyone age 20 and younger would be in a private account plan only.

He Likes Eliminating Social Security, too!

Sam Johnson actually stated that his plan would eliminate the current Social Security system. He said he believes the crisis will occur in 2018 when we begin to call in the trust fund IOUs that will have to be paid back to the Social Security Trust Fund out of general revenue. He said he is worried about the burden on taxpayers at that time. I asked, if he is really worried about that, why is he supporting Bush in asking for permanent tax cuts? Mr. Johnson declined to answer my question, and a policeman took about 5 steps in my direction, lest I be still more disruptive.

Raise the Cap!

A man who is a professional negotiator suggested that there should be no cap on the income taxed for Social Security and that Social Security benefits should be taxed like any other income. Another man suggested that all income, not just earned income should be subject to the tax. A 23-year-old asked who would select (appoint or elect) the group of people who would choose the funds where the private accounts could be invested.

The congressman explained that possible investments would be limited to about 5 index funds. He stated that he does not know who manages the retirement accounts that members of Congress now contribute to, and he thinks we should not want to know who these experts are. (My thought is we have never seen the opportunity for corruption this plan would create!)

Send Your Children to Sam Johnson!

Sam Johnson asked us to send photos of our children and grandchildren to be posted on his website. He promised to post all photos he receives. He will use our photos to show "the real people who need his Social Security reform." I plan to take a picture of my grandchild holding a sign like the one attached to this message, and I urge all of you to do the same. He will be forced to post our opposition on his website or break his promise to post all photos he receives. If we do not see our photos on the website, we should make that fact very public. In order to make your sign, simply print page 1 then run the paper back through and print page 2. You will have a sign that says: PRIVATE ACCOUNTS in black ink overlaid by a red circle with a slash through it - the international symbol for NO. The only way to get our view across is to have our sign as a focal point of our photos. The sign should be held very close to the face!

Thanks, Gene. Please distribute this widely!
Dianne
- Original-: Gene: Dianne Pipkin Mar0705: Town Hall Meeting - Sam Johnson
Dear Dianne,
I intend boosting every opportunity to confront these privatizers, so please let me know of other Town meetings and events. I have a database of over 500 people on our side of this question, and I'd like to help inform them when we have an opportunity.

Also, when there is no opportunity, let's create one! My idea is to form public delegations to every North Texas Congressperson, and use the data base to try to get the constituents to come. What do you think?

If you get digital photos, I'll post them, too. We need to make a movement out of this.
Gene

I would like to post notifications of every opportunity we get to stand up for Social Security and oppose privatization. Please tell me if you hear of one. Also, we should be forming delegations to each Congressperson. If you are interested in a delegation to your own congressperson, please contact me.

**

The facts are strong:


  • 1. Social Security is not in immediate danger

  • 2. Even if it were, privatization would not help

  • 3. Bush's "solution" would actually make our economic situation, especially the deficit, much worse

  • 4. There are many simple methods to get more funds into Social Security when needed. Privatization is not "the only solution;" it isn't a solution at all!

The AFL-CIO petition is at www.unionvoice.org/campaign/protectsocialsecurity. For a printable version in Word format, contact me.

Please attend every Social Security meeting possible. Let me help you build your delegation to save SSA!