I'm going to plop this here since the economy was mentioned as doing well. Not hardly in MI, and I suspect elsewhere. There's lies, damn lies and statistics.

We're overworked, underpaid, and with little or no financial security. No wonder that National Institutes of Mental Health found that in any given year, 10 percent of Americans suffer from depression and over 13 percent from some type of anxiety disorder. We may be rich as hell as a nation, but a great many of us are struggling just to keep it together. A truly prosperous country, on the other hand, ensures the greatest benefits to the greatest number of people.

a dream he's harbored since 1978.

GWB isn't smart enough to have such a dream. This is the GOP wetdream -- the one they've had since the New Deal was created. GWB was probably weaned on "we must destroy Social Security." Now that GWB has demonstrated that he's a bigger man than his father by capturing Saddam, he's out to cement his standing in the GOP as the great one by finally striking a real blow to Social Security that is the first step towards its destruction.

Barnes remains delusional if he truly buys that The president's foreign policy has become stunningly successful and the economy is strong ..., just not as much so as GWB.

Another example of the bu$h administration's arrogant consolidation of power and how it might come back to haunt them.

Treasury strapped for clout

The article I linked to at The Dallas Morning News website requires a user name and password.

Go to Bug Me Not to get one.

Barnes is obviously delusional about bush's foreign policy and the economy. Barnes says things are great, but Reality tells us both areas are a disaster. So how can you trust anything this guy says about bush and Social Security? One thing he is right about is that the dems are reactionary. When are the dems going to outline a clear, united alternative? I'm still waiting. Read Krugman today - he makes the point that the country dislikes bush but the dems can't take advantage of this because the country also dislikes the dems. The dems have to offer something to get the American people on their side. Time is a-wastin.

Barnes is delusional and wait no
no longer.

no longer

My best guess is that he will not give it up. Barbara said that at family gatherings when a game is being played, if GW loses he will demand to play the game until he wins, even if it means into the night. To win, in his eyes, gives him value as an individual. To lose means he is a failure. Bush cannot separate the prize or lack of from self. He will wait until the 2006 elections and try again to push the destruction of SS.

That's my 2 cents worth of psychology about GWB.

To lose means he is a failure.

Damn, he is one big ass failure at everything except getting elected. He must be pretty sleepless.

Perhaps if anyone out there reading this is from Southeast Texas, GWB will be at UTMB Galveston tomorrow. Doesn't look like it is a typical SS townhall meeting (looks like it will be even more closed door than usual), so I'm not sure if any kind of opposition will be present. I tried to find the exact location on the campus and the time, but no luck so far. DeLay is set to be there from what I can tell. However, I've only found info on the net . . . it wasn't on the local news that I watched.

UTMB Galveston is another of the groups that opted out of SS 20+ years ago, so we'll probably hear all about that again, just like after his visit to that group in Ohio.

When are the dems going to outline a clear, united alternative?

They already did. In 1937.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Basharov,

thats bull, because President Clinton even said numerous times that S.S. needs fixed. That time the idiot repubs said it ain't broke don't fix. Now Bush says it is broke, and the idiot dems say oh no its not.

its the parties that are killing this country.

even when SSA was passed in 1937 it stated that it was to be a supplimental retirement pension. the problem is that too many people depend on it as their sole pension. the people of this country are misinformed about the benefits, and they need to find out that in order to retire confortably, you need something more. schools sure as hell don't teach important things like this. so if the government can force people into accounts that actually force them to focus on the future...why not?

Anon,

While the idea of a supplement to social security is a good one, the Bush non-plan to invest in the stock market would be disasterous. When the boomers start retiring in large numbers they will rend to take more money out of the stock market than is going into it. Markets in that condition tend to lose value over time. This would not be good for the private accounts.

As far as Clinton's proposal goes, it was to use some of the surplus to reinforce the trust fund.Thanks to the Bush (mis)administration there is no surplus now.Three years after the Homeland Security Act was passed 95% of all seaport cargo is still uninspected.Social Security is fully funded for the next 30+ years. Given Bush's horrid record of failure and the fact that there is over 30 years before social security has a problem, there is no crises. We can afford to wait until we have a more competent government to enact large scale changes.